Pasta alla Zozzona, Roman 'Dirty Pasta'

Pasta alla Zozzona is a traditional Roman dish that combines three good classic dishes in one. Yup AmatricianaCarbonara and Cacio e Pepe come together to create an incredibly rich and good pasta.

Recipe overview

• Flavour and texture: rich, savoury and hearty with salty guanciale, sausage and cheesy pecorino. The sauce is silky and creamy from egg yolks and cheese.
• Total time: 35 minutes
• Servings: 4 to 6 servings
• Suited to: a cosy weekend dinner or for when you're in the mood for an indulgent comfort food

When we first heard of Pasta alla Zozzona, we thought, no, surely this isn't a thing? It turns out it much is 'a thing', and it's good.

Zozzona translates as 'filthy or dirty' and probably refers to how incredibly rich this dish is. It is a combination of everything. You've got guanciale, Italian sausage, white wine, onion, then there are egg yolks and lots of pecorino cheese in for good measure too.

Phew, it's a lot, and it's not something you'll likely have on a weekly rotation, but it's one of those rich and indulgent dishes that you've got to try.

It's suited to a cosy night in with a glass of wine, if you ask us. See the full recipe below and enjoy!

Ingredient notes

• Pasta – we used rigatoni, but any short pasta shape will do.
• Guanciale – you can use pancetta instead.
• Italian sausage – use mild Italian sausages.
• Passata – you can also use good quality chopped tomatoes like Mutti Polpa.
• Pecorino – although we highly recommend using Pecorino Romano for this, you can use Parmigiano Reggiano instead.

Visual walk-through of the recipe

1. Fry the guanciale – fry the guanciale until golden and crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon. Pour most of the guanciale fat into a ramekin and set aside (photo 1).
2. Sauté onion – add the chopped onion and sausage to the pan and saute until the onion is soft and translucent and thesausage is browned (photo 2).

1. Add guanciale back – add 2/3 of the guanciale back to the pan and add the white wine. Reduce the wine for about 2 minutes, then add the passata (tomato puree). Simmer the sauce while your pasta cooks (photos 3 and 4).
2. Mix egg mixture – while the pasta and sauce are cooking, whisk the egg yolks with grated pecorino and a generous amount of black pepper. When you have a thick paste, loosen it slightly with the guanciale fat (can also use pasta water) (photos 6 and 7).

1. Add pasta and egg – when the pasta is al dente, add it to the sauce and toss to combine. Turn off the heat, then add the egg yolk mixture and stir it through. Serve the pasta in bowls with more Pecorino cheese and remaining guanciale (photo 8).

Top tips for making Pasta alla Zozzona

• Guanciale fat: guanciale fat is often added to egg yolks when making carbonara, and it's what we do here for added flavour (it's so good). If you don't want to do this, you can discard the fat and use a little pasta instead.
• Adding the eggs: much like carbonara, your eggs are at risk of scrambling if the pan is too hot. take it off the heat, add your pasta, then add the eggs. Stir it in quickly to avoid it scrambling. The sauce will be silky, glossy and good.
• Sauce too thick? If your sauce is too thick, you can loosen it with some reserved pasta water.

More classic Roman dishes to try

Mains

Veal Saltimbocca with Prosciutto and Sage

Pasta

Penne all'Arrabbiata: Spicy Italian Tomato Pasta

Gnocchi

Gnocchi Carbonara

Pasta

Pasta alla Gricia

Ingredients

Makes 4 - 6 servings

• 14 oz (400g) Rigatoni (or other short pasta)
• 5.3 oz (150g) guanciale, cut into cubes or strips ((about 1.5 cups) can also use pancetta)
• 5.3 oz (150g) Italian sausages, removed from their casings (about 1 large sausage or 2 small)
• 1 white onion
• ¼ cup (60ml) white wine
• 14 oz (400g) passata (tomato puree US)
• 1.5 oz (40g) Pecorino Romano
• 3 egg yolks
• Salt and black pepper

Method

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it well.

2. Meanwhile, add the pancetta to a large pan on a medium heat and fry until crispy. Remove the guanciale from the pan and pour the guanciale fat into a ramekin, set aside.

3. Next, add the sausages and finely chopped onion to the pan and saute them both until the onion is translucent and the sausage has browned. Add, ⅔ of the guanciale back to the pan and reserve the rest for topping.

4. Add the white wine and let it simmer for 1-2 minutes to let it reduce. Add the passata (tomato puree) and bring to a simmer. Turn down to a medium-low heat and let it cook for 10 minutes.

5. While the sauce is cooking, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook it until al dente. When the pasta is done your sauce will be ready for the final step.

6. Add the egg yolks to a bowl and whisk them together. Add the cheese and a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper and whisk with a fork to a thick paste.

7. Add the remaining guanciale fat to the egg yolks and mix together. If you don't want to do this you can skip this step just make sure to loosen the egg mixture with reserved pasta water.

8. Turn the sauce off the heat and add the cooked pasta to the tomato sauce and toss to combine. Add the egg yolk mixture and mix it into the pasta sauce until thoroughly combined.

9. Serve in bowls topped with reserved crispy guanciale and more Pecorino.

Kitchen notes

• Don't throw out your egg whites egg whites can be frozen and used to make good savoury or sweet dishes. Why not use them to make these traditional Tuscan cookies called Ricciarelli or our soft Amaretti cookies?
• Leftovers the pasta is best served immediately when it tastes its best but you can refrigerate it for 1-2 days and reheat it on the stovetop. You may need to add a splash of water to help loosen the sauce.