Black Garlic Pappardelle Pasta highlights the unique and delicious flavor of the often mysterious black garlic. This is a beautiful, vegetarian, main course dish that will wow everyone. Black garlic recipes are becoming more popular, as more people are learning about the super cool ingredient.
While this black garlic pasta recipe is a simple to make, with only a few ingredients, its flavors are complex, deep and rich.
Black garlic is one of the coolest, most interesting ingredients, and this dish will totally impress your guests. Always a hit, it's a delicious main course that you can add all sorts of vegetables and/or protein to.
What is black garlic?
Black Garlic is not a variety of garlic. It's a common garlic that is aged for anywhere from a month to many months, as it's fermented under high heat.
This special process transforms the garlic into a very dark brownish-black color.
It also creates a soft texture and sweet taste while it removes the strong smell and sharpness.
If you ever want to try to make your own black garlic at home, here is a great guide. You'll likely need a black garlic fermenter, which is on my cooking gift guide.
Ingredients for Black Garlic Pasta
- black garlic - Black garlic typically comes wrapped in a bag, and can often be found in the specialty section of the produce department in the grocery store. (More on this below.)
- Pappardelle pasta - The wide noodles are excellent in this recipe, though you can use any shape you like.
- extra virgin olive oil - I use this one.
- shallots - Shallots are slightly more mild and delicate than red onions. Try to choose those that are firm, heavy for their size and without bruises.
- white wine - A dry white wine is best like Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling or Pinot Grigio.
- unsalted butter - It's best to cook (and bake) with unsalted butter so you can control exactly how much salt is in the recipe.
- chives - Choose perky bright green bunches.
- salt - I cook with Kosher salt. I prefer it because of its larger flake size, it's less refined and usually doesn't contain additives, and it does a great job enhancing the flavor of foods without making them taste salty. (If you use table salt, use half the amount.)
- black pepper - Preferably freshly ground.
(See recipe card below for quantities.)
Substitutions
- Pappardelle. You can substitute this with any shape of pasta you love.
- Shallots. Thinly sliced red onion can be used instead of the shallots. Keep in mind they have a slightly sharper flavor.
- White wine. If you don't want to use wine, substitute it with vegetable or chicken stock plus about 2 tablespoons lemon juice.
- chives. The chive garnish can be substituted with chervil, finely chopped basil, parsley or green onions.
Recipe Tips
- You can expect black garlic to be sticky, unlike roasted garlic. And your fingers might look a bit brown after you chop it, but don't worry as it'll wash right off.
- If the black garlic cloves are on the small side, you don't have to chop them.
- This might seem like quite a bit of black garlic. Most black garlic recipes don't use quite as much as I do in this pasta. With such a tasty not-too-strong sweet flavor, in my experience, it's delicious to really highlight it as the star ingredient.
- If you prefer smaller bites of the garlic, finely chop it. Tasting it before you use it in the recipe will help you make this decision.
How to Make it
- Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling, salted water until it's al dente. (Al dente means "to the tooth." The pasta should be tender, but with a bite to it.) Drain, toss with olive oil, cover and set aside.
- Peel all of the black garlic. Keep in mind the cloves will be soft, so peel them carefully. They should peel very easily, but if they don’t, use a paring knife to make a slit in the skins.
- Roughly chop the peeled black garlic cloves, keeping them in relatively large chunks.
- Coat the bottom of a large sauté pan with olive oil, and place it over medium heat. Add the sliced shallots and cook until they are soft and beginning to brown. Add the black garlic and mix. Then add the wine, turn the heat to high, and let it reduce by about ⅓. Add the butter and swirl the pan around until it's melted into the wine. Season generously to taste with salt and pepper.
- Add the cooked pasta to the pan with the sauce and very gently toss everything together.
- Sprinkle with the chopped chives and serve.
Serving Suggestions
Black Garlic Pappardelle Pasta is a fantastic lunch or dinner and you can mix it up with some additions.
- Add roasted chicken, shrimp scallops, or steak to it for an even heartier meal.
- Brighten it up with sautéed spinach, kale or zucchini.
- Black garlic pairs especially will with these sherry mushrooms, which would be excellent mixed into the pasta.
- Of course, you can always add Parmesan cheese, and it's also great topped with crumbled goat cheese.
- You can also make just the sauce and spoon it over fish, shrimp or chicken or steak.
Black Garlic FAQ
It has a similar creamy consistency to regular roasted garlic, though slightly more firm.
The flavor is somewhere between a raisin and mild balsamic vinegar. Imagine a molasses-like richness with tangy garlic undertones.
You might find black garlic in the specialty section of the produce department at your local market. Most higher end markets will have it (Whole Foods, etc.), and from time to time Trader Joe's carries it.
You can also order it here
Other Uses for Black Garlic
Aside from pasta dishes, black garlic can be used in all sorts of other recipes. Below are a few delicious ideas.
- Finely chop or purée it to use in sauces, dressings, marinades and compound butters.
- Add it to rice dishes and stir-fries.
- Blend it into soups or mashed potatoes.
More Recipes with Black Garlic
I hope you enjoy this dish as much as my family and I do!
Black Garlic Pappardelle Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry Pappardelle pasta *
- ¼ cup olive oil, for the pasta and the pan
- ¾ cup black garlic cloves (about 3 heads)
- 1 cup shallots, thinly sliced
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 to 2 tablespoons finely chopped chives for garnish, washed, dried
Instructions
- Cook the pasta. Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling, salted water until it's al dente. (Al dente means "to the tooth." The pasta should be tender, but with a bite to it.) Drain the pasta, toss with a couple of tablespoons of the olive oil, cover and set aside.
- Prepare the black garlic. Peel all the black garlic and then roughly chop it, keeping it in relatively large chunks.
- Make the sauce. Coat the bottom of a large sauté pan with olive oil, and place it over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook until they are soft and beginning to brown, about 4 minutes. Add the black garlic and toss it with the shallots. Then add the wine, turn the heat to high, and let it reduce by about ⅓. Add the butter and swirl the pan around until it's melted into the wine. Season generously to taste with salt and pepper. (Here's how.)
- Assemble. Add the cooked pasta to the pan with the sauce and very gently, toss everything together. (If the pan isn't big enough, pour everything into a large bowl to mix it.)
- Adjust the seasonings and garnish. Season to taste again if necessary, sprinkle with the chopped chives and serve.
NOTES
NUTRITION
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Dawn
This is just the kind of thing I've been craving lately!! I love garlic, but don't think I've tried black garlic before. This is a great way to give it a go! Looks like such a comforting and delicious recipe. 🙂
Valentina
It's so much fun to cook with, Dawn. Hope you love it, and thanks! 🙂 ~Valentina
sherry
Black garlic is very intriguing!
Valentina
I agree. And super delicious! Thanks for visiting, Sherry. 🙂 ~Valentina
Mimi Rippee
I’ve never had the pleasure! I wonder if Amazon sells it…
Valentina
But of course! 😉 ~Valentina
Marissa
Confession: I had no idea what black garlic was! I thought it was a variety of garlic - thank you for enlightening me. This delicious looking pasta of yours looks like the idea way to acquaint myself with it!
Valentina
I thought the same when I'd first heard of it. It's really fun to play/cook with in the kitchen. Hope you try it. 🙂 ~Valentina
Eha
Writing from Down Under I am at the moment quite surprised at having done the rounds of my favourite supermarket chains without having luck finding black garlic ! I believe way back I did manage to get and loved it . . . would very much like to make this recipe ! Thus next step - smaller growers . . . am certain to find and love . . .
valentina
I hope you come across it, Eha. Some ferment their own, but it takes several months. You can also try the recipe with roasted garlic. Enjoy! 🙂 ~Valentina
Anna
Loved this recipe! Most of the black garlic recipes I’ve tried are too sweet - this was a perfect blend! It’s definitely a do over and given me more ideas for pasta with black garlic. Thanks!
valentina
Thanks so much for writing in, Anna. I'm so happy you like this recipe. It's such a comfort food this time of year. 🙂 ~Valentina
Janet
I made this recipe for dinner last night, but added seared scallops, artichoke hearts, and sun-dried tomatoes. It was scrumptious!
valentina
Hi Janet. Thanks so much for writing in and checking out my recipes. I'm so happy you enjoyed this one. Your additions sound delicious! 🙂 ~Valentina
Dan Ferraro
Thanks for the recipe. I added mushrooms and 1 clove of fresh garlic to cook down with everything else and topped it with fresh garlic chives and Parmigiano cheese. Delicious!
Going to make it again with sea scallops.
valentina
Hi Dan. Thanks so much for writing in. I love the addition of the fresh garlic chives and cheese. And I think it'll be so delicious with scallops. Good call! Enjoy and thanks for cooking with my recipes. 🙂 ~Valentina
Carole
This was so good! I added chopped walnuts, half & half, Parmesan and lemon zest and it was delicious. We were introduced to black garlic this year when it came in our farm share, but so far had only made it with potatoes. Thanks for this recipe!
valentina
Hi Carole. Thanks so much for writing in. I'm so happy you liked this recipe, and your additions sound fantastic. Now I'll have to try the black garlic with potatoes. I haven't done that before and I bet the combination is delicious. Have a lovely weekend. 🙂 ~Valentina
Jean
I made this dish for my first time cooking with black garlic too and it was delicious and so easy! The black garlic was a teeny bit sweet for my taste buds and was wondering if you had any suggestions for how to add a more savoury note to the dish? I didn't think Parmesan would suit, but maybe shaved hard goats cheese could work? Thanks for a great recipe!
valentina
Hi Jean. Thanks so much for writing in. I'm so happy you loved this dish. It's one of my favorites. 🙂
To cut the sweetness a bit, you can do a few things. Use yellow onions instead of shallots and maybe a bit less of the garlic. I do think goat cheese would a lovely, as it's a bit tart. The hard cheese shaved, or even the fresh goat cheese, which you could "cream" right into the sauce. And maybe a squeeze of lemon juice to finish. I hope this helps! Thanks for following along with my site. 🙂 ~Valentina
Daniel Ferraro
You could also try adding a tablespoon of balsamic or white balsamic vinegar to cut the sweetness.
Monick
I have added Chorizo dry sausage and cooked them before adding them.