Nduja Tomato Sauce
Calabria's fiery, spreadable salami — all pork fat, Calabrian chili, and cured intensity — melted into a simple tomato sauce until it disappears into a glossy, brick-red emulsion that stains everything it touches with heat and pigment. Thirty minutes from start to table, and more complex than anything that quick has a right to be.
Ingredients
For 4 servings · tick what is ready
Use the scaled ingredient list. Steps and temperatures stay unchanged; use a larger pan or dish if needed. Seasonings to taste stay to taste.
How to make it
Heat olive oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 90 seconds until pale golden. Add nduja in one piece. Using a wooden spoon, press and break it up as it heats — within 2–3 minutes it will melt into the oil completely, releasing vivid orange-red fat and transforming the olive oil into a blazing, chili-scented emulsion.
Add canned tomatoes to the pan, crushing them with your hand as you pour. Stir to incorporate the nduja emulsion into the tomatoes — the sauce will instantly turn a deep, vivid red-orange. Season lightly with salt (remember nduja is already salty). Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally and crushing any remaining tomato chunks. The sauce should reduce and thicken visibly.
Remove from heat. Tear basil leaves and stir through the sauce. Taste and adjust salt. Toss immediately with cooked rigatoni, paccheri, or calamarata (tube pastas that trap the spicy sauce inside). Add a spoonful of pasta water if needed to emulsify. Serve with torn burrata draped over the top, which cools the heat and adds rich contrast.
About this recipe
By ForkRecipe Kitchen · Source: ForkRecipe / FoodML and contributors. Recipe content available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Serving count is an estimate; check quantities in the source recipe.