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    Home » Recipes » Pasta recipes

    Ham and Mushroom Tagliatelle with Black Pepper Sauce

    Published: Mar 11, 2020 · Modified: Feb 5, 2025 by VJ · This post may contain affiliate links · 4 Comments

    Jump to recipe

    If you like pasta I think you will love this ham and mushroom tagliatelle with black pepper sauce. It's a creamy pasta dish that can be on the table in less than half an hour - perfect for a mid-week supper.

    Ham and mushroom tagliatelle in a dish on a table with a few mushrooms in the background.

    Tagliatelle with ham, mushrooms and a creamy homemade black pepper sauce is a delicious pasta dish to make when you're short of time.

    I've been making this pasta recipe for years, ever since I saw it in a magazine as a dip for potato wedges (without the tagliatelle of course). I took one look and decided it would make the perfect pasta sauce - and with a couple of adaptations, a new recipe was born!

    The sauce for the ham and mushroom pasta takes around 20 minutes to cook so with only one or two minutes of prep, you can have this dish on the table in less than half an hour. (You can boil the pasta while you're making the sauce).

    I love the taste of the crushed black peppercorns in the creamy sauce. And if you want to up the pepperiness slightly you can adjust the amount of peppercorns to your own taste.

    Made without the tagliatelle, this sauce is great for pouring over a steak, because it's packed with mushrooms and tasty onions that complement a grilled steak beautifully.

    And to go back to the origins of this recipe, it also makes the perfect dip for potato wedges. Just halve the quantity of milk and cornflour in this recipe, leave out the pasta, and serve as a dip alongside my crispy potato fries.

    Overhead shot of a dish of ham and mushroom tagliatelle.

    For extra colour, garnish with chopped parsley just before serving.

    Jump to:
    • What you will need:
    • What to do
    • Variations
    • Can I freeze this dish?
    • Save for later
    • Other recipes
    • 📋The recipe

    What you will need:

    Equipment

    You will need a couple of saucepans - one for cooking the pasta and the other for making the ham and mushroom sauce.

    Ingredients

    **You can get the exact ingredient quantities to make this ham and mushroom pasta dish on the printable recipe card at the end of this post**

    This recipe will serve 4 people.

    Ingredients for ham and mushroom tagliatelle with black pepper sauce.
    • Ham - I use either sliced sandwich ham or ham off-cuts from my local supermarket. They are super cheap, and one packet is normally sufficient for 2 pasta dishes, so I chop it all up in one go and then freeze half in a plastic bag ready for the next meal. I also find that leftover gammon works really well with this recipe (especially leftover oven-baked gammon). The ham should be chopped into approximately 1cm pieces.
    • Mushrooms - you can use button mushrooms, white closed-cap or brown chestnut mushrooms. Depending on their size you should cut them into halves, quarters or thick slices.
    • Onions - white onions are preferable, but you could use red instead. The onions should be peeled and chopped into 1cm dice.
    • Black peppercorns - you need whole peppercorns, which have been cracked open. You can use a mortar and pestle for this, or if you don't have a mortar and pestle, pop the peppercorns into a plastic bag and give them a whack with a rolling pin. It works just as well. Don't grind them up too finely though - they should be just cracked open and flattened.
    • Tagliatelle - I find this is the best pasta shape for this recipe, but it doesn't really matter. Linguine or spaghetti will work too, as will shell noodles.
    • Butter - this forms the base of the sauce, and is also used for softening the onions.
    • Cornflour - you may know it as cornstarch - is used to thicken the sauce.
    • Milk and cream - I use half milk and half double (or heavy) cream for this recipe. If you don't have cream you could use all milk, but in this case, I would recommend using full-fat milk.

    What to do

    Cook the pasta

    Put the tagliatelle on to cook in a saucepan of boiling salted water. Boil for the time recommended on the packet. Drain the cooked pasta in a colander and then rinse under cold running water to stop the cooking process. Leave aside to drain until needed.

    Other prep

    • Peel the onions and cut them into 1cm dice.
    • Wipe the mushrooms with a damp cloth to remove any bits of dirt and cut them into pieces.
    • Cut the ham into 1cm dice.
    • Mix the milk and cream in a jug and stir in the cornflour until there are no lumps.

    Make the sauce

    Black peppercorns being crushed in a pestle and mortar.

    Grind the peppercorns in a pestle and mortar until they are well cracked. Don't worry about making them too small, as long as they are all cracked it will be fine.

    Onions frying in butter in a frying pan.

    Melt the butter in a frying pan and fry the onions (and garlic if you are using it) on low heat until they start to turn translucent. This should take around 5 minutes. Stir continuously.

    Chopped mushrooms softening with onions in a frying pan.

    Add the mushrooms and continue to stir-fry until the mushrooms release their moisture. Don't let them get too dry - they should just soften.

    Ham and black peppercorns added to the frying pan.

    Stir in the ham and peppercorns and continue to fry for another 2 minutes, stirring continuously.

    Unthickened milk and cream added to the pan with the other sauce ingredients.

    Stir in the prepared milk mixture.

    Thickened ham and mushroom black pepper sauce in a frying pan.

    Continue to stir over low heat until the sauce boils and thickens. If the sauce seems too thick, add another splash of milk.

    At this point, you should taste the dish. I haven't listed salt as an ingredient, but you may find you need half a teaspoon of salt in the sauce. Also, taste the strength of the pepper. If it is not peppery enough for your taste you can add freshly ground black pepper to spice things up a bit. Be careful with the pepper if you are going to freeze the sauce; the strength of the pepper does intensify on standing.

    Add the cooked pasta and toss with 2 forks to combine. Try to get the ham and mushroom mixture nice and evenly distributed between the pasta. Leave it on low heat for another minute or two to let the pasta heat through.

    Tip into a serving dish, garnish with chopped parsley and optionally sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese.

    A dish of ham and mushroom tagliatelle on a table next to a pestle and mortar.

    If you'd like to be notified of new recipes, why not subscribe to my newsletter? To say thank you, you will receive a free recipe e-book containing some of my most popular cakes and desserts.

    Variations

    Here are a few ways to vary the taste of this dish.

    • Add two or three chopped cloves of garlic with the onions.
    • For a cheesy version, stir 4 ounces (120 grams) of cream cheese into the sauce once the milk has been added.
    • Swap out half of the onions for a small diced red pepper.
    • Stir a handful of frozen peas into the sauce at the last minute.

    Can I freeze this dish?

    You can freeze any leftovers in a suitable freezer container for up to 3 months. To use, let it defrost in the fridge and then reheat gently in a saucepan until piping hot. You may find the sauce is a bit too thick, in which case you can add a splash of milk to thin it down a bit.

    You may also find that if you freeze the dish with the pasta, the pasta is a bit too soft once it has defrosted. My preference is to freeze the sauce without the pasta and cook the pasta fresh when needed.

    Save for later

    If you'd like to try this ham and mushroom tagliatelle yourself, why not pin the recipe to one of your Pinterest boards so you can find it easily? Just click the image below.

    Alternatively, you can save the recipe by clicking on the floating heart icon on the right-hand side of the screen.

    Other recipes

    Visit my pasta recipes page for other pasta recipes. Here are a few you can put together in half an hour:

    • Close up view of a plate of creamy mussel pasta on a bed of linguine.
      Creamy mussel pasta - a quick and easy supper
    • Close up of a white bowl of goulash with a frying pan in the background.
      Easy one-pot American goulash with corn
    • A plate of spaghetti carbonara sprinkled with black pepper.
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    • Overhead shot of a dish of corned beef pasta bake.
      Cheesy bully beef pasta bake - aka corned beef pasta

    📋The recipe

    Ham and mushroom tagliatelle in a dish on a table with a few mushrooms in the background.

    Ham and mushroom tagliatelle with black pepper sauce

    If you like pasta you are going to love this ham and mushroom tagliatelle with black pepper sauce. It's a creamy pasta dish that can be on the table in less than half an hour - perfect for a mid-week supper.
    Recipe by: Veronica
    Main Course
    Italian
    Calories 588
    Prep 10 minutes minutes
    Cook 20 minutes minutes
    Total Time 30 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4 people
    Print Pin Comment Bookmark Saved!
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    4.72 from 7 votes

    (Click the stars to rate this recipe)

    Equipment

    • Sharp Knife
    • Chopping Board
    • Morter and pestle OR rolling pin
    • Saucepans
    • Colander

    Ingredients

    • 8 ounce / 225 grams cooked ham chopped into 1cm dice
    • 8 ounce / 225 grams onions chopped into 1cm dice
    • 6 ounce / 150 grams button mushrooms quartered
    • 1 teaspoon garlic paste or crushed garlic optional
    • 1 tablespoon crushed black peppercorns or more to taste
    • 2½ ounce / 75 grams butter
    • 1½ tablespoons / 20 grams cornflour
    • 1 cup / 240 ml milk
    • 1 cup / 240 ml double cream
    • 8 ounce / 225 grams dried tagliatelle or your pasta of choice
    • 1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese for garnish (optional)
    • chopped parsley for garnish (optional)

    Instructions

    • Cook the pasta in a saucepan of boiling, salted water according to the instructions on the packet.
      8 ounce / 225 grams dried tagliatelle
    • When the pasta is cooked, drain in a colander then rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain well and set aside.
    • Melt the butter in a saucepan and then fry the chopped onions and crushed garlic (if using) gently until the onions are soft and translucent. This should take about 5 minutes.
      8 ounce / 225 grams onions, 2½ ounce / 75 grams butter, 1 teaspoon garlic paste or crushed garlic
    • Add the chopped mushrooms and continue to fry slowly until the mushrooms soften (about 3 minutes)
      6 ounce / 150 grams button mushrooms
    • Stir in the ham and the crushed peppercorns and stir fry for another 2 minutes.
      8 ounce / 225 grams cooked ham, 1 tablespoon crushed black peppercorns
    • Mix the cornflour with the milk and cream. Stir well to remove any lumps and add to the pan.
      1½ tablespoons / 20 grams cornflour, 1 cup / 240 ml milk, 1 cup / 240 ml double cream
    • Bring to the boil, stirring occasionally. Then reduce the heat to a simmer and stir until the mixture thickens.
    • Taste for seasoning. At this stage, you could add ½ teaspoon salt. Add extra ground black pepper according to your own taste (only if necessary).
    • Add the cooked tagliatelle and mix well to combine, then let it simmer until the pasta is warmed through.
    • Tip into a serving dish and garnish with chopped parsley, and grated parmesan cheese if desired .
      chopped parsley, 1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese
    • Serve immediately with slices garlic bread and perhaps a fresh green salad.

    Notes

    To crush peppercorns - grind in a pestle and mortar.  If you don't have a pestle and mortar, place the peppercorns in a plastic bag and crush them with a rolling pin.  The peppercorns should be cracked open, but should not be too finely ground.
    For a cheesy dish - stir in one or two tablespoons of cream cheese.
    Adjust the seasoning according to your own taste.  If you find the pepper taste is not strong enough, add ground black pepper as required.  I have also not included salt in this recipe, but you can add salt if required.
    Freeze any leftovers in a plastic container for up to 3 months.  To use, defrost in the fridge and then heat gently in a saucepan on the stove until piping hot.  Personally, I prefer to freeze the sauce without the addition of pasta, as I find the pasta tends to become a bit too soft after being frozen.  I would cook the pasta fresh as I need it.

    Nutrition

    Calories - 588kcal | Carbohydrates - 60.6g | Protein - 27.4g | Fat - 26.6g | Saturated Fat - 14g | Cholesterol - 91mg | Sodium - 1050mg | Potassium - 479mg | Fiber - 4.5g | Sugar - 8.3g | Calcium - 243mg | Iron - 2mg

    I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.

    Unless otherwise stated, a cup is the standard US cup containing 240 ml. In all my recipes this cup is assumed to hold 140g of flour. For help converting other ingredients between cups, grams, ounces and other measures, see my recipe conversion calculator.
    All my recipes are developed and tested at sea-level. For tips on adjusting recipes for high altitudes see my post on baking at high altitudes.
    Tried this recipe?If you made this recipe I'd love it if you could leave me a comment and let me know how it went!
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    About VJ

    Before I started my food blog I was an IT Consultant. Now that I've swapped an office for a kitchen I have a lot more time to spend on things that interest me such as trying out new recipes. Most of my cooking is based around quick and easy meals, mostly made from scratch, using everyday pantry ingredients.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      4.72 from 7 votes (6 ratings without comment)

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    1. Celia Taylor

      October 22, 2021 at 6:59 pm

      5 stars
      We loved this recipe. Easy to follow, quick to make and delicious. Thank you.

      Reply
      • VJ

        October 23, 2021 at 9:37 am

        Glad you enjoyed it - it's one of my go-to recipes for when I'm looking for something quick and easy!

        Reply
    2. Hnin Hnin

      September 23, 2021 at 10:06 am

      Hello !I love it so much
      This recipe is so delicious for all that i hope🥰🥰🥰🥰

      Reply
      • VJ

        September 23, 2021 at 2:19 pm

        Thank you - I love hearing that people enjoy my recipes 🙂

        Reply

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