Spicy Nduja Sausage Pasta Recipe: A Fiery Italian Delight

Creamy pasta dishes find new excitement with nduja, a spicy spreadable sausage from calabria that brings incredible depth to your meal.

Passionate cooks adore this fiery ingredient for its robust flavor profile.

Small batches of nduja pack serious punch into every bite.

Mediterranean kitchens have long celebrated this unique chili-infused delicacy that melts beautifully into sauces.

Smooth textures blend with sharp heat, creating a complex dining experience.

Rich tomato bases complement nduja’s intense character, making each forkful memorable.

Spicy Sausage Nduja Pasta Essentials

• Elevate Your Comfort Food: Sausage nduja pasta transforms a simple meal into a gourmet experience with its rich, spicy flavor profile that takes your taste buds on an exciting culinary journey.
• Master a Restaurant-Quality Dish: This recipe allows home cooks to create a professional-level pasta that looks and tastes like something from a high-end Italian restaurant, without requiring advanced cooking skills.
• Quick and Satisfying Meal Solution: Perfect for busy weeknights, this one-pan pasta comes together rapidly, delivering maximum flavor with minimal preparation, making it an ideal choice for hungry families or quick dinner needs.
• Customize with Ease: The recipe offers flexibility to adjust spice levels, swap ingredients, or add extra vegetables, giving home cooks the freedom to personalize their meal according to personal preferences and available ingredients.

Ingredients for Flavorful Sausage Nduja Pasta

• Pasta: A staple carbohydrate that serves as the base of this delicious dish.
• Nduja: A spicy, spreadable Italian pork sausage that adds rich, intense flavor to the sauce.
• Italian Sausage: A protein-packed ingredient that provides hearty, meaty texture and traditional Italian taste.

• Onion, Garlic: Foundational ingredients that create a deep, aromatic flavor base for the sauce.
• Salt, Black Pepper, Red Pepper Flakes: Essential seasonings that enhance and balance the overall taste profile.

• Crushed Tomatoes: A classic sauce base that provides acidity and rich tomato flavor.
• Heavy Cream, Parmesan Cheese: Creamy ingredients that add richness, smoothness, and depth to the pasta sauce.
• Olive Oil: A cooking fat that helps sauté the aromatics and provides a smooth cooking base.
• Fresh Basil or Parsley: A fresh herb garnish that adds brightness and visual appeal to the final dish.

How to Prepare Sausage Nduja Pasta Perfectly

Step 1: Boil Pasta

Fill a large pot with water and add a generous pinch of salt. Bring water to a rolling boil and drop in the pasta.

Cook until perfectly tender but still has a slight bite. Scoop out a small cup of pasta water before draining the pasta in a colander.

Step 2: Sizzle Aromatics

Warm olive oil in a wide skillet over medium heat. Toss in finely chopped onions and minced garlic.

Stir and cook until the vegetables become translucent and release their fragrant aroma.

Step 3: Brown Sausage and Nduja

Slide Italian sausage into the pan and break it into crumbly pieces.

Cook until the meat turns a deep golden brown. Spoon in nduja and watch it melt and blend with the sausage, creating a rich and spicy base.

Step 4: Create Sauce Foundation

Pour crushed tomatoes into the skillet. Sprinkle in salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes.

Let the sauce bubble and simmer, allowing the flavors to meld and intensify for about 10 minutes.

Step 5: Build Creamy Texture

Drizzle heavy cream into the sauce and sprinkle Parmesan cheese.

Gently fold the cooked pasta into the mixture. If the sauce seems thick, splash in some reserved pasta water to create a silky, luxurious coating.

Step 6: Finish and Plate

Tear fresh basil or chop parsley over the top. Serve the pasta steaming hot directly from the skillet, inviting everyone to dig in and enjoy the vibrant, spicy dish.

Tips for Making Sausage Nduja Pasta Great

• Save the starchy pasta water to help create a smoother, silkier sauce that perfectly coats every noodle.
• Break down nduja completely while cooking to ensure its spicy, rich flavor distributes evenly throughout the sauce.
• Adjust red pepper flakes to match your heat tolerance, adding more or less depending on your preference.
• Grate fresh Parmesan directly into the sauce for deeper, more intense flavor compared to pre-grated cheese.
• Maintain medium heat while sautéing to prevent burning garlic and onions, which can create bitter undertones.

Tasty Twists on Sausage Nduja Pasta

• Vegetarian Nduja Swap: Replace sausage with crumbled plant-based meat or roasted mushrooms for a hearty vegetarian version.
• Seafood Fusion: Substitute sausage with shrimp or crab meat, adding a delicate marine flavor to the spicy sauce.
• Gluten-Free Option: Use zucchini noodles or gluten-free pasta to accommodate dietary restrictions while maintaining the rich, bold taste.
• Lighter Cream Alternative: Swap heavy cream with Greek yogurt or coconut milk for a healthier, tangier sauce that still provides creamy texture.

Perfect Pairings for Sausage Nduja Pasta

• Crisp Acidic White Wine: Select a zesty Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc that cuts through the rich, spicy sauce and cleanses your palate with bright, refreshing notes.
• Balance with Cool Side Salad: Create a light arugula salad with lemon vinaigrette to counteract the pasta's intense heat and provide a crisp, fresh contrast to the creamy, spicy dish.
• Complement with Rustic Bread: Serve warm ciabatta or focaccia to soak up the delicious sauce, adding texture and allowing diners to enjoy every last drop of the flavorful nduja mixture.

Storing Sausage Nduja Pasta Properly

Store leftover pasta in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Cool completely before sealing to prevent bacterial growth.

Transfer pasta to freezer-safe containers or freezer bags, removing excess air. Freeze for up to 2 months. Nduja and sausage maintain good texture when frozen.

Place pasta in a microwave-safe dish, add a splash of water or extra cream to prevent dryness. Heat in 30-second intervals, stirring between each interval until thoroughly warm.

Warm pasta in a skillet over medium-low heat, adding a little pasta water or cream to restore sauce consistency. Stir gently to prevent sticking and ensure even heating.

FAQs

• What is nduja and why is it special in this recipe?

Nduja is a spicy, spreadable pork salami from Calabria, Italy. It adds intense, fiery flavor and creamy texture to the pasta sauce, creating a rich and complex taste profile.

• Is this dish very spicy?

The heat level depends on the nduja and red pepper flakes. You can control spiciness by adjusting the amount of nduja or reducing red pepper flakes for a milder version.

• Can I substitute nduja if I can't find it?

If nduja is unavailable, try using spicy chorizo, hot calabrese salami, or a mix of tomato paste and red pepper flakes to mimic its intense, spicy flavor.

Sausage Nduja Pasta Recipe

---

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

4.5 from 24 reviews

• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 4 1x

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

Description

Spicy sausage nduja pasta ignites Italian culinary passion with its bold, fiery flavors. Rich, creamy sauce melds perfectly with al dente pasta, promising a quick and irresistible meal you’ll crave again and again.

---

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Meat and Protein:

• 8 ounces (226 grams) Italian sausage, crumbled
• 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) nduja (spicy spreadable pork sausage)

Pasta and Base Ingredients:

• 12 ounces (340 grams) pasta (rigatoni, penne, or spaghetti)
• 1 can (14 ounces/400 grams) crushed tomatoes
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced

Finishing and Seasoning Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (120 milliliters) heavy cream
• 1/4 cup (25 grams) grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
• Salt, to taste
• Black pepper, to taste
• Fresh basil or parsley, for garnish

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

---

Instructions

1. Bring a generously salted pot of water to rolling boil and immerse pasta, cooking until perfectly tender with slight resistance. Carefully extract 1/2 cup cooking liquid before straining.
2. Warm olive oil in expansive skillet over moderate temperature. Gently soften diced onions and minced garlic until translucent and fragrant.
3. Introduce crumbled Italian sausage into pan, searing until golden brown and developing rich caramelized edges. Incorporate nduja, stirring consistently for approximately 2 minutes to distribute spicy, spreadable meat.
4. Stream crushed tomatoes into skillet, seasoning with salt, cracked black pepper, and fiery red pepper flakes. Allow mixture to gently simmer and reduce for 10 minutes, concentrating flavors.
5. Swirl heavy cream into sauce, creating luxurious texture. Fold in freshly grated Parmesan cheese until smoothly integrated. Toss cooked pasta into mixture, ensuring complete coating. Adjust sauce consistency with reserved pasta water if needed.
6. Sprinkle freshly chopped basil or parsley across surface. Transfer immediately to warmed serving plates and present piping hot for maximum enjoyment.

Notes

• Nduja’s spicy intensity can overwhelm delicate palates, so start with less and adjust to taste.
• For a lighter version, swap heavy cream with Greek yogurt or half-and-half to reduce calories.
• Gluten-free pasta works perfectly for those with wheat sensitivities, maintaining the dish’s rich flavor profile.
• Vegetarian adaptation possible by replacing sausage with crumbled plant-based meat or mushrooms for similar texture and umami depth.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Category: Lunch, Dinner
• Method: Boiling
• Cuisine: Italian

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 4
• Calories: 522 kcal
• Sugar: 5 g
• Sodium: 530 mg
• Fat: 29 g
• Saturated Fat: 11 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 16 g
• Trans Fat: 0.3 g
• Carbohydrates: 41 g
• Fiber: 4 g
• Protein: 22 g
• Cholesterol: 65 mg