This pasta dish gives me real ‘penne alla vodka’ vibes, without the double cream. This dish is really creamy, spicy and hearty.
Nduja adds the heat to this dish. It is a spreadable spicy Italian sausage that can be hard to find. I generally get it in SuperValu (if you live in Ireland) and it’s in the fridge section beside the pudding, sausages and cured meats.
If you can’t find this you could add a tbsp of chilli flakes and some chorizo before serving. A little goes a long way. It’s so good with rigatoni or penne in my opinion as the sauce goes into the holes of the pasta, meaning you get little pockets of sauce.
Mop up the leftover sauce with some ciabatta or focaccia and you have the ultimate pasta dish.
Ingredients
Serves 5 | 492 calories per serving
500g penne / rigatoni
1 onion, thinly sliced
1/2 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
handful fresh basil, roughly chopped
250g cherry vine tomatoes, halved
150ml white wine (small glass)
salt & pepper
1 tbsp mascarpone
3 tbsp nduja
30g grated parmesan cheese
Method
In a pot sauté your sliced onion for about 5 mins over a medium heat (until softened, but not browned).
Add your garlic & basil and cook for a further 2-3 minutes.
Get a large pot of water on a high heat and heavily salt the water. Bring to the boil and add your pasta. Cook according to packet instructions.
Add in your halved cherry tomatoes and cook for 5 mins until beginning you soften, if you were to press them with the back of your spoon. Once softening, add the white wine and cook down to cook off the alcohol for about 3-5 mins.
Add you nduja (or chilli flakes if you have no nduja) and once dissolved into the tomato mix, add your mascarpone and season with salt & pepper.
You can leave your mixture chunky, but I like to blend mine personally. Blend until creamy. (If you wish to add chorizo, instead of nduja, make sure you have cooked it, blotted off excess oil and you can stir it into your creamy tomato sauce once blended, so that you have chunks of chorizo).
Once your pasta is cooked, reserve a ladle of the pasta water and add it to your sauce (if you feel your sauce is too thick for your liking). Drain your pasta and add your sauce to it.
Stir together with a handful of parmesan cheese.
To serve, sprinkle another handful of parmesan cheese and garnish with a little fresh basil.
