Fast and delicious creamy nduja pasta sauce

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 sauce

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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!
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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 is best for this sauce?

I think the beauty of most of my sauces is that they mostly work with any shape! I have used a homemade pappardelle which I totally recommend you make, it is a great combo. Any shape fresh or dried will be perfect though!

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!

Fast and delicious creamy nduja pasta sauce

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★★★★★

5 from 7 reviews

• Author: Emilie Pullar
• Total Time: 10 minutes
• Yield: 2 people

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Description

A quick and delicious creamy pasta sauce flavoured with nduja. The cream based sauce is flavoured with lemon juice, parmesan and parsley.

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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

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Instructions

1. 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).
2. Melt the butter over medium heat
3. 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.
4. Add the cream and whisk well to combine. You want a gentle simmer this whole time, it shouldn't be boiling at any point.
5. Add the lemon juice and sugar and stir to combine
6. Add the parmesan in a few lots, whisking well in between to make sure it has melted into the sauce.
7. Check for seasoning, it shouldn't need salt but a few cracks of black pepper will be perfect!
8. Add your cooked pasta straight into the sauce and gently stir. 
9. Add the parsley and stir.
10. I like to let the pasta gently bubble away in the sauce for a minute or two to thicken up.
11. Serve with extra parmesan and a good crack of black pepper.

Notes

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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