Creamy Garlic Parmesan Steak Tagliatelle

You’re right. None of the behind-the-scenes image checking belongs inside the article. The finished post should read as though I cooked the dish and sat down to write about it, full stop.

 

Why You’ll Like It

• The steak stays pink and juicy inside with a proper dark sear around the edges.
• The garlic Parmesan sauce coats the pasta without becoming thick and stodgy.
• Roasted cherry tomatoes add little sweet, jammy bites.
• Fresh spinach wilts straight into the sauce.
• It feels indulgent without requiring an afternoon in the kitchen.
• You can have the whole thing on the table in around 40 minutes.

Ingredients

For the Steak

• 2 large sirloin steaks, around 200g each
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon coarsely cracked black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

For the Roasted Tomatoes

• 250g cherry tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

For the Tagliatelle

• 350g tagliatelle
• Salt, for the pasta water

For the Garlic Parmesan Sauce

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 4 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 300ml double cream
• 100ml chicken stock
• 80g finely grated Parmesan
• 2 large handfuls baby spinach
• 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon chilli flakes, optional
• Salt, as needed
• 120ml reserved pasta water, as needed

To Finish

• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
• Extra grated Parmesan
• Extra cracked black pepper

Before You Start

Get the steak out of the fridge first.

Twenty to thirty minutes at room temperature helps it cook more evenly, especially if the steaks are fairly thick.

I also get the tomatoes in the oven before touching the pasta.

They can roast away while everything else happens, and by the time you need them they’ll be soft, slightly blistered and much sweeter than tomatoes warmed briefly in a frying pan.

One more thing: grate the Parmesan yourself.

This sauce is too simple for grainy cheese to hide in.

Instructions

1. Roast the Tomatoes

• Preheat the oven to 200°C fan / 220°C conventional.
• Put the cherry tomatoes on a small baking tray.
• Drizzle them with olive oil.
• Season with salt and black pepper.
• Toss lightly.
• Roast for 15 to 20 minutes, until softened and wrinkled with a few browned spots.

Leave them on the tray while you finish the rest.

Some may split open.

Perfect.

Those juices are good stirred into the pasta later.

2. Cook the Steak

• Pat the steaks thoroughly dry with kitchen paper.
• Rub with olive oil.
• Season both sides generously with salt, black pepper and garlic powder.
• Heat a heavy frying pan over high heat until very hot.
• Lay in the steaks and leave them alone for about 3 minutes.
• Turn and cook for another 2 to 4 minutes, depending on their thickness and how pink you like them.
• Briefly sear the fatty edges with tongs if needed.
• Transfer the steaks to a board and rest for 8 to 10 minutes.

That dark crust needs contact with the pan, so resist the temptation to keep moving the steak around.

I cook mine to medium so the centre stays noticeably pink but not rare.

3. Cook the Tagliatelle

• Bring a large saucepan of generously salted water to the boil.
• Add the tagliatelle.
• Cook until al dente, according to the packet instructions.
• Scoop out about 120ml of the pasta water before draining.
• Drain the pasta.

Don’t rinse it.

The starch left on the pasta helps the sauce hold onto those wide ribbons.

4. Start the Garlic Parmesan Sauce

• Return the steak pan to medium-low heat.
• Add the butter.
• Add the minced garlic once the butter has melted.
• Cook for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
• Pour in the chicken stock.
• Scrape up the browned bits left from cooking the steak.
• Pour in the double cream.
• Add the black pepper and chilli flakes, if using.
• Simmer gently for 2 to 3 minutes.

Keep the heat fairly gentle here.

There’s no prize for boiling cream into submission.

5. Add the Parmesan

• Turn the heat to low.
• Add the Parmesan a handful at a time.
• Stir until melted before adding more.
• Taste and add salt only if needed.

Parmesan brings plenty of salt on its own, and the pan already has seasoning from the steak.

I always taste first.

6. Add the Spinach

• Add the baby spinach to the sauce.
• Stir for about 1 minute, until just wilted.

It will look like too much when it first goes in.

Give it thirty seconds.

Spinach has a talent for becoming approximately one tenth of its original size.

7. Toss in the Tagliatelle

• Add the drained tagliatelle directly to the sauce.
• Toss gently until every ribbon is coated.
• Add a splash of reserved pasta water if the sauce feels too thick.
• Fold in most of the roasted cherry tomatoes.

Keep a few tomatoes back for the top.

The finished sauce should look glossy and creamy but still move easily through the pasta.

If the tagliatelle sits in the pan for a minute and suddenly looks dry, add another splash of pasta water.

8. Slice the Steak

• Slice the rested steak across the grain into thick strips.
• Spoon any juices left on the board over the slices.

Do not throw those juices away.

That would be criminal behaviour around steak.

9. Put It All Together

• Divide the creamy tagliatelle between bowls.
• Add the remaining roasted tomatoes.
• Arrange the sliced steak over the pasta.
• Scatter over the fresh parsley.
• Add a little extra Parmesan.
• Finish with plenty of cracked black pepper.

Serve it immediately.

Cream pasta waits for nobody.

Getting the Steak Right

The best steak for this pasta has some serious colour outside.

A dark crust gives you something savoury and almost smoky against the mellow cream sauce.

Start with dry meat and a properly hot pan.

Those two things matter more than any complicated steak trick.

Then leave it alone long enough to sear.

If you keep flipping and prodding it, you’ll struggle to get the same crust.

And once it’s cooked, rest it.

Eight minutes can feel surprisingly long when there’s steak sitting in front of you, but cutting into it immediately means losing loads of juice onto the board.

How Creamy Should the Sauce Be?

Think silky rather than Alfredo cement.

It should coat each ribbon but still look loose when you toss the pasta.

Pasta continues absorbing sauce after it leaves the pan, so if it looks just thick enough while cooking, it can become too thick by the time you sit down.

That reserved pasta water is your insurance policy.

Add it a tablespoon or two at a time until everything looks glossy again.

Why Roast the Tomatoes?

Because cherry tomatoes become completely different things once you roast them.

They get softer, sweeter and slightly concentrated.

Some burst completely.

Others hold their shape until your fork gets involved.

Both are good.

Their acidity is especially useful here because cream, Parmesan and steak are all quite rich.

Every now and then you get a sweet, sharp tomato and the whole bowl wakes back up.

Can I Use Another Cut of Steak?

Yes.

Sirloin is my usual choice because it gives you good flavour without being excessively fatty.

You could also use:

• Ribeye
• Rump steak
• New York strip
• Fillet steak

Ribeye will make the dish richer.

Fillet will be very tender but has a milder beef flavour.

Whatever you use, slice it across the grain once rested.

Easy Swaps

A few changes work particularly well:

• Swap tagliatelle for fettuccine.
• Use tenderstem broccoli instead of spinach.
• Add sautéed mushrooms if you want something earthier.
• Replace parsley with fresh chives.
• Add a squeeze of lemon to the sauce if you prefer a brighter finish.
• Use Pecorino alongside Parmesan for a sharper cheese flavour.

I wouldn’t pile too many extras into the pan, though.

Steak, tomatoes, spinach and garlic Parmesan sauce already have plenty going on.

What to Serve With It

You really don’t need another big side.

A simple salad is enough.

Something crisp with lemon or vinegar works especially well against the creamy sauce.

Garlic bread is also very welcome if you’ve decided tonight isn’t the evening for moderation.

No judgment here.

Storage

Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.

I prefer storing leftover steak separately if possible.

When reheating the pasta:

• Put it in a frying pan over low heat.
• Add a splash of milk, cream or water.
• Stir gently until the sauce loosens.
• Heat only until piping hot.

Warm the steak separately for a very short time and add it at the end.

Otherwise that lovely pink centre will be a distant memory.

Q&A

Can I make this without cream?

You can make a lighter Parmesan sauce using stock, butter and pasta water, but it will be a different pasta.

For this version, the cream is part of the point.

Why did my Parmesan sauce turn grainy?

The heat was probably too high when the cheese went in.

Lower the temperature and add Parmesan gradually.

Freshly grated Parmesan melts much more smoothly too.

Can I cook the steak ahead?

I wouldn’t if you can avoid it.

Freshly seared steak is much nicer here.

You can prep everything else first so the steak only needs cooking shortly before serving.

Can I use frozen spinach?

Yes, but thaw it and squeeze out as much water as possible.

Fresh spinach gives a nicer result because it wilts directly into the cream.

What if my sauce gets too thick?

Add some reserved pasta water.

Start with a small splash, toss well and add more if needed.

Can I use milk instead of double cream?

Milk alone makes a much thinner sauce.

Single cream would be the better substitute.

How do I know when the steak is medium?

For medium steak, aim for an internal temperature of around 60 to 63°C after resting.

Final Thoughts

There’s a point when you slice the steak, see that pink middle against the dark crust, and know dinner is going to be good.

Then it goes on top of those creamy tagliatelle ribbons and things improve further.

The roasted tomatoes give you little bursts of sweetness, the spinach breaks up all that richness, and there’s enough garlic and Parmesan in the sauce to make scraping the bottom of the bowl entirely reasonable.

Save a couple of steak slices for the top instead of burying everything in the pasta.

They’re far too good to lose in there.