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Homemade Pasta
This Homemade Pasta recipe is the perfect way to make pasta from scratch. The fail-proof pasta dough comes together with 2 simple ingredients* and is easy to work with. I use a pasta roller to roll and cut the dough, making it even easier.
Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cups Italian-style “00” flour, or all-purpose flour, measured correctly,* plus more as needed
- 4 large eggs
- Semolina flour, for dusting the baking sheet and cut noodles
Instructions
- Prep - dust a large baking sheet with semolina flour. Secure your pasta roller and set it to the widest rolling setting.
- To make the pasta dough - Mound your flour on your work surface, make a well in the center with the bottom of a bowl, and crack your eggs into the well. Use a fork to blend the eggs into the flour. Start stirring the flour from the sides of the well, working outwards until incorporated. Use a bench scraper to scrape the surface and cut the remaining flour into the dough until it resembles scrambled eggs. Knead the dough over a lightly floured surface for 5 minutes or until smooth and flexible, but not sticky, dusting with flour if it's too sticky to knead. Shape into a ball and flatten into a disk. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 20 minutes or up to an hour.
- Divide and roll the dough - Use a bench scraper to cut the dough into 4 equal pieces. Keep the extra dough covered with plastic wrap as you work with one piece at a time. Flatten the piece of dough into a rectangle to fit the dough roller and dust the dough with flour to prevent sticking then roll it through on the widest setting on your pasta maker, catching it as it comes through then trifold the dough like a letter. Put it through the widest setting again then fold the dough once more and roll it through the widest setting.
- Continue rolling the pasta through the machine without folding, adjusting the rollers to a smaller setting with each pass-through until the desired thickness is reached (I stop at the setting before the last one for fettuccini). Keep the dough dusted with flour to prevent sticking. If the sheet becomes too long to manage, cut it into manageable lengths and continue rolling.
- To Cut the Pasta Dough - Dust the final sheet with flour to ensure clean cuts that don’t stick to each other and switch to your desired pasta cutter attachment. Catch the pasta as it comes through the cutter and arrange it on your prepared baking sheet, dusting it with more semolina flour. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let dry 20 minutes before cooking or freezing (see make-ahead tips).
- To cook the homemade pasta - salt a large pot of water and bring it to a boil. Add the dried pasta dough (or frozen dough), stirring gently at first to be sure the noodles don't stick. Homemade pasta dough cooks much faster than store-bought dough, so check the noodles for doneness between 2-4 minutes. If undercooked, the noodles will taste a bit eggy. Add 2 minutes if cooking from frozen. Drain the pasta.
Notes
*Measuring and Adding Flour - if you don't have a kitchen scale for precise measurements, be sure to spoon it into a dry ingredients measuring cup and level the top. Add more flour only as needed until the dough comes together and is no longer sticky. The dough should feel firm but pliable. Depending on the size of your eggs and the type of flour used, you may use closer to 370–400 g total flour.
*Olive Oil Note: I used to add 1 tsp of olive oil to the dough but after the class in Italy with an Italian chef, I realized it wasn't necessary for an authentic and traditional Italian pasta dough.
- Make Ahead: You can refrigerate dough tightly covered in plastic wrap for up to 2 days. To freeze formed pasta: Sprinkle with a little more semolina on top, then twirl pasta into little nests. Transfer the baking sheet to the freezer uncovered and freeze for 1 hour until firm then transfer to a freezer-safe zip bag and freeze for up to 2 months. Cook directly from frozen.
- Pasta Machines: We use our stand mixer with a KitchenAid attachment. You can also use a free-standing electric pasta maker (my favorite), or hand-cranked pasta machine.
- To Roll Pasta dough by hand: Lightly roll the dough out and fold like a letter twice then roll to an even thickness, similar to a dime. Fold or roll the dough like you would a cake roll or burrito, and cut thin slices to your desired width. Unfold and lay long noodles onto the prepared baking pan.
Nutrition Facts
Homemade Pasta
Amount per Serving
Calories
188
% Daily Value*
Fat
3
g
5
%
Saturated Fat
1
g
6
%
Trans Fat
0.01
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
1
g
Monounsaturated Fat
1
g
Cholesterol
82
mg
27
%
Sodium
32
mg
1
%
Potassium
76
mg
2
%
Carbohydrates
33
g
11
%
Fiber
1
g
4
%
Sugar
0.2
g
0
%
Protein
7
g
14
%
Vitamin A
120
IU
2
%
Calcium
19
mg
2
%
Iron
2
mg
11
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.