Fast and delicious creamy nduja pasta sauce

Name: Fast and delicious creamy nduja pasta sauce
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: Pasta of your choice, I do 150g fresh per person or 100g dried; 70g butter; 2 tbsp nduja paste; 3/4 cup cream; 60g parmesan, finely grated; 1 - 1.5 tbsp lemon juice (depending on the level of your lemon love!); 1 1/2 tsp sugar; 1 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped; Salt and pepper

Published: 1 Nov, 2022 | By Emilie Pullar

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This fast and delicious creamy nduja pasta sauce is not only quick but seriously amazing. It is made with a flavour bomb secret weapon nduja, which is a spreadable sausage paste from Italy. With cream, parmesan and lemon juice it becomes a silky sauce that I hope will become a go to.

White plate with cooked rigatoni pasta in a creamy nduja pasta sauce. Fork is resting to the right.

Hello! I am writing up this recipe here as it is only on a reel at the moment and it deserves a much more detailed moment on my website! As much as I love an intricately folded filled pasta with beautiful plating I absolutely love coming up with quick and delicious sauces. This has all the good things to make a sauce delicious, cream, parmesan, lemon, fresh parsley and of course, nduja.

What is nduja?

Nduja is a spreadable sausage paste from Italy. It is red in colour and either comes in a jar or vacuum packed in a bag. The flavour is hard to describe, you have to trust me on this one. It is super savoury and has a kick of chilli but not overly spicy if used sparingly.

I love to use it in pasta sauces as it adds such a unique and delicious flavour note. It really is an amazing secret weapon to have in your fridge. Pop a spoonful into a tomato sauce, throw some into some stir fried or roasted veges, the possibilities are endless!

I have an addictive nduja mac and cheese style recipe that you should also try! Most specialty supermarkets should have nduja, just google it in your area. If you really can't find it you could blend some chorizo. I always think if I can find something here in New Zealand you must be able to find it anywhere!

Close up cooked rigatoni pasts with fork going through the tube.

Tips for the best creamy nduja pasta

Use fresh lemon juice and parsley. I only ever use fresh lemon juice, there is no substitute in my mind! Same with the herbs, dried won't be the same here.
You can use single or double cream. I tend to usually have single on hand so I let the sauce simmer away for a couple of minutes to thicken up.
You might think this is way too saucy but we've been through this! I make my pastas on the saucy side because pasta soaks up sauce QUICK. You'll find by the time you get it off the heat and into bowls it will be perfect. You don't need to serve all the sauce if there's really too much, but also that is what bread is for!
If you are using dried pasta then undercook it slightly before adding it to the sauce. Letting the pasta bubble away in the sauce for a min or two does wonders but you don't want it to overcook it.
If you are new to nduja and not sure about the flavour and spice (it has a little kick of chilli) then just add half then you can always stir in more at the end.
Heat your bowls! I always have my pasta bowls in the oven on a really low heat while I cook. Pasta can get cold quick so putting it into warmed bowls is key!

Ingredients sitting on a wooden chopping board. Starting at top right a whole lemon, microplane with grated parmesan, jar of nduja, fresh parsley and a ramekin of cream.

Why pasta water is your best friend!

You'll hear me harp on about the magic that is pasta water in 99% of my recipes. It really is a key ingredient in every sauce I make. The starch left behind in the water acts as a thickening agent and helps sauces cling to the pasta. I couldn't make a sauce without it.

I never EVER drain my pasta in a colander, I always transfer it directly to the sauce using a spider strainer. That way the pasta pot full of water is left there for you to ladle in as you need. if you have seen my reels on instagram you'll notice my sauces are SAUCY.

Pasta soaks up liquid so quickly so I add enough pasta water to make it quite liquidy. By the time I serve into bowls and take to the table it hasn't dried up. You'll get to know what the right consistency is with some practice, you can't go wrong though I promise!

What pasta shape is best for this sauce?

I think the beauty of most of my sauces is that they mostly work with any shape! If you feel like making some pasta from scratch, whip up a batch of my easy homemade pasta dough. Cut it into homemade pappardelle, as pictured below. The other photos you can see I've used a dried rigatoni, just use whatever you like!

Cooked pappardelle pasta on a white plate in a creamy nduja pasta sauce. Fork prongs at right.

Nduja Pasta FAQs

What is nduja?

Nduja is a spreadable sausage paste from Italy. It comes in a jar or vacuum packed. It's super savoury and has a slight chilli kick. Use it in pasta sauces, mixed into roast potatoes or spread on toast. It's an amazing secret weapon in the kitchen.

What type of cream is best for pasta sauces?

Creams are all called slightly different things in different countries. Here in New Zealand, for cooking I use single cream. In America that is light cream. 18% - 30% fat. Anything heavier will be too thick. You can obviously thin down the consistency with pasta water though.

Why has my sauce split?

The most common reason for this is your temperature being too high. You just want a really gentle simmer. Lower heat is best for control. When you add the cream in, give it a really good whisk to emulsify. Add the parm in a few lots, letting it gently melt in between each addition.

Why is there sugar in the sauce and can I leave out?

The sugar is definitely optional but it really balances the dish. The nduja is REALLY savoury, the lemon juice adds zing and I find just a little sugar rounds it all out. It's really not much.

Want some other sauces to try?

If you fall in love with nduja and want something EVEN easier then check out my 3 ingredient nduja butter pasta. My new balsamic cherry tomato pasta is another 10 minute wonder but if creamy is what you love look no further than my creamy tomato pasta sauce.

Made this recipe and loved it?

I would love love LOVE if you could leave me a review down below and let me know what you thought! I love to hear any changes or adaptions you have made too. Also if you put a photo on instagram, please tag me so I can see, it makes my day!

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