This is my favorite kind of midweek pasta recipe. The kind that you can pull together with just a handful of ingredients yet still feel like you’ve made something deeply satisfying. At first glance, it resembles a classic tomato-based meat sauce, but the beauty of this dish is that there’s no raw ground meat to brown or cubes of pancetta to slowly render. Instead, all the rich, meaty depth comes from one of Calabria’s most beloved salumi: ’nduja.
’Nduja (or ’nduja di Spilinga), a spicy, soft, spreadable pork sausage, is famous for its fiery heat and silky texture. It melts almost instantly when added to a hot pan, infusing the sauce with a smoky, savory intensity that tastes like it took hours to develop. It is one of those pantry ingredients I always keep on hand because its versatility is remarkable—it adds complexity to pizza, enriches simple pasta sauces, and even brings a delightful kick to scrambled eggs.
In this recipe, the ’nduja does all the heavy lifting, turning everyday ingredients into a bold, comforting pasta dish perfect for busy nights. Once you make it, you’ll understand why it’s earned a permanent place in my kitchen.
Buon Appetito!
Deborah Mele
Ingredients
- l Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1/2 Cup Finely Chopped Onion
- Salt & Pepper To Tastet
- 1 (24 Ounce) Bottle of Tomato Passata
- 4 Ounces or 1/2 Cup Nduja
- 1 Pound Short, Dried Pasta
- 1/2 Cup Grated Pecorino Romano Cheese
- 1/4 Cup Chopped Fresh Parsle
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat until shimmering.
- Add onions, season lightly with salt, and cook, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until onions are softened but not browned, 5 to 7 minutes. 


- Add passata, and make sure to use up all of the tomato in the bottle by adding a little water to the empty bottle, screwing on the lid, shaking the contents, and then adding tomato-water mixture to the skillet.
- Bring to simmer, season lightly with salt, and cook, stirring occasionally until sauce is slightly thickened, 12 to 15 minutes
- Add ‘nduja, and use wooden spoon to break up and stir into sauce.
- Cook, stirring constantly, until ‘nduja is completely incorporated into the sauce, about 1 minute.
- Meanwhile, in a pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta until just softened on the exterior, but well shy of al dente, and still uncooked in the center (about 3 minutes less than the package directs).
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer pasta to the sauce, along with 1/2 cup pasta cooking water.
- Increase heat to high and cook, stirring and tossing rapidly, until pasta is al dente and sauce is thickened and coats the pasta, about 2 minutes, adding more pasta cooking water as needed.
- Remove from heat, add half of grated cheese, and stir rapidly to incorporate.
- Stir in fresh parsley, and serve immediately, passing remaining grated cheese at the table.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6
Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 211Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 4gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 22mgSodium: 296mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gProtein: 11g