This One-Pot Pasta Sauce Is a Combo of 4 Beloved Italian Classics
The four classic Roman pastas — spaghetti carbonara, cacio e pepe, pasta alla gricia, and bucatini all’amatriciana — are simple, restrained, and focused on highlighting a few key ingredients in an artful way. Now, throw all that restraint out the window and add some Italian sausage and you’ve got pasta alla zozzona.
Pasta alla zozzona, a combination of the four classics, literally translates to “dirty pasta,” but what it really means is this pasta is a rich, hearty mess. Comparatively, there’s a lot more going on (in a good way!). The tangy red sauce is glossy from egg yolks; salty from the guanciale, sausage, and cheese; and balanced with a little heat from chili flakes and freshly cracked black pepper.
Because this pasta is so rich and meaty, one box can really stretch to feed a table full of guests. From now on, if I’m making pasta for a crowd, it’s gonna be pasta alla zozzona. Just add a Caesar salad and a bottle of wine and wait for the compliments to roll in.
Why You’ll Love It
All the greatest hits in one bowl! Combine the four delicious, classic Roman pastas — cacio e pepe, carbonara, amatriciana, and gricia — in one pot.
Feed a crowd! The double protein and extra-hearty sauce make this a filling meal for six to eight people with just one box of pasta.
Key Ingredients in Pasta Alla Zozzona
Guanciale: This can be harder to find than pancetta or bacon, but it’s worth seeking out! Guanciale renders more fat and has more smoky flavor than the other options.
Sausage: Use sweet or hot Italian sausage; whichever you prefer!
Egg yolks: Like carbonara, this pasta sauce gets its glossy texture and richness from tempered egg yolks, rather than cream.
Cheese: Stir some Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese into the sauce and sprinkle a little more on top for serving.
Calabrian chili paste: While optional, this adds tangy, smoky flavor and a little extra heat. If you don’t have any, this pasta is still delicious with just a pinch of red pepper flakes.
Black pepper: Use coarsely ground black pepper to take the ingredient from supporting character to star.
Pasta: Rigatoni holds up to the sauce well, plus the pieces make a delicious hiding place for bits of sausage and guanciale.
The Four Roman Pastas
Pasta alla zozzona is a mash-up of the four classic Roman pastas, plus Italian sausage. Each one is delicious in its own right.
Carbonara: Egg yolks, guanciale, Pecorino, and black pepper.
Amatriciana: Tomatoes, chili, guanciale, and Pecorino.
Gricia: Guanciale, Pecorino, and black pepper.
Cacio e pepe: Pecorino Romano and black pepper.
Helpful Swaps
Use other short pasta shapes like ziti, lumache, penne, or paccheri instead of rigatoni.
It’s not traditional, but you can drain your pasta over some frozen peas and stir those in.
If you don’t have tomato purée, blend a can of whole-peeled, crushed, or diced tomatoes using an immersion blender or regular blender.
What to Serve with Pasta Alla Zozzona
Pasta Alla Zozzona Recipe
This pasta has everything (and sausage, too!).
Prep time 15 minutes
Cook time 32 minutes
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
4 large egg yolks
2 ounces finely grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese (about 1/2 cup), plus more for serving
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper, plus more for serving
2 teaspoon olive oil
4 ounces guanciale or pancetta, cut into 1/2-inch-wide by 3/4-inch-long pieces (about 3/4 cup)
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
12 ounces uncooked hot or sweet Italian sausage, casings removed if needed
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 (28-ounce) can puréed tomato or tomato passata
1 tablespoon Calabrian chili paste (optional)
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 pound dried rigatoni pasta
Kosher salt
Instructions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat.
Meanwhile, make the sauce. Whisk 4 large egg yolks, 2 ounces grated Pecorino Romano cheese, and 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper together in a medium heatproof bowl.
Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a large Dutch oven or high-sided skillet over medium-low heat until shimmering. Add 4 ounces chopped guanciale and spread into a single layer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and crisp, 6 to 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the guanciale to a small bowl.
Turn off the heat. Transfer 1 tablespoon of the fat in the pan to the egg mixture and whisk to combine. Remove all but 1 tablespoon of the remaining fat from the pan (discard or reserve any remaining fat for another use).
Return the pan to medium-high heat. Add 1 finely chopped medium yellow onion and 2 finely chopped garlic cloves. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are slightly softened but not browned, about 3 minutes. Add 12 ounces uncooked Italian sausage. Cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon into bite-sized pieces, until browned and cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes.
Add 2 tablespoons tomato paste and cook, stirring often, until lightly toasted and darkened in color, about 1 minute. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add 1 (28-ounce) can puréed tomatoes, 1 tablespoon Calabrian chili paste if using, and 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes. Stir to combine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
Partially cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, add 1 pound dried rigatoni to the boiling water. Cook according to package directions until the pasta is just al dente, 10 to 13 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta.
When the sauce is ready, turn off the heat. Add the pasta and guanciale, and toss to coat.
While whisking constantly, slowly pour 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water into the egg mixture. While stirring constantly, slowly pour the egg mixture into the pasta. Thin the sauce out with more pasta water as needed. Taste and season with kosher salt as needed. Serve topped with more grated cheese and black pepper.
Recipe Notes
Storage: Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Further Reading
Why People Are Ditching Their Seltzer After a Disturbing Study
Reese’s Just Launched a Limited-Edition Peanut Butter Cup, and It Tastes 4x Better than the Original
