Nduja is a spicy, spreadable pork sausage from Calabria, Italy.  In flavour, it is similar to chorizo and it can be indeed quite spicy as it’s made from pork and chilly. It’s fantastic spread over crusty bread and can liven up a simple tomato sauce. It usually comes in a jar and you should be able to find it in most Italian delis. I got mine from Carluccios where you can also get good quality Pappardelle or Tagliatelle to go with this pasta sauce. The original recipe from Delicious magazine uses Pappardelle, but I used Tagliatelle as it’s easier to find and it’s available in most supermarkets. I do recommend sticking to using long, flat pasta as the sauce clings beautifully to it.

The below recipe is from Delicious magazine and I adapted it slightly to make use of veggies that needed using up. This is a spicy sauce so if you prefer to tone the spice down, I would suggest putting a little less nduja paste. If you want to make it spicier, just add a chopped fresh chilly or two to the veggies when you roast them.

Tagliatelle with roast Nduja and tomato sauce

Serves 4 | Prep time 15 mins | Cooking time 25 mins |Easy
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You’ll need:
  • 2 peppers (red, yellow or orange), deseeded and thinly sliced;
  • 500g mixed baby heirloom tomatoes;
  • 2 courgettes, thinly sliced into ribbons using a vegetable peeler;
  • 4 unpeeled garlic cloves;
  • 60ml olive oil;
  • 90g Nduja;
  • 400g tagliatelle or pappardelle pasta;
  • Parmesan, shaved, to serve;
  • Fresh basil leaves, shredded, to serve.

First, prepare the veggies. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan. Put the peppers, tomatoes, courgettes and garlic cloves in a large roasting tin. Mix well with the olive oil. Add the Nduja and some seasoning and toss until the Nduja has mixed well with the vegetables. Roast for 25 minutes, or until the tomatoes start to collapse.

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Meanwhile, cook the pasta following the pack instructions. Drain and reserve 60ml of the cooking water. Remove the vegetables from the oven, squeeze the garlic out of the skin (take care, though, it will be hot!) and stir back with the vegetables. Add the pasta and reserved cooking water and mix well.

Serve in pasta bowls, topped with the fresh basil and Parmesan.

Original Recipe, Delicious Magazine, available here.