Creamy escarole and nduja pasta

Name: Creamy escarole and nduja pasta
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: Fusilli pasta 11.3 oz; Escarole (endive) 1.5 lbs; Nduja 6.5 oz; Parmigiano Reggiano PDO cheese Aged 36 months 5 oz; Extra virgin olive oil 1 ½ tbsp; Garlic 1 clove; Basil to taste; Fine salt to taste; Black pepper to taste

Difficulty: Easy
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Serving: 4
Cost: Low

PRESENTATION

Creamy Escarole and Nduja Pasta turns mild, slightly bitter escarole into a velvety blended sauce, then cuts through that richness with the intense heat of nduja. Parmigiano Reggiano DOP aged 36 months binds the cream, adding saltiness and a smooth, silky body that makes the sauce feel genuinely indulgent rather than just coating the pasta. The dish comes together quickly, which makes it an easy choice for a lunch that tastes far more considered than the effort behind it.

The contrast is the point: escarole's gentle bitterness softens into something almost sweet once blended, and nduja—the spreadable, fiery Calabrian cured meat—pushes back against that creaminess with real force. This nduja pasta builds its flavor from that tension, and the 36-month Parmigiano isn't a finishing garnish; it's structural, giving the sauce real depth that doesn't announce itself. The result is balanced and lively, with each element doing specific work rather than blending into a single undifferentiated richness.

How to prepare Creamy escarole and nduja pasta

To prepare the pasta with escarole cream and nduja, first wash the escarole well under running water, remove the base of the head and roughly chop it 1. In a large skillet pour the oil together with the garlic and let it flavor for a few moments over medium heat. Then add the escarole 2, season with salt 3 and pepper, and cook over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until well wilted.

Meanwhile, bring plenty of salted water to a boil in a pot. Remove the garlic and transfer the cooked escarole to the jar of a blender 4; blend everything together with the basil 5, then add 100 g Parmigiano Reggiano PDO 36 months (about 3.5 oz / 1 cup) 6 and blend again until you obtain a smooth, homogeneous cream.

Pour the cream obtained back into the same skillet used for the escarole and keep it warm. Cook the fusilli in the boiling water 8 and meanwhile prepare the nduja. Slice it first into rounds 9.

Then remove the casing 10 and finally cut it into small cubes 11. Make the Parmigiano Reggiano PDO 36 months shavings with a vegetable peeler 12; you will need about 40 g (about 1.4 oz / roughly 1/3 cup).

Heat the escarole cream. Drain the pasta al dente directly into the sauce 13 and toss for a few minutes over medium heat, adding, if necessary, a little of the cooking water and a drizzle of olive oil 14, until you reach a creamy consistency 15.

Divide the pasta among plates and finish with the nduja cut into cubes 16 and the Parmigiano Reggiano PDO 36 months shavings 17. Serve immediately, piping hot 18.

Storage

It is recommended to eat the pasta as soon as it is ready. The escarole cream can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 1 days. Freezing is not recommended.

Tip

For a vegetarian version you can replace the nduja with capers, Taggiasca olives or toasted pine nuts.

If you use a soft, creamy nduja, you can add it directly to the skillet during the final tossing so that it melts slightly and makes the sauce even more enveloping and flavorful, or add it in little dollops on the plate.

For the translation of some texts, artificial intelligence tools may have been used.

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