'Nduja Scrambled Eggs Recipe

The next time you're on brunch cooking duty, forget the sides of bacon and sausage, and stir some 'nduja into your eggs instead.

By
Sasha Marx
Sasha Marx
Senior Culinary Editor
Sasha is a senior culinary editor at Serious Eats. He has over a decade of professional cooking experience, having worked his way up through a number of highly regarded and award-winning restaurant kitchens, followed by years spent in test kitchens for food publications.
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Updated March 11, 2021
20200114-nduja-soft-scrambled-eggs-4
Vicky Wasik

Why It Works

  • Slowly cooking and constantly stirring eggs over low heat yields creamy scrambled eggs with delicate curds.
  • The soft spreadable texture and high fat content of 'nduja allows it to easily emulsify and meld with soft-scrambled eggs.

Recently, we've been talking up spicy, salty, porky 'nduja and how well-suited it is to enhancing quick and easy weeknight dinner recipes, like a white bean stew or a pot of steamed mussels. Here, we turn the tables and add our favorite Calabrian sausage to a no-rush weekend cooking recipe: soft-scrambled eggs.

'Nduja's high fat content, which gives it its soft, spreadable texture, also allows it to easily emulsify and meld into the creamy curds of scrambled eggs. As the eggs cook slowly and gently over low heat, they take on a vibrant orange-red hue and floral heat from the Calabrian chilies that flavor the sausage. The savory richness from the pork fat is balanced by the sausage's fermented tang, for a bright, funky finish. The next time your loved ones request bacon and eggs for breakfast, make 'nduja scrambled eggs instead.

Recipe Details

'Nduja Scrambled Eggs Recipe

Active 15 mins
Total 15 mins
Serves 2 servings
Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

Ingredients

  • 6 large eggs, lightly beaten

  • 1/4 cup (60ml) milk or heavy cream (optional; see notes)

  • 1/4 teaspoon (1g) kosher salt

  • 1 tablespoon (15g) unsalted butter

  • 2 ounces (1/4 cup; 60g) 'nduja (see notes)

  • Freshly ground black pepper

  • Thinly sliced fresh chives, for serving (optional)

  • Sliced, toasted bread, for serving

Directions

  1. In a medium bowl, use a fork to beat eggs with milk (if using) and salt until homogenous and no visible egg whites remain, about 30 seconds.

  2. In a 10-inch nonstick skillet, melt butter over medium-low heat until foaming. Add egg mixture and cook, stirring frequently with a heat-resistant rubber spatula, making sure to scrape bottom and sides of skillet, until eggs begin to thicken and form small curds, 6 to 8 minutes. Continue to cook, stirring vigorously to break up large curds, until eggs are thick enough to hold their shape, 3 to 5 minutes longer.

  3. Add 'nduja and stir vigorously until incorporated and emulsified, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat and season with pepper. Divide scrambled eggs between individual serving plates, sprinkle with chives (if using), and serve right away with toasted bread.

Special equipment

Nonstick skillet

Notes

Milk will make for richer, moister scrambled eggs but is not required.

'Nduja is a spicy spreadable pork salume that originates from the southern Italian region of Calabria. In the US, it can be purchased at specialty shops that carry salumi/charcuterie, Italian markets, or online from producers like Tempesta Artisan Salumi. Look for 'nduja made with just four ingredients: pork, Calabrian chilies, salt, and lactic acid.

Make-Ahead and Storage

As anyone who has ever eaten at a breakfast buffet knows, scrambled eggs don't hold well, and are best enjoyed immediately.

This Recipe Appears In

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
392Calories
24gFat
14gCarbs
29gProtein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 2
Amount per serving
Calories392
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 24g30%
Saturated Fat 9g47%
Cholesterol 595mg198%
Sodium 1334mg58%
Total Carbohydrate 14g5%
Dietary Fiber 1g3%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 29g
Vitamin C 0mg0%
Calcium 118mg9%
Iron 4mg21%
Potassium 399mg8%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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