Nduja 'Sausage' and Red Wine Ragu
This one is genuinely one of our favourite things we've made in a long time. There's something about a proper ragu that just feels like a hug in a bowl, and this vegan version with plant-based nduja sausage and red wine is absolutely next level. The nduja brings this smoky, spicy depth that we didn't think we'd be able to replicate without meat, and honestly, it blew us away the first time we made it. The red wine melts everything together into this rich, glossy sauce that clings to pasta in the best possible way. Make this tonight and you will not regret it.
Before You Start
- Large pan
- Large pot for pasta
- Colander
Ingredients
- 2 red onions
- 3 garlic cloves
- 8 good quality plant-based sausages (about 400g)
- 2g sweet paprika
- 2g dried thyme
- 2g dried rosemary
- 1 vegetable stock cube
- 30ml olive oil
- 200ml Sainsbury's Cune Crianza Rioja
- 2-4 tbsp plant-based nduja paste
- 10g nutritional yeast
- 100ml oat cream
- 450g rigatoni pasta
- Salt & pepper
- fresh green herbs
- plant-based parmesan
- pepper
Method
Prepare the ingredients
- Peel and dice the red onions and garlic.
- Slice open the sausages and remove the “skin”.
Prepare the sauce
- Mix the stock cube with 200ml boiling water until dissolved.
- Place a large pan over a medium-high heat and add the olive oil.
- Once warm, add the diced red onion, garlic and a pinch of salt.
- Mix well and cook for 5-10 minutes, or until the onion turns soft.
- Once the onions turn soft, crumble in the sausage meat and stir for 4 minutes.
- After 4 minutes, add the paprika and dried herbs to the pan and stir for a minute.
- After a minute, add the Sainsbury’s Cune Crianza Rioja and hot stock water, mix well and bring to the boil before reducing the heat and leaving to simmer for at least 10 minutes, or until all of the liquid is absorbed.
- Once the liquid has been absorbed, mix through the plant-based Nduja paste (depending on how spicy you want it), nutritional yeast and plant-based cream.
- Reduce the heat and leave to simmer for 5-10 minutes while the pasta cooks.
While the sauce simmers, prepare the pasta
- Add a big pinch of salt to a big pot of boiling water over a medium heat, add the pasta and cook according to the package instructions - cooking for 1 less minute than stated.
Finish the pasta
- Once the pasta is cooked, spoon a ladleful of pasta water into the saucepan (if needed), stir to combine and turn off the heat.
- Drain the pasta with a colander and immediately transfer the pasta to the saucepan.
Time to serve
- Stir the pasta into the sauce until well covered.
- Transfer the pasta into serving bowls, top with plant-based parmesan cheese and pepper, garnish with some fresh green herbs and serve immediately.
Tips & Variations
- Use a good red wine: We know it's tempting to grab whatever's cheapest, but use something you'd actually drink. It makes a real difference to the depth of the sauce.
- Don't rush the onions: Seriously, give them the full 10 minutes. Soft, sweet, almost jammy onions are the foundation of everything good here. Trust us on this one.
- Serve with the right pasta: We love this with rigatoni or pappardelle. Something with a bit of body that can hold onto all that gorgeous sauce.
Why This Works
The trick here is really cooking down those red onions low and slow before anything else goes in. It builds a sweet, jammy base that balances out the heat from the nduja perfectly. And don't skip the red wine, it's what gives the sauce that proper restaurant-level richness that makes this feel genuinely special.