12 Best Italian Tagliatelle Recipes (2024)


Tagliatelle pasta ribbons are a favourite type of long pasta noodle both here in Italy and in other countries. Certainly, there are many Italian tagliatelle recipes, particularly in the Northern and Central regions of the country.

This pasta is traditionally paired with meat sauce like Bolognese, with vegetables such as porcini mushrooms, with fish and with legumes. Below are some of the best tagliatelle recipes we know. If you love tagliatelle, you’ll want to try a few of these out!

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What does ‘tagliatelle’ mean?

The name ‘tagliatelle’ comes from the traditional way of making this pasta. ‘Tagliare’ means to cut in Italian and tagliatelle is traditionally made by rolling out soft wheat flour and egg pasta dough into fairly thin sheets and then cutting it into ribbons. In the past, these ribbons were usually only cooked fresh.

Nowadays, you can find dried tagliatelle to buy. Normally, the dried version is made with durum wheat (hard wheat) instead of soft wheat. This is because according to Italian law all dried pasta must be made with hard wheat flour.

Different types of tagliatelle.

In a number of Italian regions, they make tagliatelle with other types of flour, not just wheat flour. You can find this pasta made with rye flour, hazelnut flour, chestnut flour and more. Very often they mix the two flours together. There are also different coloured tagliatelle, green made with spinach in the dough and even red made with wine in the dough!

In southern Italy where egg pasta isn’t as traditional as in the North, there are types of pasta very similar to tagliatelle but the dough is just flour and water. Examples of this pasta are sagne from Abruzzo (shorter than tagliatelle) and lagane from Basilicata which is a little wider than tagliatelle.

12 Best Italian Tagliatelle Recipes

Click the recipe name to learn more and get ingredients and instructions.

Tagliatelle bolognese

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Did you know that Bolognese is traditionally served with tagliatelle and not spaghetti in Italy? This world-renowned sauce comes from Bologna in Emilia-Romagna, where it is also simmered for at least 2 to 3 hours.

This allows the Bolognese ingredients to develop and infuse while tenderizing the meat. If you're an Italian food lover and have yet to try tagliatelle bolognese, it should be a must on your bucket list!

Tagliatelle with porcini

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The deliciousness of pasta with porcini mushrooms can only be understood by those who have had the pleasure of eating it. This classic Italian tagliatelle dish with porcini is easy to make and packed with umami-rich flavors.

Tagliatelle with chicken liver

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If you're a pasta and liver lover, you're bound to love this recipe. It's a classic Italian pasta dish from Emiliga-Romanga, and when I first tried it, I was amazed. It's rich, savory and surprisingly easy to make!

Italian salt cod (baccalà) and porcini tagliatelle

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This recipe was my first time using baccalà with porcini (ceps), but it won’t be the last.

This dish is fantastic! The recipe uses cloves, nutmeg and lemon zest, all of which give this taglitatelle recipe from Abruzzo an exceptionally unique rich flavor profile.

Tagliatelle with peas and pancetta

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This pasta with fresh peas and pancetta is a traditional spring dish in Veneto. It only uses a handful of ingredients which surprises you due to the amount of flavor this recipe has.

Sausage and cabbage tagliatelle

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Sausage and cabbage pasta is a traditional and popular recipe in Northern and Central Italy. This hearty and rustic version with tagliatelle comes from Trentino-Alto Adige in North Italy, bordering both Austria and Switzerland.

Tagliatelle with rabbit

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This classic tagliatelle with rabbit ragu comes from the Marche region in Central Italy. It's one of my favorite ways to cook rabbit meat and has a ton of flavor. A truly authentic Italian tagliatelle recipe!

Tagliatelle with fresh tuna

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A fresh tuna pasta recipe to bring Southern Italian flavors to your table. This traditional recipe comes from the Aeolian Islands off the coast ofSicily. It calls for local ingredients that are typical of Mediterranean cuisine.

Creamy Pork Fillet Tagliatelle alla Castellana

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This creamy pork fillet tagliatelle recipe from Trentino-Alto Adige reminds me of an Italian version of a pork stroganoff. It's rich and creamy with a savory mushroom flavor that combines amazingly with the pork and pancetta.

You'd be surprised how much flavor one recipe can have in just 25 minutes.

Cinnamon spiced pork ragu

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Cinnamon spiced pork ragu sounds a bit strange, doesn't it? I thought this at first, but after trying it… It's outstandingly delicious!

You can find the origin of this recipe in Friuli Venezia Giulia. In this Italian region, the cuisine is much influenced by neighboring Austria and Slovenia.

Tagliatelle pasta muffin nests

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Did you know that you can turn tagliatelle into a delicious hand-grabbing party food? These tagliatelle 'sformatini', which translates to pies, have started becoming popular in Italy as little bites and party food.

They aren't the most traditional recipe, but they are definitely fun and something the kids would enjoy.

Homemade chestnut tagliatelle with pork and cabbage

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This is a traditional autumn/winter dish from the Italian mountains. It uses homemade chestnut pasta with pork and cabbage. This tagliatelle recipe is so flavorful and surprisingly easy to make.

You can find many similar dishes here in the Italian Alps, where they love rustic and hearty flavors.

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Let me know what you think.

If you make any of these Italian tagliatelle recipes, I’d love to hear how it turned out and if you liked it. Please leave a comment here on the blog or onThe Pasta Project Facebook page.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

Buon appetito!

If you are interested in learning how to make homemade pasta and different types of gnocchi, check outmy shop pagefor some great video online courses from my friends in Rome! Nothing beats learning to make pasta from Italians!Pluswhile you’re there why not order a copy of one of my pasta recipe cookbooks or checkout some recommended pasta making tools?


12 Best Italian Tagliatelle Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is Italy most famous pasta dish? ›

Spaghetti Bolognese

It is commonly served with parmesan cheese. The dish is one of Italy's most popular exports, and thought to have originated in Imola, a northern Italian city west of Bologna some time around the late 1800s - when the first reference to the dish's ragu sauce was recorded.

What is tagliatelle best for? ›

Tagliatelle goes brilliantly with sauces of any style with fish, meat and vegetables. A classic is tagliatelle with salmon and spinach or with a porcini mushroom sauce. A cream sauce with steamed broccoli and crispy walnuts is a real treat.

What does tagliatelle mean in Italian? ›

Tagliatelle (Italian: [taʎʎaˈtɛlle]; from the Italian word tagliare, meaning 'to cut') are a traditional type of pasta from the Italian regions of Emilia-Romagna and Marche.

What's the difference between tagliatelle and fettuccine? ›

The main difference between the two is that while tagliatelle is made with egg along with semolina, fettuccine does not contain egg. Also, the tagliatelle ribbons are a tiny bit wider than fettuccine. Another difference is that you're more likely to find fresh tagliatelle, while fettuccine is almost always dried.

What is the number 1 selling pasta in Italy? ›

Barilla. Barilla is one of the leading pasta brands in Italy and worldwide, known for its wide range of pasta shapes and sauces.

What are four famous Italian pasta dishes? ›

There are four classic Roman pasta dishes: carbonara, cacio e pepe, amatriciana, and alla Gricia. Each uses slightly different techniques and ingredients and has its own place in the canon of Italian food.

How to eat tagliatelle properly? ›

Your fork is your best friend. Use it to gather a few strands of tagliatelle and separate them from the rest on your plate. To avoid any strands dangling from your mouth a la Cthulhu, twirl them carefully around your fork so you have a small, compact amount wrapped neatly around the prongs.

Should you rinse tagliatelle? ›

Do Not Rinse. Pasta should never, ever be rinsed for a warm dish. The starch in the water is what helps the sauce adhere to your pasta. The only time you should ever rinse your pasta is when you are going to use it in a cold dish like a pasta salad or when you are not going to use it immediately.

Why does tagliatelle come in balls? ›

2 Answers. To prevent it from adhering together in undercooked bundles when boiling. For long pasta noodles, the wider the noodle, the more issues one has with them sticking together on the "flat" sides.

What pasta is closest to tagliatelle? ›

Tagliatelle and fettuccine are similar kinds of pasta with subtle differences in size and shape.

How many tagliatelle nests per person? ›

Servings depend on the person, but when it comes to DeLallo Tagliatelle nests, we recommend 1 nest for a side and 2 for an entrée (per person).

Why does tagliatelle taste different? ›

The different types of pasta, taste different due to their thickness and texture, which affects the absorption of the sauce. Ribbed ones absorb the sauce better than the smooth ones. Each shape and texture has its own special purpose.

Is tagliatelle similar to egg noodles? ›

Pappardelle and tagliatelle are both egg noodles made of wheat pasta dough enriched with eggs. They're also both flat noodles, and when sold dried, are frequently packaged as loosely coiled nests rather than flat packed like spaghetti. The big difference between pappardelle and tagliatelle is their width.

Can I use tagliatelle instead of spaghetti? ›

Tagliatelle is nice for meat and seafoood based sauces (best dishes: Tagliatelle Bolognese, Chicken Madras Tagliatelle, Tagliatelle Scampi), while spaghetti is suitable for vegetable-based sauces, sausage-based sauces, casseroles, and soups (best dishes: Spaghetti Aglio e Olio. Spaghetti alla Carbonara).

What is the national dish of Italy pasta? ›

Commonly known around the world as spaghetti bolognese, in its authentic form 'Ragu alla Bolognese' is recognised as the national dish of Italy. Its origin can be traced back to Imola, a town near the city of Bologna, where a recipe was first recorded in the 18th century.

What is the most famous dish from Italy? ›

Number one on our list of the best traditional foods in Italy has to be pizza. Everyone knows what pizza is, it needs no introduction, but what you probably know as pizza isn't quite the same as in Italy.

What is pasta known in Italy? ›

The word 'pasta' is an Italian word meaning 'paste', referring to the paste that pasta dough is made from with egg or water and flour. However, before Italian pasta as we know of, was all over the world, pasta was called 'maccaronaro'.

What is Italy known for pizza or pasta? ›

But it's the combination of taste and accessibility that has made pizza and pasta Italy's most famous dishes world wide. Famous variations of Italian pizza can include Marinara (tomato sauce), Margherita (tomato sauce and mozzarella with basil), Frutti di Mare (seafood), Prosciutto, and Truffle.

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