Creamy Norcina Pasta with Sausage and Truffle

Pasta alla Norcina is pure comfort food. It originates in Norcia, a small Umbrian town renowned for its pork butchery and cured meats. The term ‘Norcino’ in Italy refers to a skilled butcher from that area, celebrated for crafting regional sausages and cured specialities.

While authentic Norcia sausages can be hard to find outside Italy, using good-quality mild Italian sausages (avoid spicy varieties) will give you an excellent result. The combination of savory sausage, wine, cream and truffle makes for an irresistible sauce that clings beautifully to short pasta like penne or rigatoni.

Umbria is also famous for its black truffles, which elevate this dish. If fresh truffle is available, grate it over each serving for the best aroma and flavour. If not, truffle paste or truffle oil (white or black) will work—add these sparingly and adjust to taste, as intensity varies between brands.

A useful technique is to let the sausage and onion caramelise slightly before deglazing with wine; scraping the browned bits off the pan will add a lot of depth to the sauce. Serve the finished pasta with plenty of Pecorino and a glass of your favourite white wine.

Ingredients

Ingredient notes and substitutions

• Pasta – choose a quality short pasta like penne or rigatoni; penne is commonly used and holds the sauce well.
• Italian sausages – authentic Norcina sausages are ideal but rare outside Italy. Use good-quality mild Italian sausages and avoid spicy or fennel-forward varieties that will change the character of the dish.
• White wine – a dry Italian white such as Pinot Grigio works well. Use a drinkable wine rather than cooking wine for best flavour.
• Truffle – fresh black truffle is traditional; if unavailable, use truffle paste or oil and add gradually to taste so it doesn’t overpower the other components.
• Pecorino – Pecorino Romano or Staginato is ideal; Parmigiano Reggiano is an acceptable substitute if needed.

Visual walk-through of the recipe

This visual guide highlights the main steps. For full measurements and detailed instructions, see the recipe card below.

1. Brown the sausage – remove the sausages from their casings and brown them in a pan, breaking them up with a wooden spoon (photo 1).
2. Add onion – add finely chopped onion and sauté with the sausage until the mixture is caramelised and beginning to turn golden (photos 2 and 3).

3. Cook the pasta in plenty of salted boiling water until al dente.
4. Deglaze – add the white wine to the pan and scrape up the brown bits; let the wine reduce by about half (photos 3 and 4).
5. Add the cream – pour in the cream and simmer gently for a few minutes. Stir in Pecorino, then add truffle paste or oil a little at a time and taste; the truffle should enhance rather than dominate (photos 5–7).

6. Combine – toss the cooked pasta with the sauce until evenly coated, then serve in bowls topped with more grated Pecorino (photo 8).