Pasta alla zozzona is a fusion of two Roman classics, amatriciana and carbonara, with pork sausage and onions added in to send the pasta over the top. “Zozzona,” a Roman dialect word for dirty, references the dish’s rich flavor and the unusual mash-up of ingredients that makes it unrecognizable on the plate.
To create a meaty, creamy, and decadent pasta that reflected the true tradition of pasta alla zozzona, we used equal parts guanciale and Italian sausage to double down on pork flavor and to create significant amounts of pork fat that emulsified into the passata to create a creamy, not greasy, sauce. Egg yolks and pecorino Romano infused further creaminess into the sauce. Rigatoni’s tubular shape was ideal for cradling the glossy sauce and chunks of guanciale and sausage.
Pasta alla Zozzona
Serves 4
