The Spreadable Sausage Your Spicy Pasta Has Been Missing

If you're looking to give your spicy pasta dishes a boost of umami heat, 'nduja is the ingredient for you. This Calabrian chili-loaded spreadable salami (pronounced "un-doo-ya") is perfect for everything from topping pizza to giving grilled cheese an Italian-style twist, but its rich umami flavor truly shines in pasta dishes. However, there are some important things to keep in mind when upgrading pasta with 'nduja.

'Nduja's intense levels of salt, fat, and acid are part of what make it so special, but these elements must be balanced when incorporating the spreadable sausage into pasta. Too much fat could affect the texture of the pasta sauce, Ryan LaFrance, executive chef at Wilder in Philadelphia, told The Takeout. For this reason, LaFrance recommends sweating the sausage in a different pan and adding the fat and sausage as two separate ingredients. "Rendering the sausage beforehand allows cooks to control how much fat is in there," he explained.

You'll also want to consider the spice level of your 'nduja (those Calabrian chilies can pack a real punch). "If the spice level is too high, cooks can render the sausage, reserving the fat, or just add butter to the sausage to tone it down," LaFrance advised. Lastly, as much as we love a good fettuccine alfredo, it might not be the best option for pairing with 'nduja, LaFrance warned. "I would avoid any sauces with high dairy, like cheese and heavy creams, due to the way the acid would present itself."

When it comes to the pasta sauce itself, LaFrance recommends keeping it simple. "The best pasta sauce to pair with 'nduja sausage is a simple pan sauce using toasted garlic, 'nduja, and butter," LaFrance said. It's easy and customizable, and the butter softens the sausages' strong flavor, he explained. Another great option is to doctor up your favorite jar of store-bought pasta sauce with 'nduja and spices, but be careful with this — "it could become overly acidic, so be sure to taste along the way," LaFrance warned.

LaFrance suggests complementing an 'nduja pasta sauce with seafood like shellfish, clams, shrimp, squid, and octopus. "Pork and shellfish are a classic pairing — shellfish has a level of sweetness that balances the spice of the sausage, and together they marry into a new flavor profile," he said. "Shrimp scampi with a little 'nduja is a huge upgrade; it creates something better than each part." With these tips in mind, you're ready to take your pasta to the next level with one of the best international sausages you need to try.