Description
Sausage Nduja Pasta, also known as Pasta con Nduja, is a flavorful Italian dish combining crispy pork sausages with a creamy, smoky sauce made from nduja paste, mascarpone, and tomatoes. Served with orecchiette or your choice of pasta, this recipe brings rich, hearty, and indulgent flavors to your table in just 30 minutes.
Ingredients
Scale
Sausage and Sauce
- 6 good quality pork sausages (casings removed)
- Olive oil (for frying)
- 300 g cherry tomatoes
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp nduja paste
- 125 g mascarpone
- Fresh basil leaves
Pasta
- 400 g pasta (orecchiette recommended, or any pasta you have)
- Salt (for seasoning pasta water and to taste)
- Pepper (to taste)
Finishing
- Parmesan cheese (for grating)
Instructions
- Prepare the sausages: In a pan over medium heat, add a drizzle of olive oil. Remove casings from sausages by scoring and pulling off the skin, preferably when sausages are fridge cold. Break the sausage meat into small pieces using a wooden spoon.
- Fry sausages until crispy: Cook the sausage pieces in the pan, stirring occasionally, until they turn deep golden brown and are completely crisp, about 10-15 minutes.
- Add tomato and nduja paste: Once sausages are crispy, add cherry tomatoes, tomato paste, and nduja paste. Stir well to combine and fry for a few minutes to let the flavors meld.
- Simmer the sauce: Add a splash of water, then bubble gently for 10 minutes, pressing the cherry tomatoes with the back of the wooden spoon to help them burst and create a sauce.
- Cook the pasta: While the sauce simmers, bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil and cook your pasta according to package instructions until al dente.
- Finish the sauce: Stir the mascarpone and fresh basil leaves into the tomato sauce. Add some pasta cooking water as needed to loosen and smooth out the sauce.
- Combine pasta and sauce: Drain the pasta, reserving some pasta water. Add the pasta to the sauce along with grated Parmesan and additional fresh basil. Stir well, adding more pasta water if needed to create a silky coating.
- Serve: Divide the pasta into bowls, garnish with extra Parmesan and basil if desired, and enjoy immediately.
Notes
- The crispy fried sausage adds a rich, savory crunch that contrasts beautifully with the creamy nduja and mascarpone sauce.
- Orecchiette pasta is traditional here, but any pasta shape you have on hand will work well.
- Adjust the amount of nduja paste to control the spiciness of the sauce to your preference.
- Adding pasta water helps to emulsify the sauce, making it smooth and silky.
- Fresh basil adds a bright, herbal note that balances the richness of the dish.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 879 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 731 mg
- Fat: 42 g
- Saturated Fat: 18 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 16 g
- Trans Fat: 0.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 80 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 31 g
- Cholesterol: 103 mg
