Rigatoni pasta with tomato sauce, crispy pork belly, and fresh herbs in a ceramic bowl on a rustic wooden table with a side of bread and red wine.
easy

Porchetta Pasta

Crispy porchetta meets zesty tomato-wine sauce in this easy pasta—authentic Italian roast pork reimagined for weeknights, bursting with fennel, rosemary, and herbs.

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15m prep + 32m cook
4 servings
Italy, Lazio, Umbria

What You'll Need

  • to taste kosher salt
  • 340g short tubular pasta
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 small onion
  • 450g porchetta
  • 120ml red wine
  • 800g san marzano tomato
  • 25g flat leaf parsley
  • to taste black pepper
  • for serving pecorino romano cheese

Let's Get Cooking

  1. 1

    Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add 2 tbsp kosher salt, and cook pasta until al dente (about 8-10 minutes total).

    ~10m

    Reserve 250ml pasta water before draining.

  2. 2

    Heat olive oil in a 30cm skillet over medium heat, add finely chopped onion, and cook until softened.

    ~4m
  3. 3

    Add diced porchetta to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally.

    ~3m

    Use leftover porchetta for authentic flavor from fennel, rosemary, and garlic.

  4. 4

    Pour in red wine to deglaze, scraping browned bits; stir in tomatoes, half the parsley, and 200ml water from rinsing the tomato can; season with salt and pepper; simmer.

    ~12m
  5. 5

    Add drained pasta directly to skillet, toss to coat, adding reserved pasta water (60-240ml) as needed to loosen sauce.

    ~2m
  6. 6

    Divide into bowls, top with remaining parsley, and serve with grated pecorino Romano.

    ~1m

    Grate cheese fresh for sharper flavor.

Goes Great With

Farfalle

good

Bowties add playful shape to the hearty sauce, ideal for family servings

Rigatoni

perfect

Thick tubes trap chunky porchetta and sauce, ensuring every bite bursts with meaty tomato flavor

Penne

great

Short ridged shape clings to the oily, herb-infused ragù for balanced texture

Bucatini

good

Hollow strands hold wine-tomato sauce, complementing porchetta's richness without overwhelming

Orecchiette

great

Little ears scoop up diced pork and parsley, mimicking southern Italian pasta styles

The Story Behind the Sauce

Porchetta pasta reinterprets Italy's iconic porchetta roast—a central Italian delicacy of herb-stuffed pork belly slow-roasted to crackling perfection—into a speedy pasta sauce. Originating from Lazio street vendors who dice porchetta into panini, this version simmers chunks of the fennel-rosemary-garlic laced meat with San Marzano tomatoes and red wine, creating a rich, aromatic ragù. Colu Henry's recipe highlights its roots while making it accessible. The flavor profile balances porchetta's signature anise-like fennel, earthy rosemary, pungent garlic, and juicy pork fat against bright tomato acidity and wine depth, finished with fresh parsley and sharp pecorino. What makes it special is its duality: traditional porchetta's labor-intensive roast (hours of herb-rubbing and slow cooking) yields effortless umami in sauce form, evoking Italian market stalls without the spit-roast hassle.