This creamy tagliatelle, a bottle of great Chianti, someone you love are all you need for a lovely date night in!
“Dates at home could be fun. Really we shouldn’t feel like we are resorting to “the second best” because we are parents now and can’t go on spontaneous adventures like our younger selves used to do!”
As hard as I tried I just couldn’t convince myself in the truth of that statement. As I was feverishly running ideas through my head of what to do, turning to various websites and even attempting to enlist the help of my readers on Facebook. No such luck.
Then Brad came to the rescue and announced we are playing Black Jack using Starburst as chips for the lack of a better alternative.
I was down to my last chip 15 minutes into the game …apparently I am no Rain Man and card counting is not my forte, but then again one doesn’t become an English teacher if in possession of mad maths skills.
We finished the night talking about all kinds of things we want to do and places we want to travel. It took us a couple of minutes to recover from the shock of realisation that 10 years from now both of our kids will be gone for university. Gulp.
How does this happen so quickly? Life speeds up with every year. We absolutely have to pause and have these long talks to absorb every bit of it.
I take my earlier grumble back. Home dates could be just as fun…funner actually because, you know, great things are nearby and you don’t have to take a train home.
Special nights call for special food, right? But who wants to spend the evening getting hot and sweaty in the kitchen – unless it’s your thing and I am not judging.
I want my date night food to be quick and easy but should preferably look and taste like it came from a Michelin star restaurant.
I’ve got you covered. This pasta cooked with bacon, portobello mushrooms and truffle oil is so straightforward, anyone can make it!
This tagliatelle dish is a beauty to behold. If you are an Italian food lover you could probably just close your eyes and imagine how enticing this is.
Fresh pasta tossed with cream, bacon, Portobello mushrooms and Parmesan can taste, but did I mention truffle oil?
It’s an ingredient that’s nearly impossible to describe if you’ve never had it before. After you have your first taste or sniff, it’s a beautiful aroma you will recognise anywhere.
It’s unmistakable. So earthy and luxurious. Just the thing to take your date night to the realm of magical.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2-3 strips of bacon/pancetta chopped
- 4-5 baby portobello mushrooms sliced
- 200 gr fresh or dried tagliatelle or linguine
- 1/3 cup/100 ml double cream/heavy cream
- 2 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tsp truffle oil
- salt
- fresh ground pepper
Instructions
- Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions. Note that fresh pasta only takes about 3 minutes to cook after the water boils.
- While pasta is cooking cook chopped bacon over medium heat in 1 tbsp of olive oil until it renders fat, drain it if your bacon is too fatty.
- Add sliced portobello mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes over medium heat, add salt and pepper.
- Drain cooked pasta and reserve 1/2 cup of water you cooked pasta in. Do not rinse your pasta.
- Take the pan with bacon and mushrooms off the heat.
- To the pan add hot pasta, truffle oil, double/heavy cream and grated parmesan gently toss to coat.
- Your pasta will absorb the sauce very quickly. Add reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce to a silky smooth consistency.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
Kel says
Hello Julia! Thank you for this recipe.
I love mushroom and truffle oil. 🙂
This is a simple recipe but grand in taste.
Awesome! I just prepared one and i hope my kids will like it too.
vikalinka says
Thank you so much for your feedback, Kel! Let me know if the kids liked it!! Truffle oil is an acquired taste but mine love it too!
Diana says
Hello!!! I tried your recipe last night and my husband LOVED it 👌💕 So we decided to cook a bigger batch for a family potluck. I did 5x the amount of what you originally have but it didn’t turn out the same 😣 My husband said it’s lacking the bacon flavor. I’m thinking of cooking more bacon tomorrow and add them to the pasta, what do you think? Will this work? I really need your help 😣 Thank you!
vikalinka says
Hi Diana, this is a really good question and it might come as a surprise but pasta is actually quite difficult to get just right when cooked in big batches. The main reason is because it needs A LOT of seasoning, mainly salt. My husband used to not add enough salt and everyone in the family would say the pasta dish tasted bland although he used my recipes. Try adding more salt and parmesan cheese but go lightly on truffle oil as it might be overpowering. Adding more bacon is also a good idea but if the pasta itself lacks seasoning, it won’t make a big difference. Let me know how it goes! Best, Julia
Diana says
Thank you so much Julia! Will try to work on it later and let you know 😉
vikalinka says
You are welcome. I hope it goes well. Enjoy your potluck!
Lisa says
Having just returned from a fabulous honymoon in Tuscany we wanted a recipe to use our truffle oil that we brought back and to have a meal to remind us of our lovely trip…..this was AMAZIN G!! Thank you x
vikalinka says
Aw that is so sweet! Congratulations on your wedding, Lisa! X
Rachel says
Hello! I look forward to making this recipe, it’s sounds heavenly.
I live in the rural United States and must rely upon ordering rare supplies. What brand(s) and supplier(s) would you recommend for truffle oil?
vikalinka says
Hi Rachel, I live in the UK, so our suppliers are very different. I try to stay away from recommending brands I am not familiar with as it got me into trouble in the past. I would just look for a good quality truffle oil…usually you will see small bits of truffle at the bottom of the bottle. If they are not there, it often means the flavour is artificial. I hope this helps.
Polly says
I made this today with fresh homemade tagliatelle. It was awesome! I used pancetta but bacon would be great too. Thanks for the recipe!
vikalinka says
Sounds delicious, Polly, I am so happy to hear you enjoyed it!
anita says
this recipe looks delicious!! Do you mind sharing where the plates are from?? they are beautiful
vikalinka says
Thank you, Anita! The plates are from Anthropologie. 🙂
Mom's Dish says
Wow, this dish looks amazing. I will crave it from now on.
vikalinka says
Thank you, Natasha! You know it takes less than half hour to throw together. 😉
Laura (Tutti Dolci) says
Oh this is pasta perfection, love the mushrooms and truffle oil!
Nguyet @ Taming of the Spoon says
Bacon, cream, and truffle oil are some of my favorite indulgent ingredients. Having them all in one dish sounds incredible.
vikalinka says
It does sound too good to be true, doesn’t it!
Lucy @SupergoldenBakes says
It’s amazing how life goes past so fast and yet so slow sometimes… My son is starting school in September and I can’t picture my baby in school at 5 years old – yet my daughter went at 4 1/2! I would love some date nights – with no family in the UK we have no in-build babysitters!
PS: pasta looks awesome. I will have to just eat it with my eyes for the time being though!
vikalinka says
No babysitters needed when you have home date nights. Get on it, Lucy!! 😉