Parmesan Truffle Pasta

This truffle pasta is made with fresh parmesan cheese and jarred truffle sauce! The jarred truffle sauce is so easy to use, and this recipe comes together in less than 30 minutes! This is a meal that feels fancy but is secretly very easy. It's perfect for a busy weeknight or a special occasion!

I tried a parmesan truffle pasta while visiting Florence, Italy and was inspired to create something similar at home. While buying, storing, and using fresh black truffles is more than what many home cooks are interested in taking on, using truffle sauce is very easy! Truffle sauce is a jarred product that has chunks of real truffles in olive oil. There's more info, further down in this post!

How to make Parmesan Truffle Pasta:

See the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full recipe

• Finely grate your parmesan cheese. (I recommend using parmigiano reggiano if available to you).
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta. Once boiling, cook the pasta per package instructions for al dente. (This dish can be made with fresh pasta, and long noodles are the most common, but my favorite type of pasta to use is Fusilli Corti Bucati)
• Meanwhile, combine the corn starch and half-and-half and mix until fully dissolved (note, you can also use heavy cream mixed with milk). The corn starch helps to prevent the sauce from breaking.
• As the pasta cooks, melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium low heat. Once melted, add the fresh black pepper and toast until very fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Add the corn starch and half-and-half mixture to the skillet with the butter and mix to combine. Let that come to a simmer over medium heat, then remove the skillet from heat and add the cheese, stirring frequently.
• Mix in the truffle sauce to taste, shoot for a slightly stronger truffle flavor than what you want, because it will be reduced when the pasta is added. Add salt to taste, it will need at least an ⅛th teaspoon per batch.
• Add the drained pasta to the skillet with the creamy truffle sauce and mix until it's fully coated.
• Serve immediately, top with more parmesan and a little of the truffle sauce, or use fresh shaved truffles if desired. Adding more truffle on top helps strengthen the aroma, which is why I recommend it.

FAQ

What is truffle sauce?

Truffle sauce is a jarred truffle product made from truffles and oil. It may contain other ingredients like salt and flavoring. I love cooking with truffle sauce, it's much easier than using fresh truffles, but you still get some real truffle pieces in your dish. You can find truffle sauce in specialty grocery stores, or find it on Amazon.

What are truffles?

Truffles are similar to mushrooms, but are technically the spores of a different kind of fungus. While they may not sound appetizing, they have an incredibly unique flavor that is loved by many.

Where is truffle pasta from?

Truffle pasta comes from Italy, where natural truffles are plentiful. It's commonly served as a parmesan cream sauce, similar to this recipe! I was inspired to make this dish at home after trying an incredible parmesan truffle pasta in Florence. That dish was even made in a giant wheel of parmesan, check out the picture below!

Key Tips - Parmesan Truffle Pasta

Truffle sauce will vary in flavor and strength.

• I love cooking with truffle sauce because it's so easy to use and store. It packs so much flavor, and you get chunks of real truffle in your dish but with the ease of truffle oil.
• Obviously, different brands of truffle sauce will have some differences. It's important to taste as you go and adjust the quantity to your liking. Keep in mind that the flavor of the sauce will be more mild when mixed with the pasta.
• You can find truffle sauce in specialty grocery stores, or find it on Amazon.
• This dish was prepared with the brand pictured below, which I purchased as a souvenir while on a trip to Italy. I plan to test out more brands that are available in the US and will update this post with more information as I do!

Try this recipe with other truffle products.

• You can modify this recipe to include other truffle products like fresh truffles, truffle butter, truffle cheese, black truffle oil, truffle zest, or truffle salt.
• The best way to use actual truffles is to shave them on the top at the end, and put less truffle sauce into the creamy sauce. You can use a few teaspoons of truffle oil instead of the truffle sauce, to give it plenty of flavor without the chunks of truffle, just taste test as you go.
• Sub truffle salt for your salt, truffle butter for the butter, and so on to make the other substitutions, taste as you go. I haven't tested this recipe with white truffles, just black truffle products.

Use good quality Parmesan cheese.

• Pre-shredded cheese is not recommended for this recipe, because it may have trouble melting into the sauce. I recommend freshly grating parmesan off the block before preparing this dish for best results.
• The quality of your parmesan will directly impact the flavor of the sauce. I recommend using parmesan that has been aged for at least 24 months if you can.

This recipe uses corn starch instead of pasta water.

• The reason "pasta water" (aka water that has been used to cook pasta) is commonly used in pan sauces is that the pasta leaves behind some starch in the cooking water. Starches are great at making sauces silky, and helping the sauce stick to the noodles.
• When we use pasta cooking water in a recipe, it's hard to know how much starch is in there. The concentration will vary by pasta used and by the amount of water you boil it in. Rather than guessing, I like to use corn starch which I can directly measure.

Dietary Restrictions - Parmesan Truffle Pasta

This dish is naturally Vegetarian.

• Since this dish relies on the parmesan cheese and cream, there isn't an easy way to make it vegan.

Make it Gluten-Free:

• Substitute the pasta for gluten-free pasta.
• Make sure the truffle sauce you're using is gluten-free.

A Note On Serving Sizes

Serving sizes are a very personal thing, making it difficult for me to select a serving size that suits everyone. This truffle pasta is listed with the standard serving size for pasta of 2 oz (¼ of the batch). Pictured in the photos are two servings per bowl.

If you like this recipe, you may also like...

If you like this recipe you may also like my Truffle Mashed Potatoes, Bucatini Cacio e Pepe, Gnocchi Alla Bava, or Lemon Ricotta Pasta.

Send me pictures of your creations -- it'll make my day! Message @CraftyCookbook on Instagram, email me ([email protected]), or tag me in a post! Please note, tagged posts are only visible to me if your account is public. Did you make any interesting changes or substitutions for this recipe? Tell me about them in the comment section below!