Orecchiette pasta served in a spicy and creamy Nduja sugo made with shallot, cured Calabrian sausage, tomato and mascarpone. It's quick and easy and addictively delicious. Serve with some crusty bread and a glass of vino.
'Nduja is a spreadable spicy salami from Calabria. It's become increasingly popular and easier to find outside of Italy in recent years and it's such a delicious ingredient to use.
Because it's cured you don't need to cook it first so it can be spread on crackers or bread as a snack or antipasto, it can be used as a pizza topping, crumbled over appetizers like our Burrata with Crispy 'Nduja & Gremolata recipe or stirred into pasta sauces to make an incredible Nduja Sugo.
This recipe is super quick and easy, spicy but creamy and ready in under half an hour.
See the recipe below including notes on ingredients, step by step photos, tips, variations and a video tutorial. For the full printable recipe scroll to the bottom or click the recipe link below
Ingredients
See the photo below that shows you everything you need to make Orecchiette with 'Nduja Sugo plus some notes on ingredients.
- Orecchiette pasta - if you don't have orecchiette you can use any shape you like.
- Shallot - finely sliced, it's more delicate in flavour than onion.
- 'Nduja - a spicy cured spreadable sausage from Calabria. You will find it in Italian food stores or online.
- Passata - aka tomato puree in the US. The two brands I love and use regularly are Mutti and Cirio. Make sure that the passata you buy is good quality, it makes a big difference.
- Mascarpone - this really helps to mellow out the spicy 'Nduja heat. You can also use a splash of heavy cream (double cream UK).
Step by step photos
Step 1) Finely slice the shallot and add it to a large frying pan or skillet with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil. Saute it on a medium-low heat for 1-2 minutes until soft but not browned (photo 1).
Step 2) Next, add the ‘Nduja and break it up with the side of a wooden spoon until it melts. Saute it with the shallot for around 1 minute then add the tomato passata (tomato puree US) (photos 2-4).
Step 3) Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente, orecchiette tends to take a little longer than other short shapes so check your packet instructions.
Step 4) Simmer the sauce for 10 minutes then add the mascarpone. Simmer for another 1-2 minutes then add the cooked pasta and Parmigiano Reggiano and stir until thoroughly coated, serv (photos 5-8).
Recipe tips and FAQs
- Adjust the Nduja to taste - you can add more or less Nduja according to your taste and how hot you like it. Try it on a cracker or bread before using as all brands vary.
- Mascarpone substitute - you can use heavy cream (double cream UK) instead. You can leave the cream out altogether if you want but the sauce will taste hotter.
Nduja is a spicy spreadable cured sausage made from pork and Calabrian chillies. Since it's cured it does not need to be cooked first and can be spread on crackers, and bread, used as a pizza topping and stirred into sauces.
Nduja will vary in heat depending on the brand, some will be much hotter than others. I usually find that a heaped tablespoon-sized amount is enough for a pasta sauce to serve 4 to 6. You can easily adjust the amount to your own preference.
You can prepare the sauce 1-2 days in advance and store it in the fridge. Reheat it in a pan while you cook the pasta (you may need to add a little pasta water to loosen the sauce).
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Orecchiette with ‘Nduja Sugo
Ingredients
- 3 cups Orecchiette (400g)
- 1 ½ cups tomato passata (tomato puree US) (400g)
- 1 shallot
- 2 tablespoons mascarpone
- 1 heaped tablespoon Nduja
- ¼ cup Parmigiano Reggiano (15g)
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it well.
- Meanwhile, finely slice the shallot and add it to a large frying pan or skillet with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil. Saute it on a medium-low heat for 1-2 minutes until soft but not browned.
- Next, add the ‘Nduja and break it up with the side of a wooden spoon until it melts. Saute it with the shallot for around 1 minute then add the tomato passata (tomato puree US).
- Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente, orecchiette tends to take a little longer than other short shapes so check your packet instructions.
- Simmer the sauce for 10 minutes then add the mascarpone. Simmer for another 1-2 minutes then add the cooked pasta and Parmigiano Reggiano and stir until thoroughly coated, serve.
Notes
- Adjust the Nduja to taste - you can add more or less Nduja according to your taste and how hot you like it. Try it on a cracker or bread before using as all brands vary.
- Mascarpone substitute - you can use heavy cream (double cream UK) instead. You can leave the cream out altogether if you want but the sauce will taste hotter.
- Prepare in advance - you can prepare the sauce 1-2 days in advance and reheat it in a pan while the pasta is cooking (you may need to add a splash of pasta water to the sauce to loosen it).
- Leftovers & storage - leftovers will keep well in the fridge for 1-2 days and can be eaten cold or reheated.
Nutrition
- I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise
- When I use canned or jarred tomatoes of any kind I always use this brand for the best results and flavour
- All vegetables are medium sized unless stated otherwise
- All recipes are tested and developed using a fan (convection) oven
- Find out more about how nutrition is calculated.
- Check out our must have Italian Pantry Staples.
- You can also find all our Essential Kitchen Tools for Italian Cooking.
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