Nduja Ragù with Penne

Nduja sausage is a versatile ingredient that injects any dish with dose of ready-made Italian flair. As a key ingredient in this ragù sauce it creates a spicy and tangy sauce like no other. Perfect with penne pasta as it captures all that meat sauce to deliver maximum flavour with every bite.

Ragù sauces come in all varieties across Italy, there are countless variations featuring all kinds of local ingredients that make them regionally unique.

One such ingredient is the amazing Calabrian nduja sausage, a soft, spreadable sausage that's flavoured with Calabrian chillies. It has an intense and often light spicy flavour - it's used as a sandwich spread, on pizza, a marinade and in soups, stews and pasta sauces to inject its unique and ready-to-go flavour.

I use nduja in many ways, like in my supercharged Nduja Risotto or very simply as Nduja with Buratta, melted down into a sauce and paired with the creamy cheese.

This recipe for Nduja Ragù only contains five ingredients but it's jam packed with flavour. A meaty, tangy sauce that's perfect with penne or tubular pasta, or whatever pasta suits you best. It's hearty and jam packed with Italian personality.

What is Nduja?

Nduja is a spicy, spreadable pork sausage from Calabria, Italy. Made with pork fat, herbs, spices, and a high content of Calabrian chilli peppers, it's known for its sometimes fiery heat. Typically, nduja is used as a condiment or in cooking, it adds a robust, smoky heat to dishes like pasta, pizza, and sandwiches.

Why it works?

It's easy - This pasta ragù works because you don't really need much to make all the flavour. The nduja does all the heavy lifting and injects so much into the final sauce. All you need is some ground beef, garlic, basil and tomato pasatta. Couldn't be easier.

Step by Step

Making this ragù is really simple - here are the key steps to make the magic happen.

1. Step 1 - Gently render the nduja in a pan until it loosens up into a kind of sauce.
2. Step 2 - Add the ground meat and stir well for a few minutes, breaking up any lumps with the back of a wooden spoon.
3. Step 3 - Add the garlic cloves and a small bunch of fresh basil to the sauce.
4. Step 4 - Add tomato pasatta to the sauce and stir well.
5. Step 5 - Add some water and let it simmer for 1 hour to soften and develop in flavour.
6. Step 6 - Cook your pasta, and retain a little of the cooking liquid. Add enough of the sauce to coat it generously and then a little of the pasta water. Stir for a minute and then decant to waiting bowls, sprinkle with cheese and serve hot!

Serving & Storage Suggestions

This sauce will work with any kind of pasta shape that suits you. I like some kind of tubular like penne or rigatoni which captures the sauce perfectly, but will often use Trofie, Spaghetti, Fettucini, Fussili or Paccheri. Anything goes really.

• Freezing - This sauce freezes well, and in an airtight container will be good for 3+ months. Defrost and reheat until piping hot.
• Fridge - the sauce will stay fresh for 5-6 days in an airtight container in the fridge.

Ready to get cooking?

For a pasta sauce with a difference, nduja is the ingredient to lift your game! It adds all the excitement you'll need to transform a standard red sauce into something very special. It's a great way to inject colour and flavour to your pasta ragù without too much effort.

This recipe has fast become one of my favourite pasta sauces, so I hope you enjoy too!

More Italian pasta recipes

If you liked this recipe, I'm sure you'll love some more of my favourite Italian pasta recipes too.

• Tajarin Al Ragù (from Piedmont)
• Pasta with Pistachio Pesto
  
• Gramigna Pasta with Sausage
  
• Pasta Alla Genovese
• Pasta with Walnut Sauce (Salsa di Noci)
• Radicchio Pasta with Guanciale, Gorgonzola & Walnuts
  
• Pasta with Potatoes (Pasta e Patate)
  
• Garganelli Pasta with Mushroom Ragù
  
• Paccheri Pasta with Neapolitan Ragù
  
• Malloreddus (Gnocchetti Sardi) with Sausage Ragù
  
• Spaghetti with Pesto Genovese
  
• Anelletti Al Forno – Oven Baked Pasta Rings
  
• Spaghetti with Cavolo Nero & Almonds
  
• Osso Buco Ravioli

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