Making Fresh Pasta
November 7, 2011 
I'm going to be showing you lots of fresh pasta recipes this next year and I hope you will cook right along with me. Fresh homemade pasta is truly a fun thing to make and has so many creative possibilities. And you can make it at a moment's notice - who doesn't have eggs and flour in their kitchen? I've posted about making fresh pasta before, but I wanted to do an update and include a video to show you just how easy it is. I know when people can see something being made they are more likely to try it. So the video within this post may inspire you to make the leap!
There is no one correct recipe for fresh pasta. In Italy, different regions have different ways of making it. Some places only use eggs and flour and others use only water and flour. Some cooks add a little salt and olive oil, some do not. You will have to experiment and decide what pasta recipe you like. How do I like to make mine? I basically make my pasta the way they do in the Emilia Romagna region of Italy - with just fresh eggs and flour.
for a printable version of the pasta recipe, click here
Although you can certainly use the eggs you buy in the grocery store and good old plain All Purpose flour, if you want to take your pasta to the next level, you can use superior ingredients - after all, if there are only two ingredients in fresh pasta, why not make them the best? If you can, buy fresh farm eggs. The yolks are richer and darker in color - your pasta will be better tasting and golden. Try to let your eggs come to room temperature because it will make the dough easier to work. For the flour, Italian 00 flour is a special treat, as it makes a very delicate pasta. Italian 00 flour is very finely milled flour, high in protein and soft as a baby's bottom. I love fettuccine, especially, made from this flour.
Another way I make fresh pasta sometimes is to use half regular flour and half durum semolina flour. When I make pastas that I want to have a little more "tooth" to them, as when I make ravioli, I will sometimes make this pasta. The semolina flour is harder than regular flour. It takes a little more kneading but is worth the effort. If you use some semolina flour in your pasta dough, you will have to add either more eggs to the dough or, as I do, just add a little water in to make the dough more workable. These are all things that you can experiment with and see what you like - pasta dough is hard to mess up. Semolina flour is not that hard to find - you can find it now in a lot of grocery stores - Bob's Red Mill actually sells one, also.
fresh tomato and plain fettuccine
Making flavored pastas is easy, too. The tomato pasta above just has a little bit of tomato paste added to the dough. That's it. The video in this post shows how to make spinach pasta by just steaming a little bit of fresh spinach and making the dough with that. For spinach pasta, it's better to make the dough in a food processor because it blends the spinach a little better than by hand (although you can certainly do it by hand - just chop the spinach very finely before adding it to the dough). There are all kinds of flavors you can add to pasta once you master the basic plain pasta - peppered pasta, beet pasta, saffron pasta, herb pasta, and on and on. If you make flavored pastas that use moist or wet ingredients like tomato paste or spinach, you will need to add a bit more flour until you get a dough that is not too sticky.
Watch how easy it is to make fresh pasta:
When I make fresh pasta, if I am only making it for 2 or 3 people, I will make the dough by hand (as shown in the video). Just mound the flour on your counter, create a well in the middle and break your eggs into it. Whisk the eggs with a fork and start incorporating the flour until it has all been added. A pastry scraper makes this process a lot easier, allowing you to scrape up the dough. If you have a regular sized stand mixer, you can make the dough in that, if you prefer. Add the eggs into the bowl and mix them with the dough hook a little - and then start adding your flour until it mixes up into a nice dough. If I have a larger batch of pasta dough to make, I always make it in my KitchenAid mixer.
My basic recipe for the pasta dough is about 1 egg to every 3/4 cup of flour. Of course, this will vary on how big the egg is, how fresh, and what kind of flour I'm using. So it's just a starting point. I may add just a little water to the dough if I think it's too dry. If you would like a richer pasta for a special occasion, add more egg yolks to the dough. It will be wonderful.
After you make the dough, it must rest a little. Wrap the dough in a piece of floured plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature for about 20 to 30 minutes. It will be easier to roll out.
There are different ways to roll out the dough and I prefer, of course, the easiest method - my KitchenAid pasta rollers, which you can see in action in the video. I used an Atlas hand crank machine many years ago, and that is absolutely fine but if you have a stand mixer, get the pasta rollers and cutters attachment and you will be making pasta even faster. The machine simply cranks the rollers for you, which lets you have an extra hand. If you don't have a KitchenAid mixer but would still like motorized pasta rollers, the Imperia Pasta Presto machine is fantastic and comes with many different cutters - more than the KitchenAid. This is what I would buy if I did not have my KitchenAid. The most difficult way to roll out the dough is by hand with a rolling pin. If you want to do that, it is a technique that takes a lot more effort but you may find it satisfying. I prefer the machine.
Rolling out the pasta is not hard - you will get the hang of it pretty quickly. After the pasta has rested, cut off a piece about the size of the palm of your hand. Adjust the pasta rollers to #1, the widest setting, and put the pasta through. Make sure you flour the pasta dough lightly so that it doesn't stick to the rollers. After the dough comes through the rollers, fold it into thirds and pass it through the #1 slot again. Do this a couple of more times. The pasta will become very soft and velvety. Adjust the rollers to the next thinnest setting, #2, and put the pasta through. Do not fold the pasta this time. Keep passing it through the rollers, adjusting them thinner, until you reach the thickness you like. I usually stop at #5 or #6 (for ravioli, I never go beyond #5 because it will be too thin). As you pass the pasta through narrower settings, the pasta may become sticky again - keep lightly flouring it.
At this point, you now have fresh pasta sheets that you can make homemade lasagna with. After rolling out the pasta sheets, they must dry just a little on the counter if you want to make a cut pasta, like linguini or fettuccine. If you cut them before they have dried a little, the cutters will not cut them cleanly through. Dry them too much, however, and they will be brittle.
After your pasta has been cut, I have found that the best way to store them pasta is on a rimmed sheet pan. Toss the pasta with a little flour so it does not stick. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and place in the fridge until you cook it. I usually make the pasta in the morning but I have even made it the day before I needed it and it has done just fine in the fridge. It will stay supple and not become brittle, if you refrigerate it. Toss the pasta every once in a while with a little more flour, just to make sure it doesn't become sticky.
This recipe (1 egg + 3/4 cup flour) produces about 5 to 6 ounces of fresh pasta. It is easily doubled, tripled, etc.
To cook the pasta, boil it for only about two minutes in a large pot of salted water.
Never wash your pasta rollers - this will ruin them. Just wipe with a paper towel. If you feel you need to wash them because there are bits of dough stuck to them, then your dough was too wet. Remember to keep your dough lightly floured and it will not stick to your rollers or cutters.
Now get out there and make some pasta!
Next pasta recipe: Straw & Hay, a dish made with plain and spinach pasta.
Reader Comments (62)
From The Italian Dish:
Suzette and Ruby: Thanks!
Fabio: There are actually many regions in Italy where they do not use eggs in their pasta! Eggs simply make it richer and tastier, but you can make pasta with just water and flour. Give it a try and see if you like it.
As I left work today, I began craving homemade pasta. However, my past attempts two attempts didn't work out very successfully. I came to your site, which I love, to see what tips you could provide. Let me tell you, your tip about allowing the rolled pasta to dry a bit before cutting with rollers made all the difference! I'm so excited that my pasta-making was finally a success. Guess third time is a charm!
I am on very high protein diet due to bariatric surgery and do not handle meat well since my gallbladder was removed. I would like to make fresh pasta but increase the protein content with an unflavored whey powder. Any suggestions as to the ratio of flour to protein powder and type of flour to use? I am also type 2 and need it to be as low glycemic as possible since I can only consume no more than 3-4 oz in a meal. I would also like to make pastas using spinach or tomato or beet "flour" - I love veggie based pasta.
Hi
I love your posts and I love cooking, I just can't believe I am new to pasta making!! My husband bought the pasta rollers for my Kitchen Aid and the first attempt I had great results (even though I say it myself), so no more shop bought pasta. Just one question, how many times do you fold the dough in thirds throughout the whole process of rolling, is it just the first few times you pass it through on the widest setting?
Many thanks for the great recipes!
Fantastic instruction, very well written so even the worst of us at cooking can follow. Thanks very much.
All of these variations look so appetizing! I've made homemade pasta before with just water and flour to make tortellini, sealing the pasta closed with a bit of egg. There's always a great, accomplished feeling you get when you make your own pasta from scratch and finally sit down to enjoy it. Your instructions/explanations are great, I will definitely have to try out some of your recipes before I go on my trip to Italy! Thanks!
My first attempt making pasta was a awful, after reading this recipe and watching the video I made it again and to my delight it was wonderful!!! Using the Tip 00 flour and the best free range eggs makes a world of difference, it was amazing!! My local Italian made pasta with a hint of lemon, I did the same, just squeezed half a fresh lemon into the eggs, it has a very subtle taste and goes well with fresh pesto
Thank you for the pasta machine recommendations. I have been looking for a hand crank one because the electric ones are too expensive for me, and was waiting to find a good recommendation on one...so thank for the info! This one has an excellent review---!!!
Wonderful post. And you have given the best advice. I think the thing about making pasta is that there is no one 'right way' and that you have to work with your preferred recipe, ingredients, shape, method/machine often enough to be familiar with the feel and behaviour of the dough to have success. Great you have inspired so many people, me included! Grazie!
Thanks for teaching me how to make fresh pasta. Would you please tell me for how many minutes I should cook them?
From The Italian Dish:
Sebnem: That is the very last line of the post. Two minutes.
I'm going to try making fresh pasta using your recipe...and roll it really thin into large lasagna sheets. Is it absolutely necessary to pre-boil the noodles before assembling the lasagna or will there be enough moisture in the sauce to cook the noodles during the baking process?