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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!
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 (proper ‘Nduja can be tricky to find, so the pastes are more affordable and accessible), swirled with mascarpone, and you have the most pasta dish which is easy enough to make on a weeknight.
Table of Contents
Why you will love this recipe:
- It is quick, easy and ready in less than 30 minutes – perfect for a midweek meal.
- It is full of flavour thanks to the crispy sausages, spicy and smoky ‘Nduja, creamy mascarpone, sweet tomatoes and cheesy, umami Parmesan.
- It is a budget-friendly meal which makes the most of affordable ingredients and store cupboard essentials.
Ingredients
See recipe card at the bottom of the post for the exact recipe with a full list of ingredients and measurements
Sausages – opt for the best quality sausages you can find, it will make all the difference in terms of flavour.
Tomato purée – this intensifies the tomato flavour in the sauce. You could swap for sundried 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 – this is a creamy, thick Italian cheese with a high fat content (around 40%) and similar consistency to cream cheese.
Substitutions and Variations:
Sausages: 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 cloves of garlic in the sauce, or a shake of garlic granules.
Fresh pesto: if you want to increase the basil flavour, you can swirl through 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 store cupboards. 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 double cream.
Here’s how to make delicious Pasta con Nduja:
Here’s a step by step guide for what you need to do, but you can find the full recipe below for detailed instructions.
ONE: Drizzle the olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan set over a medium heat. Add the sausage and break apart 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 purée 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 on to boil. Once a sauce has formed, add the mascarpone and mix together.
FOUR: Stir in the basil leaves and pasta water.
FIVE: Tip in the drained pasta and a generous grating of Parmesan. Stir well to coat. Add splashes of more 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. Delicious!
Cooking Tips
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 favourite 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 them 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 or paccheri as the tubes catch the sauce. Cavatappi or cavelli also catch sauce well so they are a good choice too.
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) which 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 over cook. This is the secret to really great pasta!
Always add the pasta to the sauce and not the other way around. And also cook it al dente and finish it in the sauce. Just bubble it away for a minute or so, taste to check you’re happy with the taste and also that the pasta is cooked.
Frequently Asked Questions:
This can seem a bit of a faff 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, then 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 flavours. 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 chillies and herbs. It has a deep red colour and spicy flavour and is often used to add flavour 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.
Definitely. With a few simple swaps, you can make a delicious vegetarian sausage pasta. Opt for vegetarian-friendly sausages (you could even choose a flavoured variety) and either omit the ‘Nduja or purchase a plant-based version like this Belazu Ve-du-ya. 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. My Weeknight Sausage Ragu with Penne Pasta or try my 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, casings removed
- Olive oil
- 300 g cherry tomatoes
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp nduja paste
- 125 g mascarpone
- Fresh basil
- 400 g pasta, we used orecchiette but use what you have
- Salt
- Pepper
- Parmesan, for grating
Instructions
- In a pan with a drizzle of oil over medium heat, add the sausages and break apart with a wooden spoon into small pieces. To remove the casings, all you have to do is score the skin with a knife and then pull it away. Having the sausages fridge cold makes this easier. Once they are 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 mins then add in a good splash of water. Bubble gently for 10 minutes, encouraging the tomatoes to burst by using the back of the wooden spoon and pressing down.
- Meanwhile, get your pasta on to boil in a pot of well seasoned 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, more fresh basil and stir together. Add pasta water as needed to make it loose and silky.
- Scoop into bowls and enjoy!
- The video below will help with this recipe.
Video
Notes
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