Pasta alla Zozzona
Rich Roman pasta with sausage, guanciale, egg, and tomato.
Ingredients
- 200 g Rigatoni
- 150 g Italian sausage
- 60 g Guanciale
- 200 ml Tomato passata
- 2 Egg yolk
- 50 g Pecorino Romano
- 1 tbsp Salt
Method
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- While the water heats, crumble the sausage and dice the guanciale.
- Render the guanciale in a cold pan over medium heat until the fat melts out and it crisps, about 4 minutes.
- Add the crumbled sausage to the rendered fat and brown it well, breaking it up, about 4 minutes.
- Pour in the passata and simmer until it thickens and turns glossy, about 6 minutes.
- Whisk the yolks with the pecorino.
- Cook the rigatoni one minute shy of al dente (firm to the bite).
- Reserve a mugful of pasta water, then drain.
- Toss the pasta in the sauce, then the egg-cheese off heat with pasta water until creamy.
- Serve at once.
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About Pasta alla Zozzona
Pasta alla zozzona is a gloriously excessive Roman dish whose name comes from a dialect word meaning messy or filthy, a nod to the way it throws together the greatest hits of Roman pasta into one pan. It combines the guanciale and egg-and-pecorino of carbonara, the tomato of amatriciana, and Italian sausage on top, dressed on sturdy rigatoni. There is no restraint here by design; it is a maximalist plate meant to be rich and indulgent. What holds the whole thing together is the same emulsion technique as carbonara, whisked egg yolks and pecorino turned into a creamy sauce off the heat rather than scrambled.
The flavor is deep and layered: smoky crisp guanciale, meaty browned sausage, sweet-savory tomato, and the salty, velvety yolk-and-cheese binding it all into one coating sauce. The key is timing that final toss off the heat with a splash of pasta water, so the egg thickens into silk rather than curdling into scramble. It is unapologetically heavy, the kind of dish for a hungry crowd or an indulgent night in rather than an everyday dinner. Serve it at once in the pan's residual warmth, while the sauce is still glossy and the guanciale crisp.
Pasta alla Zozzona: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Pasta alla Zozzona?
A serving has about 962 calories — 36.9g protein, 82.3g carbs, 52.5g fat, 4.2g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.
Is it high in protein?
Each serving has about 36.9g of protein, roughly 15% of its calories.
Is Pasta alla Zozzona gluten-free?
As written, no — it contains Rigatoni. You'd need a certified gluten-free swap for that ingredient to make it gluten-free.
Is Pasta alla Zozzona dairy-free?
Not as written — it uses Pecorino Romano. Swapping it for a plant-based alternative makes it dairy-free.
How many servings does Pasta alla Zozzona make?
This recipe makes 2 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.