Pasta with Salami

Sometimes all I want for dinner is a sit-down! Often, I just want a dish that doesn't take forever but delivers big on flavour. The great thing about Italian food is that it can be super easy and quick to put together - this is what makes pasta with salami so appealing!

I first learned this dish way back in the 90s at the rather amazing Italian deli 'Valvona & Crolla' in Edinburgh, Scotland. A pasta-making class had us all making fresh dough, along with this simple sauce. From that moment it became (and still is) a regular go-to pasta recipe.

Salami - a ready-made flavour bomb

A great way to add flavour to any Italian pasta dish is to use an ingredient that comes with flavour built-in! Enter salami! This cured sausage has so much going for it, making it the perfect ingredient for a quick 20 minute pasta dinner. With so many varieties of Salami out there, using it as an ingredient can shape and change the taste of this dish infinitely. Spicy, mild, fennel infused and even truffle! - find the salami you like the best and bring your penne to life!

Stuff you'll need

There's not really much to this dish, most of the flavour comes from the salami so we can just add a few more essentials.

• A little onion, fried in olive oil
• Salami! Choose your adventure from the huge variety on offer. (remove the outer skin before cooking)
• Garlic (you can chop it or add it whole to infuse the oil before removing at the end)
• Tomato polpa or passata - essentially whizzed up tomatoes - not to be confused with tomato puree; don't use this, it's too strong for a sauce like this. Hunt out Mutti Polpa or a good whole San Marzano and whizz into a passata yourself.
• Pasta (around 300-400g/10-14oz) - I like to use penne, spaghetti or rigatoni for this recipe, but knock yourself out with YOUR favourite! You can also make your own egg pasta
• Parmigiano Reggiano cheese to add a salty, umami hit of flavour. Parmigiano Reggiano is essential for any Italian!

Step by step - ready in 20 minutes

There's not really much to this dish, the whole affair is done and dusted in around 20 minutes.

1. Fry the onion until soft then add the salami and garlic cook for 4-5 minutes more until the salami has rendered a little.
2. Pour in the tomato and a little water and simmer for 5 mins.
3. Start cooking the pasta - everything will be ready soon. (remember to save a cupful of pasta cooking liquid to thin out the sauce)
4. Pasta meet sauce. When the pasta is cooked, so too is the sauce, drain the pasta and gently toss the two together, adding a little pasta water to help the sauce thin out a little.
5. Sprinkle the Parmigiano Reggiano over each bowl of pasta just before serving.

Salami Pasta is a wonderful marriage of colour, texture and flavour. You'll see just how easy and quick this dish is to get on the table - learn how by following my simple recipe. It's the perfect choice for a midweek dinner or lunchtime feast.