Nduja (available Vegan) Recipe

Prepare the tomatoes

Crush the San Marzano tomatoes by hand or with a fork in a bowl until mostly broken but still a bit chunky. Reserve the juices.

Heat 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil in a medium nonstick skillet or small saucepan over medium heat. Add the whole garlic clove and cook 30–60 seconds until fragrant and lightly golden; remove and discard the garlic.

Add the crushed San Marzano tomatoes and their juices plus 1 tablespoon tomato paste to the pan. Stir to combine, bring to a gentle simmer, and cook, uncovered, for 10–12 minutes until slightly reduced and bright. Stir occasionally.

Season the sauce with 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper. Tear in 4 basil leaves and simmer 1 minute. Remove from heat and taste; adjust salt/pepper if needed. Keep warm.

If using traditional nduja: Using a spoon or small offset spatula, soften the nduja in a small bowl by stirring until spreadable. If it’s very firm, warm it gently in a small pan for 30 seconds to 1 minute over low heat to loosen.

If using vegan nduja: bring to room temperature and stir until spreadable. Treat exactly like the traditional nduja in the next steps.

When ready to assemble, reserve about half the nduja for dolloping after the cheese is added (this gives swirls of flavor). Keep the other half for cooking into the sauce or spreading on the base per steps below.

Preheat oven to 250°C / 480°F with a pizza stone or heavy baking sheet on the middle rack for at least 30 minutes. If making crostini, preheat to 220°C / 430°F.

Prepare the dough: On a lightly floured surface (use semolina or flour), stretch or roll the pizza dough into a 10–12" round. Transfer to a pizza peel dusted with semolina or to a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Spread a thin, even layer (about 3–4 tablespoons) of the warm San Marzano sauce over the dough, leaving a 1/2" rim.

Dot the sauce with half of the softened nduja in small spoons or thin ribbons across the pizza. The nduja will melt and create spicy pockets; for less heat use less nduja.

Distribute torn pieces of Fior di latte mozzarella evenly over the pizza. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon of extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle the optional 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper if using.

Slide the pizza onto the preheated stone or baking sheet and bake for 7–10 minutes, or until crust is golden and cheese is bubbling and slightly browned.

If making crostini: lightly toast bread slices in the oven 4–6 minutes until warm and slightly crisp. Spread a thin layer of sauce on each slice, top with small dollops of nduja, and a few small pieces of torn mozzarella. Return to oven 2–3 minutes until cheese melts slightly.

Remove the pizza from oven. Immediately scatter the remaining reserved nduja in small dollops across the hot pizza so it melts into streaks.

Tear and scatter 8 fresh basil leaves over the top. Finish with a light drizzle (about 1 teaspoon) of extra-virgin olive oil. If desired, sprinkle a few extra red pepper flakes.

Let rest 1–2 minutes, slice and serve hot. For crostini, garnish each piece with torn basil and a finishing drizzle of olive oil and serve.