This simple truffle pasta recipe lets you enjoy the incredible flavor of fresh black truffles. You only need four ingredients to make it.
Treat yourself to this black truffle pasta recipe, a simple yet incredible dish that shows why truffles are called “black gold” or “the diamond of the kitchen.” Just a few ingredients, yet so delicious.
Check out these Truffle Eggs, Truffle Butter Pasta, and Truffle Oil Pasta with Mushrooms, too! And should you like to make some sweet truffles, have a look at the Champagne Truffles!
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What are truffles?
Truffles are edible fungi, like mushrooms, that grow underground among the roots of trees like oak and hazelnut. They thrive in specific regions, mainly in Italy and France, but also in New Zealand, the Pacific Northwest, and other parts of the world.
There are two types of truffles: the rare and extremely expensive white truffles and the black truffles, which are still pricey but more affordable and easier to find.
Truffles are expensive because they’re hard to find and grow. They need specific climates, years of care, and major investment. Farms take a decade to produce, and the fungi lose most of their flavor within a week.
Truffles get their flavor mostly from their aroma rather than their taste - strong, pungent, musky, and woody. If you're unfamiliar with it, the first whiff might seem almost strange.
I can’t buy fresh truffles locally unless I order them online. The moment the parcel arrives, the scent fills the house before I even open the package.
How to store truffles?
I used the truffles two days after I got them, but I was still careful to store them properly during the waiting time.
My favorite method is to bury them in a large jar full of risotto rice and place them in the fridge. Not only are the truffles perfectly stored this way, but the rice will also get some of the wonderful fungi flavors.
Recipe ingredients
Black truffles: I think it’s better to enjoy truffles properly once a year rather than stretching a tiny amount across multiple dishes. I had one larger truffle (1.2 oz/ 35 g) and a smaller one (0.7 oz/ 20 g), and I used them both for this truffle pasta. It was enough to delight four people with about 1 lb/ 450 g of buttery noodles.
Butter: Butter is just as important. I rarely use this much in a savory dish, but it’s essential here. It enhances the truffle’s flavor, and you need plenty of it to make a difference.
Parmesan: Don’t ruin such an expensive and delicate dish with pre-grated Parmesan from a box. Get a good-quality wedge and grate it fresh before adding it to the sauce.
Pasta: I had spaghetti, but tagliolini, linguine, and so on will be fine as well.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make this black truffle pasta recipe?
Cook the pasta al dente. You will need some cooking water for the sauce, so once the spaghetti is almost cooked, you should have all the sauce ingredients ready for the pan. Making the truffle pasta sauce only takes minutes.
Grate the Parmesan and set it aside. Cube the butter and set it aside.
Step #1: Grate about ⅔ of the truffles and set them aside.
Step #2: Melt butter in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet on medium-high heat.
Step #3: Add about one ladleful of pasta water (about ⅓ cups/ 75 ml) to the butter. Turn the heat down to low and stir gently until the mixture emulsifies.
Step #4: Add the grated Parmesan (See Tips).
Step #5: Once the sauce is smooth (in under a minute), add the grated truffles and a splash of cooking water. Stir gently, turn off the heat, and let it infuse while you drain the spaghetti.
Step #6: Add the noodles to the skillet and stir gently to combine.
Tip
When adding Parmesan to this sauce (or similar ones), be careful to avoid the cheese becoming grainy or clumpy. Keep the heat on medium-low to low, and stir constantly to let the Parmesan melt slowly.
Try the Garlic Butter Noodles with Parmesan, too. Or make Chicken Parmesan Garlic Pasta.
How to serve?
Serve immediately, topping the dish with the remaining black truffles shaved on top. Sprinkle with more Parmesan if desired.
I never serve side dishes with this black truffle pasta; I believe it should be enjoyed on its own, without anything that might distract from its flavor.
You can serve a small plate of antipasti before the main dish and dessert afterward. To keep it Italian, try Tiramisu Cups.
Truffle Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb spaghetti linguine or taglialoni
- ⅔ cup butter Note 1
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan
- 1-2 fresh black truffles depending on size, a total weight of about 1.7 oz/ 50 g, Note 2
- fine sea salt
Instructions
- Cook pasta al dente in plenty of well-salted water.1 lb spaghetti
- Preparations: Making the sauce only takes minutes. Grate the Parmesan and set aside. Cube the butter and set it aside. Grate about ⅔ of the truffles and set aside. Keep all these prepared ingredients separated.½ cup freshly grated Parmesan + ⅔ cup butter + ⅔ from 1-2 fresh black truffles
- Melt butter: Heat a large heavy-bottomed skillet. Add the butter cubes, and let melt on medium-low heat.
- Add about one ladleful of pasta water (more or less ⅓ cups/ 75 ml) to the butter. Stir gently on low heat until the mixture emulsifies slightly.
- Add Parmesan and stir gently and continuously on low heat until it melts; it will take less than a minute.
- Add truffles: Once the sauce is smooth, add the grated truffles and another splash of pasta water. Turn off the heat and let the sauce infuse for a minute or so while you drain the pasta.
- Add the pasta to the skillet and stir gently to combine. Adjust the taste with salt, be generous, especially if using unsalted butter.fine sea salt
- Serve immediately, with the remaining black truffles shaved on top of the dish.
Notes
- Butter: You can use either salted or unsalted butter; just adjust the taste with salt accordingly.
- Truffles: A little more or less than the indicated amount is perfectly fine.
Clara says
Truffle is LOVE!!!
Adina says
It is!!!
mjskitchen says
Oh to have a truffle available to make this. I honestly have not had a dish with slices of truffle, but would love to try ti, especially over a bowl of generously buttered pasta. Lovely dish!
Adina says
Fresh truffles are really a once-a-year special treat, I can only order them online myself. But they are so worth it!
Thomasine says
@Adina, where do you order them from?
Adina says
Hi Thomasine. I live in Germany, I used a couple of sites already. If you also live in Germany I can look for them.