Fresh Tagiatelle with Garlic, Rucola & Sundried Tomatoes

Six ingredients. That’s Italian cooking at its purest. Fresh tagliatelle tossed with golden garlic slices, sundried tomatoes, a splash of white wine, and two big bunches of rucola (arugula) wilted right in the pan. The whole thing comes together in the time it takes to boil water.

Slicing the garlic thin and cooking it to light golden brown in extra-virgin olive oil is the foundation of the entire dish. Golden, not brown. Burnt garlic turns bitter and acrid, and in a recipe this simple there’s nothing to hide behind. The second it turns golden, the sundried tomatoes and wine go in and the pan comes off the heat.

Fresh tagliatelle cooks in about 1 minute, not the 8 to 10 minutes dried pasta needs. Have everything ready before you drop it in the water. The rucola gets tossed in last and only needs 30 seconds of residual heat to barely wilt. It should still have some body and peppery bite, not go completely limp.

Chef Tips

• Use oil-packed sundried tomatoes if available. They’re softer and more flavorful than the dry-packed variety, which need rehydrating first.
• Reserve a cup of pasta water before draining. A splash loosens the sauce if it tightens up when you toss everything together.
• Extra-virgin olive oil is the sauce here. Use the best you can afford because you’ll taste every note of it.
• Serve immediately. Fresh pasta and wilted greens don’t hold well and get gummy within minutes.

Variations

• Add a pinch of red pepper flakes with the garlic for a subtle heat that complements the peppery rucola.
• Shave Parmesan over each plate for a salty, umami finish.
• Swap tagliatelle for pappardelle or fresh fettuccine if you can’t find tagliatelle.