This Italian Tagliatelle with Pancetta, Basil and Mozzarella in a simple tomato sauce is a quick and delicious dish that will save you on a busy weeknight! Serve this pasta dish with our delicious Tuscan Panzanella Salad.
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.
Recipe tips and notes
- Don’t get hung up on the fact that I am using pancetta if you can’t find it. Use thickly cut decent quality bacon instead.
- Look for pasta produced in Italy or the brand that says 100% durum semolina or 100% durum wheat. That will make a world of difference. And definitely cook in a large pot of salted water. Pasta needs a bit of space, and unsalted water gives you tasteless pasta.
- Use real Parmesan cheese which you have to grate yourself, or grana padano. It costs a bit more but you get good value for your money because the flavour of freshly grated cheese is incredible. And you will need much less to be satisfied.
- Mix your pasta and sauce as soon as it’s cooked. Drained pasta in Italy is ALWAYS served mixed with a sauce rather than being scooped on top of plain pasta at the table. Something magical happens when you combine hot pasta with hot sauce as the flavour coats the pasta and gets absorbed by it, so don’t wait until it’s at the table. Do it the Italian way!
- Do not overcook pasta. I know every recipe says it but non-Italians have the tendency to horribly overcook their pasta. You should cook pasta al dente. So when you bite into it, it should not taste like noodles from your grandma’s Chicken Noodle Soup but have a bit of firmness to it.
- Add the fresh mozzarella bits into the hot pasta mixed with the sauce and stir. It will begin to melt immediately creating creamy and cheesy ribbons. You will know the cheese is partially incorporated into the sauce once it changes colour from bright red to more orange.
- Finally, it deserves mentioning that Italian food has a bad reputation for being big on calories. Truth is, it’s only the case for Italian cuisine outside of Italy. This recipe only uses 100 g/ ½ cup of pancetta and 125 g/ ½ cup of mozzarella for the ENTIRE recipe that can feed 4 people!! Not too bad at all!
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
Tagliatelle with Pancetta, Basil and Mozzarella
Ingredients
- 250g/8 oz tagliatelle or fettuccine
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 5-6 leaves fresh basil or 1 tsp dried basil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 100g/1/2 cup pancetta cubed (or unsmoked bacon, cubed not sliced)
- ¼ tsp red chilli flakes optional
- 500ml/2 cups Italian Passata or canned crushed tomatoes
- salt and pepper to taste
- 125g/4 oz fresh mozzarella
- Parmesan cheese for serving
Instructions
- Set a large pot filled with water and bring it to a boil. When it boils put a good pinch of salt and pasta, cook 1 minute less than your package suggests, it can vary between 7-10 minutes. Remember when you combine it with sauce it will continue cooking.
- While you pasta is cooking, heat 1 tbsp. of olive oil in a large pan over medium heat and cook your pancetta until there is virtually no visible fat, add garlic and a pinch of chilli flakes if using and cook for 1 minute, then add half of your basil and tomatoes, bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and let it simmer until pasta is cooked.
- When your pasta is cooked al dente and drain it. Put your pasta into the sauce along with the remaining basil leaves. I don't slice basil leaves, I just tear them as I like bigger pieces.
- Then simply tear your fresh mozzarella ball with your hands directly into the pan with pasta.
- Gently stir fresh mozzarella into your pasta over low heat until the cheese starts to melt. Take off the heat as soon as mozzarella melts and turns stringy, it will only take a couple of minutes. (It's okay to have a few unmelted pieces here and there.)
- Serve immediately topped with a bit of freshly grated Parmesan.
