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This Sausage Nduja Pasta (Pasta con Nduja) is so delicious, you will wonder why you haven’t made it before. Imagine crispy fried sausage with orecchiette pasta in a luxuriously, creamy smoky ’nduja, mascarpone, and tomato sauce, all finished off with plenty of Parmesan. Trust me, it is just so good!
Table of Contents
- Why you will love this recipe
- Ingredients
- Substitutions and variations
- How to make delicious pasta con ’nduja
- Tips from Margie’s kitchen
- What do people mean when they talk about al dente?
- Frequently asked questions
- Other recipes you may enjoy
- Sausage Nduja Pasta (Pasta con Nduja) Recipe
- Make-ahead and storage
I love cooking with crumbled sausages – they go wonderfully crispy and golden (I use the same technique in my Creamy Sausage Pasta). Then add in a delicious homemade cherry tomato sauce infused with smoky ’nduja paste (jarred ‘nduja paste is the easiest to find, but see the FAQ below for where to buy the fresh stuff), swirled with mascarpone, and you have a delicious pasta dish that is easy enough to make on a weeknight.
Why you will love this recipe
- It is quick, easy, and ready in less than 30 minutes – perfect for a weeknight meal.
- It is full of flavor thanks to the crispy sausages, spicy and smoky ’nduja, creamy mascarpone, sweet tomatoes, and cheesy umami Parmesan.
- It is a budget-friendly meal that makes the most of affordable ingredients and pantry essentials.
Ingredients
- Sausages – Opt for the best quality sausages you can find; it will make all the difference in terms of flavor.
- Tomato paste (tomato purée) – Intensifies the tomato flavor in the sauce. You could swap for sun-dried tomato paste if you prefer.
- ’Nduja paste – This spicy Italian sausage paste adds a bit of heat and smokiness to the sauce that just tastes so good.
- Mascarpone – A creamy, thick Italian cheese with a high fat content (around 40%) and similar consistency to cream cheese.
Substitutions and variations
Sausages: Ground pork (pork mince) would also work the same way – just fry until lovely and crispy, and make sure you season well. I would also add a little crushed garlic and some dried herbs.
Garlic: This is lovely with a couple of crushed or roasted garlic cloves in the sauce, or a shake of garlic powder (granules).
Fresh pesto: If you want to boost the basil flavor, you can swirl in some basil pesto or drizzle over a couple of teaspoons before serving.
Dried pasta: You can use pretty much any pasta you have in your pantry. I feel small dried pasta works best; fusilli and penne are both good choices.
Mascarpone: Swap for some cream cheese or Boursin. Or a drizzle of heavy (double) cream.
How to make delicious pasta con ’nduja
Here’s a quick visual guide — the full recipe with exact measurements is below.
ONE: Drizzle the olive oil into a large non-stick frying pan set over medium heat. Add the sausage and break it into small pieces using the back of a wooden spoon. Fry the sausage pieces for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until deep golden brown and really crispy.
TWO: Add the cherry tomatoes, tomato paste, and ’nduja paste. Fry for a couple of minutes, stirring occasionally, then add a generous splash of water. Bring to a simmer and allow to bubble away gently for about 10 minutes, encouraging the tomatoes to burst by pressing down with the back of the wooden spoon.
THREE: Get your pasta to boil. Once a sauce has formed, add the mascarpone and mix together.
FOUR: Stir in the basil leaves and pasta water.
FIVE: Add the drained pasta to the pan with a generous grating of Parmesan. Stir well to coat. Add more splashes of pasta water, as needed, until you have a smooth and silky sauce.
SIX: Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more salt, pepper, and/or basil, as needed. Scoop the pasta into bowls and top with more Parmesan.
Tips from Margie’s kitchen
- Crispy sausages: Make sure you break the sausages down into small pieces and keep cooking until they are gloriously golden and crispy. Keep stirring occasionally so they don’t burn.
- Adding pasta water: Using pasta cooking water in pasta sauces is one of my favorite chef’s tricks. As the pasta cooks in the boiling water, it releases starch, thus creating a starchy pasta water. When you add this to your sauces, it helps to bind and thicken them. If you have a buttery or oily sauce, it will help it become creamy and non-greasy.
- Pasta shape for ’nduja pasta: I like to use orecchiette, as you can see, as it catches the sauce well in the little divots. I find any short pasta is best here. Try rigatoni, paccheri, cavatappi, or cavatelli, all of which also catch sauce well.
What do people mean when they talk about al dente?
Pasta recipes often ask for the pasta to be cooked ‘al dente,’ which literally translates as ‘to the tooth.’ This is the ideal consistency for pasta (and rice). It should be firm and have some bite – not too hard or chalky (which means it is undercooked) or mushy (which means it is overcooked).
For all my saucy pasta recipes where the pasta gets stirred through the sauce, the pasta actually finishes cooking for a few minutes as you toss it with the sauce. So it’s very important that the pasta is still a little hard when you add it to the sauce, or it will overcook. This is the secret to really great pasta!
Always add the pasta to the sauce and not the other way around. Also cook it al dente and finish it in the sauce. Just bubble it away for a minute or so, then taste to check you’re happy with the flavor and that the pasta is cooked.
Frequently asked questions
This can seem a bit of a fuss but gets easier once you have the hang of it. You need to make sure your sausages are fridge cold (trust me, it will make it SO much easier). Then all you have to do is score the skin down the length with a sharp knife and pull away the sides.
Yes, you can use any sausages in this ’nduja pasta. I have used good-quality pork sausages, but you can experiment with different flavors. You can also try using sausages made with other meat like chicken or lamb (like merguez sausages).
’Nduja is an Italian spreadable cured sausage paste made from pork, fat, spices, Calabrian chilies, and herbs. It has a deep red color and spicy flavor and is often used to add flavor to sauces and stews, as a pizza topping or spread on toast (it doesn’t need cooking). You can read my guide on all things ’nduja for more information.
’Nduja used to be a specialty find, but these days most large supermarkets carry it, often in the chilled aisle or near the deli counter. In the US, look for it at Italian delis, specialty grocery stores, or online. You’ll also see small jars of ’nduja paste shelved with the herbs and spices. That’s a handy backup with a similar flavor, but the fresh, chilled variety is richer and melts into the sauce better, so it’s worth seeking out for this pasta.
Definitely. With a few simple swaps, you can make a delicious vegetarian sausage pasta. Opt for vegetarian-friendly sausages (you could even choose a flavored variety) and either omit the ’nduja or purchase a plant-based version like this Belazu Ve-du-ya (in the UK). Then all you have to do is swap the Parmesan for a vegetarian-friendly Parmesan-style hard cheese like Gran Moravia – although a strong cheddar would work well too.
Other recipes you may enjoy
Try my ‘Nduja Sausage Pasta Bake for a similar pasta but baked (like my Baked Pasta Bolognese), or try my Chicken Vodka Pasta or Prawn and Chorizo Pasta. Also, don’t miss my Weeknight Sausage Ragu with Penne Pasta or Creamy Sausage Pasta (Pasta alla Norcina) – they’re both so good.
Easy Pasta Recipes
Spicy Nduja Pasta
Easy One Pot Dishes
Tomato and Mascarpone Risotto With Garlic Butter Prawns
Easy Pasta Recipes
Penne Puttanesca
Easy Pasta Recipes
Marry Me Chicken Pasta
If you tried this Pasta con ’Nduja or any other recipe on the site, please do leave a comment and let us know how it went!
Sausage Nduja Pasta (Pasta con Nduja)
Ingredients
- 6 good-quality pork sausages (about 14 oz/400 g or 4 US Italian links), casings removed
- Olive oil
- 10.5 oz cherry tomatoes, about 2 cups
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp ’nduja paste
- 4.5 oz mascarpone, about 1/2 cup
- Fresh basil
- 14 oz pasta, I used orecchiette, but use what you have
- Salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
- Parmesan, for grating
Instructions
- In a pan with a drizzle of oil over medium heat, add the sausages and break them apart with a wooden spoon into small pieces. Fry until deep golden brown; you want them totally crisp. This will take 10-15 minutes.
- Once crisp, add the cherry tomatoes, tomato paste, and ’nduja paste. Stir and fry for a few minutes, then add in a good splash of water. Bubble gently for 10 minutes, pressing down with the back of the wooden spoon to encourage the tomatoes to burst.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a pot of salted boiling water.
- Once the tomatoes have formed a sauce, add the mascarpone and basil leaves. Add a splash of pasta water as needed to form a smooth and delicious sauce. Then add the cooked pasta, Parmesan, and more fresh basil, and stir together. Add pasta water as needed to make it loose and silky.
- Scoop into bowls and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Make-ahead and storage
To store: Keep any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 days. To reheat: Reheat leftover pasta in a pan with a splash of water or cream over medium heat. Keep stirring until piping hot. Otherwise, reheating in the microwave until piping hot works well. To freeze: I wouldn’t freeze this pasta dish as it will defrost grainy because of the creamy sauce. Make ahead: You can prep the sauce (until the end of step 2) the morning you want to serve it. Cover and refrigerate. When ready, get your sauce back on the heat, start cooking the pasta, and continue from step 3. However, this recipe is so quick and easy, I don’t feel like this is necessary, and it’s best made fresh!More quick tips
- Sausages: I have used good-quality pork sausages, but you can use all sorts of different flavors. You could also use ground pork (pork mince), just make sure you season it well and get it nice and brown and crispy.
- To remove sausage casings: All you have to do is score the skin with a knife, then pull it away. Having the sausages fridge-cold makes this easier.
- Pasta: You can use pretty much any pasta you have in your pantry. I feel that small dried pasta works best, such as rigatoni or orecchiette.
- Make it vegetarian-friendly: With a few simple swaps, you can make a delicious vegetarian sausage pasta. Opt for vegetarian-friendly sausages (you could even choose a flavored variety) and either omit the ’nduja or purchase a plant-based version like this Belazu Ve-du-ya (in the UK). Then all you have to do is swap the Parmesan for a vegetarian-friendly Parmesan-style hard cheese like Gran Moravia – although a strong cheddar would work well too.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Excellent.
Tasty, quick to prepare, it’s a keeper.
Used Waitrose Nduja.
Loved this pasta dish. I didn’t find Nduja paste, so I used Borsin as suggested and it was so rich and lovely. Absolutely perfect as a comfort food during our cold winters in Canada. My boys ate it right up and said it “tastes like a restaurant”! That’s a win for me 🙂
Absolutely delicious and so simple!
I have made this 3 times and it is a triumph every single time. So easy, delicious and such a crowd pleaser! I would recommend using m and s or Waitrose nduja as the Tesco one in the fresh aisle doesn’t pack as much punch