Pasta Alla Zozzona (Dirty Pasta)

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Hearty, indulgent and a little bit messy! This Pasta Alla Zozzona recipe is the love child of Carbonara and Pasta con Salsiccia. If you love bold, comforting food that doesn’t hold back on flavour, you’re going to love Pasta Alla Zozzona.

Pasta alla zozzona served in a bowl topped with pancetta and basil

About This Pasta Alla Zozzona Recipe

At its heart, Pasta Alla Zozzona combines crispy guanciale or pancetta with good quality sausage, all fried until golden and fragrant. You then build the sauce with passata, eggs and a generous grating of Pecorino Romano. The result is a silky, creamy, deeply savoury sauce that clings to every piece of pasta.

And like all great home cooking, it’s forgiving. You don’t need fancy ingredients or complicated techniques. Just cook your pasta until perfectly al dente, render the fat from the meat slowly so it goes crisp and mix everything together off the heat so the eggs create a smooth, glossy sauce rather than scrambling

Ingredients

Using the freshest ingredients in this Pasta Alla Zozzona recipe makes all the difference. Below, you will see the ingredients laid out along with.a list. Exact measurements and quantities can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this page. Make sure to have everything ready and prepared before you start cooking for best results.

See recipe card for quantities.

Rigatoni
Guanciale or pancetta
Italian sausages
Shallots
Tomato passata
Egg yolks
Pecorino Romano
Fresh basil
Salt and pepper

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

You will find photographs of each step below, along with a full layout including the ingredients in the recipe card. Use whichever format works best for you. These steps are clear and easy to follow, so you can cook along with confidence.

Step 1: Bring a large pot of water to the boil, salt generously and add your rigatoni. Cook until beautifully al dente (10-12 minutes).

Step 2: Meanwhile, to a cold pan, add your guanciale or pancetta pieces and turn the heat to medium. Allow the fat to render out and crisp the pieces until golden. Remove and set aside.

Step 3: To the same pan, on a medium heat, fry your shallots until slightly softened.

Sausage meat added to the pan and cooked until browned

Step 4: Remove the skin from your sausages and crumble in the meat to the pan with the shallots, use a spoon to break the meat apart and fry until browned and slightly crisped.

Passata added to the pan with the sausage and shallots

Step 5: Stir in your passata and season with salt and pepper to taste. Allow to simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.

Passata sauce added to the drained pasta with cup of pasta water reserved

Step 6: Drain your pasta and reserve a cup of pasta water. Add your pasta to your tomato sauce and stir to combine.

Step 7: To a bowl, add your egg yolks and grated Pecorino Romano and whisk together. Add a splash of your reserved pasta water to create your glossy sauce.

Egg and cheese mixture added to the passata pasta

Step 8: Add your egg and cheese mixture to the tomato pasta and stir quickly to combine, add an extra splash of pasta water to loosen the sauce.

Pasta alla zozzona served in a bowl and topped with pancetta

Step 9: Sprinkle in your crispy guanciale or pancetta and season to taste.

Step 10: Top with your fresh basil and dig in!

Hint: Add your guanciale or pancetta to a cold pan before turning up the heat to cook. This will render out the fat beautifully and crisp your meat to perfection.

Substitutions

Pasta Alla Zozzona is a simple, rustic recipe from Rome which means it’s flexible, forgiving and easy to adapt with what you have at home. Here are some simple swaps that still give you that rich, indulgent result:

Guanciale - Just as we did in this recipe, swap out the traditional guanciale for pancetta or bacon lardons.
Pecorino Romano - Parmesan cheese is a milder yet tasty substitution that will still create that glossy sauce that clings to each piece of pasta!
Rigatoni - Which pasta shape you choose to use is down to your own personal preference. For this recipe we used rigatoni as it traps that delicious sauce in its shape, however penne, fusilli or even spaghetti will compliment this dish beautifully.

Variations

This recipe is close to the traditional version of Pasta Alla Zozzona but there are loads of tasty spins you can try:

Spicy - Add a kick of spice to your Pasta Alla Zozzona by adding a teaspoon of chilli flakes when you fry your sausage meat. Or, why not use a spicy Italian sausage to save you time!
Mushroom - To add an extra depth of flavour, chop up and saute some porcini mushrooms with your sausage meat.
Extra cheesy - If you're a lover of cheese, why not fold in a tablespoon of mascarpone to finish your dish and add an extra level of creaminess (not that this recipe needs it!)

Link to another recipe if possible.

Equipment

Large pot for boiling water

Medium pan

Colander

Serving Size (Serves 4)

This Pasta Alla Zozzona recipe is written to serve 4. Most of the time, we cook for 2 and enjoy the leftovers the next day - it makes the effort of cooking something fresh and delicious even more worthwhile. If you’re feeding 5 or 6, you can easily double the recipe, or sometimes it’s as simple as adding an extra piece of protein and adjusting the sides. Make it yours, enjoy the process, and don’t stress about being exact.

Note: Nutritional information provided in the recipe card below is a rough guide only. Values can vary depending on the exact ingredients and quantities you use.

Storage

Fridge: Allow your Pasta Alla Zozzona to cool completely, then store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Flavours often develop even more after a night in the fridge. When reheating, you may need to add a splash of water or milk to loosen up the sauce.
Freezer: Due to the high dairy content, I would not recommend freezing this Pasta Alla Zozzona as the egg and cheese mixture can split when thawed. Eat it straight away for best results!

Top Tip

For the silkiest Pasta Alla Zozzona, always remove the pan from the heat before adding the egg and cheese, using a splash of pasta water to create a smooth, creamy sauce instead of scrambled eggs.

FAQ

What is Pasta Alla Zozzona?

A rich, indulgent pasta dish from Rome that combines elements of carbonara and amatriciana, made with pork, tomatoes, egg and Pecorino cheese.

What does “zozzona” mean?

It roughly translates to “messy” or “dirty,” referring to the hearty, indulgent mix of ingredients and bold flavours.

What pasta is best for Pasta Alla Zozzona?

Short pasta like rigatoni or penne works best because it holds the thick, creamy sauce well.

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Pairing

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