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.

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!

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!

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!

Nduja Pasta FAQs
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.
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.
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.
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!
PrintRecipe

Fast and delicious creamy nduja pasta sauce
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 2 people
Description
A quick and delicious creamy pasta sauce flavoured with nduja. The cream based sauce is flavoured with lemon juice, parmesan and parsley.
Ingredients
- Pasta of your choice, I do 150g fresh per person or 100g dried
- 70g butter
- 2 tbsp nduja paste
- ¾ cup cream
- 60g parmesan, finely grated
- 1 - 1.5 tbsp lemon juice (depending on the level of your lemon love!)
- 1 ½ tsp sugar
- 1 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Cook your pasta in a pot of well salted water (this sauce only takes a few mins to bring together so judge the timing of cooking your pasta based on whether you are using fresh or dried).
- Melt the butter over medium heat
- When it is just starting to sizzle add the nduja and whisk into the butter, lower the heat if it's spitting and crackling too much.
- Add the cream and whisk well to combine. You want a gentle simmer this whole time, it shouldn't be boiling at any point.
- Add the lemon juice and sugar and stir to combine
- Add the parmesan in a few lots, whisking well in between to make sure it has melted into the sauce.
- Check for seasoning, it shouldn't need salt but a few cracks of black pepper will be perfect!
- Add your cooked pasta straight into the sauce and gently stir.
- Add the parsley and stir.
- I like to let the pasta gently bubble away in the sauce for a minute or two to thicken up.
- Serve with extra parmesan and a good crack of black pepper.
Notes
- The more you make pasta the more you will get used to cooking it and the sauce simultaneously. I work out how long the pasta will take and how long the sauce will take then work out what needs to be started first. In this case I know my pappardelle will only take a couple of minutes to cook so I have a pot of boiling water going and add the pasta to it when I am adding the cream to the sauce. If you get the sauce done too quick and the pasta isn't ready then just lower the heat right down until it's ready. If it thickens up too much then all you need is a splash of pasta water to loosen it.
- With most of my sauces I like to let the pasta bubble away in it to help thicken the sauce and coat the pasta. If you are using dried pasta then undercook it slightly so it doesn't overcook in the sauce.
- If you aren't sure about the nduja then you could start with 1 tbsp then taste the sauce at the end and whisk more in if you like.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 mins
Katie says
New favorite recipe! I made it with chorizo the first time and loved it, then found nduja for my second try. The flavor is incredible, and it’s really not too spicy with the cream and is an addictive flavor. I will be making this again and again.
★★★★★
Emilie Pullar says
Yay so glad you loved it Katie! Chorizo is a great replacement but so glad you found some 🙂
Sherry says
I made this recipe but added mushrooms as well. I served it with homemade Tagliatelle. My brother-in-law said it was the very best pasta dish he had ever eaten. Everyone raved. First, her pasta recipe is fire! Second, the simplicity of sauce, yet creaminess and depth of flavor is truly impressive. Every one of her recipes is as good or better than the last. I plan to make them all!!!
★★★★★
Emilie Pullar says
Yay thank you so much!! So glad everyone loved it!
Annika says
Totally delicious! Made it three times in one week after discovering this recipe. Also recommended it to a friend - who made it immediately twice that week. Taste is AMAZING and it actually really takes 5 minutes to put together.
★★★★★
Emilie Pullar says
Wow so glad you loved it so much thank you! 🙂
Sophie says
Looooved this recipe so much I made it two nights in a row. Added some roast pumpkin one night which was delish. New favourite quick dinner!
★★★★★
Emilie Pullar says
Yay so glad you loved it! Such a great idea adding some pumpkin 🙂
Ingrid Wijckmans says
My sauce split after adding the pasta. What went wrong?
Emilie Pullar says
Hi Ingrid, so sorry that happened! Maybe it was on slightly too hot? Did you use a full fat cream? It does need really good whisking the whole way through.
Joli Holmberg says
Fabulous and simple! N’juda is expensive and this gave us two meals from one portion. Wow! So easy and satisfying on a cold night!
★★★★★
Hannah says
Absolutely delicious and so quick and easy! The nduja adds the most wonderful balance with a bit of heat. A definite crowd pleaser for your guests.
★★★★★
Emilie Pullar says
Thanks so much for making it Hannah! One of my classics! 🙂
Kathy Marvin says
So thick, rich and satisfying! Love the nudja in this. I ordered nudja from Amazon because it’s hard to find in the US. Love that this came together so quickly. I had frozen pappardelle so dinner was ready within 15 minutes! Thank you!
★★★★★
Kate says
Another absolute favourite recipe. I chose this for my birthday dinner this year because I love it so much. To make it a little more “special” I added the breadcrumbs from the mac & cheese recipe and half a burrata per person. Heaven!
Marinobv says
In Spain we have sobrasada, it is practically the same as Nduja if it is the spicy type, in case it helps someone, maybe it is more common than Nduja in your area/country 🙂
★★★★★
Emma says
So delicious! Added some baby spinach at the end and it was perfect. Thank you so much 🙂
★★★★★
Emilie Pullar says
Loooove the idea of adding baby spinach, am definitely doing that next time!
Sam says
So yummy! My first time using nduja, where has it been all my life! A bit spicy got the kids, which they were guttered about, but hubby and I didn’t mind as it meant more for us! Another great Burnt Butter Table recipe!
★★★★★
Emilie Pullar says
I love when people discover nduja!! Maybe the kids would get used to it? haha 🙂
Sadie says
I’ve made this recipe so many times, my partner says it’s ‘peak pasta’. Absolutely delicicious! We’re vegetarian so I substitute to a vegan nduja and pecorino instead of parm and it’s wonderful. Thanks Emilie!
★★★★★
Emilie Pullar says
Omg 'peak pasta' I love it! So happy you can find vegan nduja where you are! 🙂
Harriet Lai says
A wonderfully easy, and incredibly delicious meal! YUM
★★★★★
Emilie Pullar says
Thanks so much for making it!! 🙂
Melody Bell says
Yum! This is so delicious! I only used half the amount of nduja and it was perfectly spicy for us.
★★★★★
Evie says
This was SO good, I don't know how it took me so long to get round to making this but it's going to be on regular rotation!
★★★★★
Emilie Pullar says
Yayyyy!! Such an easy flavour bomb! X
Carole says
I had to Google nduja when I saw the recipe, but now I wonder how I ever lived without it! The recipe is so simple, but packed with flavor. It has been on auto-repeat for awhile in my house. Thank you!
Emilie Pullar says
Yay, so glad you now have nduja in your life! It's the best secret weapon ever!
Jenny says
I now make sure I have nduja in my fridge regularly because of this recipe. I made it one night when a girlfriend came over and we didn’t feel like going out. Silly and just delicious. With a side of simple arugula salad we had a fab meal.
Emilie Pullar says
Hi Jenny, I made this tonight, I always forget how good it is!!
Megane says
An amazing recipe that takes less than 10 min to make! It’s absolutely FULL of flavors, and is as tasty as it looks. Perfect for a casual meal at home or if you want to impress your most gourmet friends!
That’s a 10/10 for me.
Emilie Pullar says
Hi! Thanks so much for making it. One of my all time faves! 🙂
Cesca says
So so easy and yummy! I also love this sauce on crispy roast potatoes 😉
★★★★★
Emilie Pullar says
Such an epic idea!! Am going to try that when I make roast potatoes next
Lori Michrina says
Love love love this recipe! I’ve literally lost count of how many times I’ve made it! So simple and so delicious!