If you are after a creamy pancetta pasta, take a look at our Creamy Pasta with Pancetta and Peas. One can never have too many simple pasta recipes, right? This truly amazing dish takes a whole 20 minutes to make! The sauce is flavourful yet simple. Anyone can master it in no time. Crispy pancetta, fresh basil and creamy mozzarella in a rich sauce. What’s not to love! If you want to know a bit more about what makes the best sauce, take a look at my recipe for Tomato Basil Spaghetti Sauce, where I go into more details. I learned how to make this little number while watching a friend cook it in front of me in Italy. Italian cooking philosophy is quality of the ingredients over the complexity of the cooking process. This tagliatelle recipe demonstrates it so well. Just a few beautiful ingredients produce stellar results and a lovely creamy sauce!
What is tagliatelle?
If you are wondering what sort of pasta tagliatelle is, you’d be happy to know it’s the same pasta you might know by the name fettuccine. The two different names come from two different regions of Italy but are virtually the same thing. Tagliatelle pasta comes bundled in little nests while fettuccine is straight. They certainly can be used in each other’s place in recipes. Here is an example of a creamy tagliatelle pasta recipe which happens to be one of my favourites. Tagliatelle is a traditional pasta shape that has been enjoyed for generations. It’s notable for long, flat pasta ribbons. It’s particularly good for robust, thick, meaty sauces, like a hearty ragu, or a tomato rich creamy sauce like this one.
Serving suggestions
Sprinkle over some freshly grated Parmesan cheese when you serve. Not only does it add flavour, but the extra saltiness from the cheese enhances the flavour of the dish. For a quick midweek meal all this pasta dish needs is a side salad like my Caprese Salad , and maybe some focaccia. If you do serve good quality bread, don’t forget to add some olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dipping. Garlic bread will be amazing too! For the nights when you have spare time and feel more ambitious, add my Bruschetta recipe to start your dinner and roasted Parmesan broccoli to serve on the side.
Storage and leftovers
Even if you manage to make perfect al dente pasta for your dinner table, it’s unlikely to stay quite so nice when refrigerated. Leftover pasta has the tendency to go a little mushy. Frozen pasta can get even worse, so I never recommend freezing. This particular pasta recipe doesn’t keep well because fresh mozzarella stirred into the sauce will harden once cooled and will change the texture. That is why I only used ½ lbs of pasta to avoid leftovers! Despite all of this, if you do end up with extra pasta, cover it up and keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days. Microwave leftovers, or reheat on the stovetop with a splash of water to refresh. We don’t waste food at our house!
More Simple Pasta Recipes
Quick Roasted Cherry Tomato and Basil Pasta Sun-dried Tomato Pasta with Chicken Pasta with Smoked Salmon Tomato and Mascarpone Pasta Sauce Pasta e Piselli
