‘Nduja Spaghetti with Slivered Zucchini and Arugula

‘Nduja Spaghetti with Slivered Zucchini and Arugula

I have to be honest that it never crossed my mind to make pasta using ‘nduja, a delightful spicy Calabrian spreadable pork paste, and I have to thank my friend Michele (@mangiawithmichele) for the inspiration. 
Everyone is cooking differently now that we’re in coronavirus “shelter in place” mode and most people are moving towards lots of comfort foods in their cooking. This often means lots of sweet goodies in my case, but the one savory comfort food that I find completely irresistible is ‘Nduja Spaghetti with Slivered Zucchini and Arugula.
One of the upcoming Flavor of Italy Podcast episodes talks about this wonderful ‘nduja Calabrian condiment in detail but until it airs and you learn all about it you’ll have to trust me that this is one of the most luscious condiments you’ll come across.
The classic way to use ‘nduja is as a spread on bread or crackers and eaten as part of an aperitivo. More and more I’m seeing ‘nduja used as an ingredient in all kinds of dishes. It adds some gentle heat to a dish but much more than that – it’s delightfully aromatic and imparts wonderful umami wherever it’s used.
I’ve made this pasta dish with lots of different vegetable ingredients but the best by far is:

‘Nduja Spaghetti with Slivered Zucchini and Arugula

Ingredients:
400 g spaghetti
⅓ cup ‘nduja

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
100 g fresh arugula
1 to 2 cups pasta cooking water, as needed
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup freshly grated pecorino romano
3 medium zucchini, slivered

Cooking instructions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil so that the water tastes like the sea.
In the meantime put the ‘nduja and 3 tablespoons olive oil in a sauce pan over a low flame.
Add ½ cup of the pasta cooking water to the ‘nduja and whisk until creamy.
Use a mandoline to sliver the zucchini right into the sauce.
Cover and cook over a low flame until the zucchini begins to wilt.
Add half the arugula and fold into the sauce.

Cover and set aside.
Cook the spaghetti until al dente.
When the spaghetti is al dente, use a pasta claw to scoop it out of the pot and directly into the pan with the sauce.
Toss the spaghetti and the sauce together.
Add the grated Parmesan and pecorino cheeses, and the remainder of the arugula, to the spaghetti and toss till fully incorporated.
If necessary add additional pasta cooking water by the ladleful to ensure that the pasta is nice and creamy.
Serve immediately.

If you like this recipe you should also try Penne all'Amatriciana or Orecchiette with Spicy Baby Calamari.

Have a question or want to leave your own tips and recommendations? Click here to leave a comment:

Please note that the below printable recipe can be viewed and printed in either metric or U.S. conventional measurements; just click on your preference within the recipe.

‘Nduja Spaghetti with Slivered Zucchini and Arugula

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Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

The classic way to use ‘nduja is as a spread on bread or crackers and eaten as part of an aperitivo. More and more I’m seeing ‘nduja used as an ingredient in all kinds of dishes. This luscious Calabrian spreadable pork paste adds gentle heat to a dish but much more than that – it’s delightfully aromatic and imparts wonderful umami wherever it’s used.

Course: Pasta

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: 'nduja

Servings: 4

1x2x3x

Equipment

• pasta claw

Ingredients 

Metric - U.S. Customary

• 400 g spaghetti
• ⅓ cup ‘nduja
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 100 g fresh arugula
• 1 to 2 cups pasta cooking water as needed
• ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• ¼ cup freshly grated pecorino romano
• 3 medium zucchini slivered
• 400 g spaghetti

Instructions

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil so that the water tastes like the sea.
• In the meantime put the ‘nduja and 3 tablespoons olive oil in a sauce pan over a low flame.
• Add ½ cup of the pasta cooking water to the ‘nduja and whisk until creamy.
• Use a mandolin to sliver the zucchini right into the sauce.
• Cover and cook over a low flame until the zucchini begins to wilt.
• Add half the arugula and fold into the sauce.
• Cover and set aside.
• Cook the spaghetti until al dente.
• When the spaghetti is al dente, use a pasta claw to scoop it out of the pot and directly into the pan with the sauce.
• Toss the spaghetti and the sauce together.
• Add the grated Parmesan and pecorino cheeses, and the remainder of the arugula, to the spaghetti and toss till fully incorporated.
• If necessary add additional pasta cooking water by the ladleful to ensure that the pasta is nice and creamy.
• Serve immediately.

Nutrition

Serving: 85g | Calories: 3659kcal | Carbohydrates: 621g | Protein: 131g | Fat: 70g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Cholesterol: 43mg | Sodium: 835mg | Potassium: 3688mg | Fiber: 33g | Sugar: 38g | Vitamin A: 3848IU | Vitamin C: 120mg | Calcium: 984mg | Iron: 15mg

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‘Nduja Spaghetti with Slivered Zucchini and Arugula is my favorite savory comfort food. We talk about it in the Cooking in the Time of Coronavirus Flavor of Italy Podcast - Episode 5. Take a listen right here:
On iTunes

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