How to Make Pasta Alla Norcina
This delectable pasta dish is a must-try for foodies looking to indulge in rich and flavourful Italian cuisine. If you’re planning on making this dish, it’s important to choose high-quality ingredients, especially the sausage, which is the star of the show. For the best results, use fresh ricotta and a good quality white wine to give the sauce an extra depth of flavour.
When cooking the pasta, make sure to keep it al dente, so it maintains its firm texture and complements the creamy sauce. And don’t forget to sprinkle as much Parmigiano Reggiano as you desire on top, to enhance the dish’s savoury taste. Lastly, to learn more about this dish’s origins, consider adding internal links to Umbria and Norcia in your content.
Watch the Pasta alla Norcina video recipe:
How To Make Pasta alla Norcina Like an Italian
Vincenzo’s Top Tips To Make Pasta alla Norcina
Keep ’em away from burning!
Adding a splash of water ensures the onion and garlic don’t burn for the dish.
Another alternative
You can use water or broth/stock instead of white wine if you prefer.
Finders keepers!
If you can find sheep’s ricotta, it will be even better for the dish.
Pasta alla Norcina
Equipment
- Large Frying pan
- wooden spoon
- Garlic press
- Small chef’s knife
- fork
- large pot
- Large mixing bowl
- Pasta strainer
Ingredients
- 250 grams Artisan Italian sausages 8.8oz. 3 sausages
- 250 grams Rigatoni or another short pasta ie: mezze maniche, penne
- 200 grams Ricotta or heavy cream
- ½ Onion Chopped
- 1 Garlic clove Crushed
- 1 tbsp Water to keep garlic and onion from burning
- 2 tbsp Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano cheese
- 1 Fresh truffle or truffle oil
- ½ Rlass white wine
- Extra virgin olive oil EVOO
- Salt & pepper
- 1 Tbsp Rock salt for boiling the pasta
Instructions
- This pasta alla norcina is all about the region of Umbria; I’m even starting with extra virgin olive oil from Umbria to celebrate. Add a generous amount to a pan (about four tablespoons) on medium heat.
- Next, add your onion and sauté for about 2-3 minutes, or until it begins to brown slightly - stir frequently.
- Crush the garlic into the onion for extra flavor, stir, then add one tablespoon of water. Cook for another two minutes.
- Put a slit down the middle of each sausage and remove the skin. Then press down on each one using a fork.
- Add the squashed sausages into the pan and use the fork or a wooden spoon to separate the mince as quickly as you can as it will start to cook through right away (it will become much harder so break the mince down once it is cooked!).
- Add 5L of water to a large pot, and once the water boils, add one tablespoon of rock salt, and stir to dissolve. Then, add the rigatoni to the salted boiling water, stirring occasionally.
- Cook the pasta according to the package directions; mine took 13 minutes.
- Once the sausage meat is browned, add the white wine to your mixture.
- Add a little bit of salt and a generous amount of freshly grated black pepper.
- Grab a mug of pasta water and set it aside for the Pasta alla Norcina sauce.
- Next, add your fresh ricotta to a large mixing bowl, and squash it down with a fork. Then combine Parmigiano Reggiano/grated pecorino cheese, 4 tablespoons of pasta water, and mix.
- If you need more pasta water, you can add a few more tablespoons until you get a nice, creamy texture. Now you have the cream for your pasta alla norcina!
- There should be very little liquid left in the meat mixture. Break up the sausage more into smaller pieces if you can and make sure it’s cooked through too.
- Add the ricotta cream to the meat mixture and stir.
- Grate about 1/3 of the truffle into the sauce. As the sauce cooks, the truffle flavor will release – as will the smell!
- Strain the pasta and add it to the sauce, adding about four tablespoons of pasta water and continue to stir.
- Here’s my favorite part – tossing the pasta. This helps combine all the ingredients for the pasta alla norcina
- E ora si mangia, Vincenzo’s Plate….Enjoy!
Video
How to serve Pasta alla Norcina
Now your creamy, rich pasta dish is ready to serve! Add a serving of this pasta dish to a plate, making sure to get extra sauce and sausage on top (the best part!). The only thing missing is the extra truffle. Shave the desired amount on top, and it’s ready to eat. Now you have pasta alla norcina, the authentic Umbrian way.
If you want to enjoy a family-style meal, you can serve it on one big plate instead, like nonna.
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I made it yesterday and I was glad I had truffle oil on hand. It was fantastic. I’m going to get more truffle oil and try Jared truffles next time.
Thanks for the recipe.
Hi! Thanks for the feedback! I’m so glad you enjoyed the pasta alla norcina recipe. I’m also glad you had truffle oil on hand. It really takes the dish to the next level.
This was good even without truffle oil. Nice creamy flavor without the high amounts of saltiness in many US cream / Alfredo recipes. The wine and Italian sausage evens everything out. Simple, easy, tasty.
I agree that many US cream/Alfredo recipes can be too salty. I think the wine and Italian sausage in this recipe help to balance out the flavors and create a more complex and nuanced dish.