'Nduja Sauce Is Here To Add Some Spice To Pasta Night

While one of the hallmarks of a good pasta sauce is that it is well-seasoned, it isn't necessarily spicy hot per se. Even when Italian sausage is used, the overall presentation doesn't really bring the heat. But 'nduja is here to change that! It's the perfect ingredient for an authentic yet spicy sauce that will definitely level up your usual pasta night. Even if you're not getting tired of the same old sauce, it's worth switching it up for this hot yet creamy deliciousness.

So what is 'nduja exactly? Pronounced en-doo-yah, it is a type of salami paste from southern Italy that packs a serious punch courtesy of chilies grown in the area. With its bright red color and soft texture, it looks kind of like chorizo, and both are also spicy and spreadable to different degrees. But in spite of sharing these similar characteristics, 'nduja is definitely its own separate element with a distinct flavor profile.

At first glance, it might be easy to assume that the sauce is tomato-based. Depending on how it's made, it can come out with a pretty strong reddish hue similar to vodka sauce. Surprisingly, tomatoes are not the cause, however, and the coloring largely comes from the 'nduja paste itself. And although the sauce can benefit from some cherry tomatoes, it's actually cream-based. Not only does the cream make this pasta sauce velvety and luscious, but it also helps cut some of the heat from the 'nduja — which uses Calabrian chilies that score between 25,000 and 40,000 Scoville units on the infamous heat scale.

Other common ingredients in 'nduja pasta sauce recipes include an acid like lemon or white wine. Garlic and shallots can be used to bring a depth of flavor along with those cherry tomatoes. And parmesan will up the creaminess while slightly thickening the sauce along with a boost of cheesy flavor. Meanwhile, a little green in the form of parsley or spinach will be aesthetically pleasing without detracting from the spicy, lush cream. It is meant to be a quick and simple sauce, so you don't need to use all of these ingredients by any means.

There isn't really a limit to which types of pasta can be used with this pasta, though thicker noodles and noodles with intricate shapes that hold sauce well will be the absolute best. Anything from pappardelle to rigatoni and even bowtie noodles will inevitably get devoured thanks to the creamy spiciness. Just be sure to finish the pasta in the actual sauce so that the flavors are absorbed, and the sauce gets the chance to adhere to the noodles.

'Nduja sauce can be used in mac and cheese as well. Its silky spiciness will definitely give the usual noodle casserole dish a big boost! It would even be worth trying as a substitute for pizza sauce. However you put it to use, your tastebuds will no doubt be singing for more. And if you can't find 'nduja in a store near you, there is an easy way to copycat the real thing.