The recipe has been adapted through the years by memory of the taste, and it's pretty close to what she made back then, although not as authentic as the original recipe written the sauce is made with simple ingredients and a hearty pasta dish.
Sausage, pork. wine, tomatoes, lots of garlic, cheese, and egg yolks are the main ingredients.
This dish is rich, hearty, and very memorable.
Rome, Italy is famous for pasta, and mostly and back in those days basic inexpensive ingredients were used.
She also made some other popular pasta dishes she made were similar in the style you may have heard of Amatriciana, Cacio e Pepe and of course the fabulous Carbonara all-Roman versions of grandma's recipes.
Translated on what this dish is stating " means filthy in Italian" however we think it's a delicious classic meal.
It acquired its that name because in Roman dialect the word also means something that’s full of everything and hard to describe.
One of the ingredients may not be something your very familiar called guanciale part of the pork jowl/cheek, you can use pancetta which is very popular here in America as a substitution.
Here is our version we hope you enjoy it the Roman ways grandma made.
For the recipe just scroll down to the bottom of the page.
Easy Pasta Recipes
Through the years we adapted it to our taste adding more garlic and no onion which is in the original recipe, which we seldom use it in sauce recipes unless it's a stew.
Pasta is a staple in our home and we love all shapes and sizes, if you're not a fan of rigatoni, by all means, use another kind.
If you would like to add ground beef you're going more towards making a bolognese sauce, but no problem, adapt away.
Pasta Suggestions
- rigatoni
- bowties
- mostaccioli
- fusilli
- seashells
- spaghetti
- bucatini
Tips
- cook any kind of pasta you prefer al dente
- use finely chopped onions if you prefer that over garlic flavors
- only use egg yolks not the white
- use grape or cherry tomatoes for best results mashed them down before adding to the pot of sauce
- you can use sausage links but remove the casing (sweet of hot is fine)
- for a sweeter sauce add a carrot but remove it after it simmers in the wine
- if you can't find pork guanciale, use pancetta or bacon instead
- use only Pecorino Romano freshly grated cheese for the best results in flavor
- for a little heat add some red pepper flakes as a garnish
Ingredients in this recipe you will need(for exact measurements scroll to the printable recipe card)
- loose sausage
- rigatoni
- egg yolks
- pork guanciale, or use pancetta
- tomato paste
- olive oil
- garlic
- red wine
- pasta water
- Pecorino Romano cheese
- cherry or grape tomatoes
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Pasta
One last thing for a quick meal tip!
Cook the pasta of choice and if you're not a meat eater leave out the meat and add a vegetable you prefer like eggplant, zucchini or mushrooms.
This pasta dish is great for hosting a party and it's really easy to make.
Enjoy this Roman culinary experience it surely has a warm place in my heart in remembering grandma and how she made this delicious rigatoni alla zozzona
Rigatoni alla Zozzona
Yield: 6
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 44 MinTotal time: 59 Min
Rigatoni all Zozzona is a hearty Italian pasta dish Roman style with loose sausage and a creamy blend of egg yolks with cheese.
Ingredients
- 1 pound large rigatoni cooked to package instructions (the way you like it we prefer al dente)
- 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 ounces guanciale (or use pancetta), cut into thin strips
- Note: guanciale is Italian cured meat made from pork jowl or cheeks.
- 4 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 pound (5 in casings removed) loose hot or sweet Italian sausages
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 cups cherry or grape tomatoes slices in half and mashed
- 1 cup red wine
- 4 egg yolks
- salt for the water
- freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- 1/3 cup grated Pecorino Romano more for garnish
- Optional Toppings:
- red pepper flakes, freshly cracked black pepper, olive oil for drizzling
Instructions
- In a large pasta pot, boil the water with salt and cook the pasta reserving one cup of pasta water before draining it.
- In a medium-sized saucepan or deep skillet add the olive oil and set the heat to medium-low.
- Saute the pork until the fat is crispy (similar to bacon) This takes around 6 to 7 minutes depending how thick you sliced the strips.
- After the pork is fried and crispy remove to a paper towel and set this aside in a dish.
- Add the pork fat to a bowl and keep around 3 teaspoons in the skillet your using.
- Heat the pan to medium heat and add the slices garlic and saute this for around 2 minutes or until is golden in color.
- Stir in the sausage and cook until its browned (we like ours a little crispy) salt and pepper the sausage to taste before this next step.
- Add the tomato paste and tomatoes.
- Stir in the wine and simmer this for around 6 or 7 minutes.
- While this simmers add the egg yolks to a bowl with 1/3 cup of cheese, freshly cracked pepper, and some drippings reserved from the fried pork strips ( 1 or 2 tablespoons).
- Pour the cooked pasta and the guanciale into the sauce and stir coating evenly.
- Stir 2 tablespoons of the reserved pasta water into the egg mixture.
- Remove the pan for heat to a cool burner.
- Quickly stir the egg mixture into the saucepan with pasta and stir until evenly coated and becomes glossy.
- Add more pasta water if needed.
- This is ready to serve now.
- Add any garnishes to the top, red pepper, more black pepper, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, and more grated cheese if desired.
Notes
Tips
- cook any kind of pasta you prefer al dente
- use finely chopped onions if you prefer that over garlic flavors
- only use egg yolks not the white
- use grape or cherry tomatoes for best results mashed them down before adding them to the pot of sauce
- you can use sausage links but remove the casing (sweet of hot is fine)
- for a sweeter sauce add a carrot but remove it after it simmers in the wine
- if you can't find pork guanciale, use pancetta or bacon instead
- use only Pecorino Romano freshly grated cheese for the best results in flavor
- for a little heat add some red pepper flakes as a garnish
Pasta Suggestions
- rigatoni
- bowties
- mostaccioli
- fusilli
- seashells
- spaghetti
- bucatini
Pin for later
More Recipes We Love
Mom's Homemade Italian Sausage Recipe
Pasta and Broccoli Aioli
Homemade Orecchiette
Disclosure: This recipe was originally shared in 2013. It was edited and re-published in 2022.