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Umbrichelli al tartufo is an Umbrian pasta dish where thick, hand-rolled strands get tossed in a butter and olive oil sauce built around black truffle, garlic, and a single anchovy fillet that melts into the fat and disappears.
Umbrichelli comes from the hills around Spoleto and Norcia, where cooks roll semola dough into thick ropes by hand, no egg, no machine. The texture is what matters here, dense and chewy, closer to a thick spaghetti than a delicate tagliatelle, built to hold a rich sauce without going limp.
I use dried umbrichelli for a weeknight version and fresh truffle when I can find it in late fall, but a good truffle paste from a jar gets you most of the way there on a Tuesday. The anchovy is the trick most people skip, it doesn’t taste fishy, it just makes the butter taste more like itself.
Fifteen minutes of active cooking, one pan for the sauce, one pot for the pasta.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Ready in 30 minutes with just one pan and one pot
- Anchovy melts in completely, adding depth without any fishy taste
- Works with fresh truffle or a jar of truffle paste
- No cream needed, the sauce comes together with butter and starch
Ingredient Notes
- Umbrichelli: A thick, eggless Umbrian pasta rolled by hand from semola and water. Stringozzi, pici, or a thick bucatini all work as substitutes.
- Black truffle: Fresh truffle gives the best aroma but truffle paste from a jar is a fair weeknight stand-in. Combine both if you want more depth.
- Anchovy fillets: Melts completely into the butter and doesn’t read as fishy once cooked. Skip it only if you have a fish allergy, not just a preference.
- Dry white wine: Grechetto or Orvieto if you have them. A splash of pasta water plus a squeeze of lemon works as a non-alcoholic swap.
- Parmesan: Optional and controversial with truffle, since some cooks feel it competes with the aroma. I add a light grating and leave it at that.
Umbrichelli al Tartufo: Handmade Umbrian Truffle Pasta
Ingredients
Method
- Bring a 6-quart / 5.7 L pot of water to a boil and salt it generously, it should taste like the sea.
- Add the umbrichelli and cook 1 minute less than the package time states, until still firm at the core. Reserve 1 cup / 240 ml of the pasta water before draining.
- While the pasta cooks, melt the butter with the olive oil in a 12-inch / 30 cm skillet over medium-low heat.
- Add the garlic and chopped anchovy fillets. Stir for 2 minutes until the anchovy dissolves into the fat and the garlic turns soft, not browned.
- Pour in the white wine and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes until the sharp smell cooks off.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the truffle paste.
- Drain the umbrichelli and add it straight to the skillet along with 1/2 cup / 120 ml of the reserved pasta water.
- Set the skillet back over low heat and toss for 1 to 2 minutes, adding more pasta water a splash at a time, until the sauce clings to the pasta and looks glossy rather than oily.
- Take the pan off the heat. Shave the fresh truffle over the pasta, add the parsley and a generous grind of black pepper, and toss gently.
- Plate immediately, finishing with parmesan if using and a few more truffle shavings. Serve right away while the aroma is strongest.
Notes
- Warm the serving plates so the butter sauce doesn't set before anyone eats.
- Buy truffle paste in small jars, it loses aroma fast once opened.
- Skip the parmesan if you want the truffle to lead without competition.
- Brush dirt from fresh truffle folds instead of washing it under water.
Tips for Success
- Reserve at least 1 cup / 240 ml of pasta water before draining, you need the starch to bind the butter sauce.
- Slice the garlic thin and keep the heat medium-low so it turns soft rather than browned, or the sauce turns bitter.
- Stir the truffle paste in off the heat, high heat mutes the truffle aroma within seconds.
- Shave fresh truffle over the plated pasta at the table instead of in the hot pan to keep the aroma intact.
- Cook the umbrichelli one minute short of the package time since it finishes cooking in the skillet with the sauce.
Variations
- Swap the truffle paste for white truffle oil stirred in off the heat for a sharper, more direct truffle aroma.
- Use fresh umbrichelli or pici if you can find or make it, the cook time drops to 3 to 4 minutes.
- Stir a spoon of mascarpone into the sauce with the pasta water for a rounder, softer finish instead of straight butter.
Storage and Reheating
Umbrichelli al tartufo keeps in the fridge for 2 to 3 days in an airtight container. The sauce firms up as the butter chills, so bring it back to room temperature for 10 minutes before reheating.
Reheat gently in a 12-inch / 30 cm skillet over low heat with a splash of water or milk, stirring until the sauce loosens and the pasta is warmed through, about 3 to 4 minutes. Avoid the microwave, it heats unevenly and the butter sauce tends to split.
Freezing isn’t worth it here. The truffle aroma fades fast even in the fridge, and freezing mutes it further while breaking the emulsion, so I make this fresh or reheat within a couple of days at most.
Serving Suggestions
Umbrichelli al tartufo doesn’t need much beside it. A simple green salad with a sharp lemon dressing cuts through the butter, and a plain bruschetta with good olive oil rounds out the meal without competing with the truffle.
For wine, pour a dry Umbrian white like Grechetto or Orvieto, or a light-bodied Sangiovese if you’d rather have red. Keep other dishes at the table plain, this pasta is the one thing that should stand out.
Finish each plate at the table with a few extra shavings of truffle and a crack of black pepper, right before anyone starts eating.
FAQ
Why does my umbrichelli sauce turn greasy instead of clinging to the pasta?
The butter and oil have separated from the starch, usually because the heat was too high or you skipped the pasta water. Add a splash of the reserved starchy water off the heat and toss fast, the emulsion should come back together and look glossy rather than pooled with fat.
Can I use truffle oil instead of fresh truffle in umbrichelli al tartufo?
Truffle oil works as a finishing touch but it’s not a real replacement for truffle paste or fresh shavings, since it’s mostly aromatic compounds in a neutral oil. Use it off the heat, a few drops at the end, alongside the truffle paste rather than in place of it for actual depth.
Can I make the truffle sauce ahead for umbrichelli al tartufo?
You can build the butter, garlic, and anchovy base up to a day ahead and keep it covered in the fridge. Warm it gently in the skillet, then add the truffle paste and fresh truffle only right before tossing with the hot pasta, since the aroma fades fast once it’s exposed to heat.
What wine pairs well with Umbrian truffle pasta?
A dry white from Umbria like Grechetto or Orvieto works well, since it’s clean enough not to fight the truffle. If you’d rather have red, a light Sagrantino or a young Sangiovese with soft tannins keeps the earthy truffle notes in front instead of competing with heavy fruit.
Is umbrichelli al tartufo gluten free?
No, traditional umbrichelli is made from durum wheat semola, so it contains gluten. Swap in a gluten-free thick-cut pasta like a gluten-free bucatini or fusilli and the butter-truffle sauce works the same way, just watch the cook time since gluten-free pasta often turns soft faster.
What’s the difference between umbrichelli and stringozzi?
Both are thick, eggless pasta shapes rolled by hand from semola and water, and cooks often use the names interchangeably depending on the town. Umbrichelli tends to be a touch thicker and more irregular in shape, while stringozzi is usually rolled into a more uniform square-ish strand.