If you thought you loved pasta, wait until you try this homemade pasta recipe! The pasta comes out with a perfectly satisfying bite. This recipe is wonderfully versatile and you can make all kinds of pasta with it, from fettuccine to linguine, lasagna, and even ravioli.
I learned how to make homemade pasta from a chef in a pasta-making class. Watch the video tutorial to learn the chef’s secrets to making the best pasta dough.
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Why You should Make Your Own Pasta
This homemade pasta recipe comes from the same classes where my son and I learned how to make the famous Caesar Salad recipe. We discovered that homemade pasta dough is also easier to make than you think, plus the pasta maker does most of the work.
P.S. If you don’t want to invest in a pasta maker, we included instructions on how to do this with a rolling pin and knife (although a pasta maker is much easier). Here’s why it’s worth a try:
- Satisfying process – Making pasta from scratch can be relaxing and almost therapeutic, like making a beautiful loaf of bread. Watching the long sheets of dough pull through the rollers and then cutting the dough into perfect noodles.
- Good Ingredients – with homemade pasta, you control the quality of the ingredients.
- The flavor and texture of homemade pasta rival a gourmet Italian restaurant pasta (because you know they make it from scratch)! It tastes so much better than store-bought dried pasta.
Homemade Pasta Video
Watch Natasha make this homemade pasta recipe into fettuccine using a foolproof technique. You’ll be amazed at how easy it is to make your own pasta from scratch with just 4 basic ingredients.
Ingredients
Homemade pasta only has a few ingredients, so quality matters.
- “00” Flour – We use traditional Italian-style flour to create the silkiest texture, but you can substitute all-purpose. See our breakdown of flours below. Whatever you choose, be sure to measure correctly.
- Salt – 1 tsp fine sea salt to flavor the pasta, and more to salt the cooking water
- Eggs – eggs add color, strength, and elasticity to the dough. Eggs make it easy for the dough to stay together while cooking and eating.
- Extra virgin olive oil – gives the dough a bit of flavor and makes it easier to slip through the pasta roller
- Semolina flour – used for dusting to keep the pasta strands from sticking
What is the best flour for homemade pasta?
Italian “00” flour is traditional for making homemade pasta, creating the best texture and chew. I have also used organic unbleached all-purpose flour with great results. Use whichever flour you can get.
- “00” Flour – very fine and made from soft durum wheat to create a silky dough. It can be a bit expensive, but it is the most traditional for making pasta. I’ve tried “00” flour for pasta and a long fermentation “00” Flour with great results.
- All-purpose flour – easy to work with and creates a nice dough.
- Semolina flour – we use this to dust the noodles to keep them from sticking together once they are cut.
How to Make Homemade Pasta Dough
- Prep – Set your pasta machine to the widest setting. Use semolina flour to sprinkle a large baking sheet and set aside.
- Make the dough – whisk together flour and salt in a bowl. Make a well and add the eggs and olive oil. Use your fingers to blend the eggs into the flour, working outwards to incorporate the dough then mix until dough comes together.
- Knead the dough – Turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes until smooth. To knead: use the heel of your hand to push the dough down and then away from you. Turn the dough and press down again. Dust with flour if it’s too sticky to knead.
- Rest the dough – shape the dough into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Rest on the counter for 20 minutes or up to an hour. Resting relaxes the gluten, making it easier to roll.
How to Roll and Cut Pasta Dough
- Cut the dough into 4 pieces. I like to use a bench scraper. Remove one slice and keep the remaining pieces covered.
- Shape and flatten the piece into a rectangle so it will fit into the pasta dough roller on the widest setting. Dust the dough generously with flour and feed it into the dough roller (or hand crank at an even pace), catching it as it comes through. After the first pass, fold the dough into thirds like a letter. Feed the folded pasta dough through on the widest setting a second time then fold the dough once more and roll it through the widest setting.
- Adjust the setting from the widest to the next setting, a step narrower. Pass the dough through the roller once on each setting until you reach your desired thickness (I stopped at setting 2 for fettuccine). Keep the dough sheet generously dusted with flour to prevent sticking. If the sheet gets too long, cut it into manageable lengths.
- Cut the pasta – Once you’ve reached your desired thickness, generously dust the sheet with flour and change to the pasta cutter attachment. Pass through the pasta cutter, catching the dough as it exits. Lay the noodles out on the semolina-dusted baking sheet and dust with more semolina (or use a pasta drying rack). Cover with a clean towel and dry for 20 minutes before cooking the pasta or freezing the dough (see freezing directions below).
What is the best pasta maker?
KitchenAid attachment – we love ours and you can use the official KitchenAid brand or a different brand (here’s my pasta maker). I prefer this type because it takes up less space when not in use and it keeps your hands free so you don’t have to hand crank it.
Countertop Pasta Maker – A Marcato 150 Pasta Maker is a traditional pasta dough maker and is the perfect solution if you don’t have a stand mixer. It clamps onto your countertop to keep it stable and you crank the pasta through by turning a handle.
How to Make Pasta Without a Machine
If you don’t have a pasta machine, you’ll just need a rolling pin and knife or pizza cutter. Roll the piece of dough to form a rectangle. Fold it once into a letter, and roll it out again slightly then fold it a second time. Now roll the dough out uniformly and thinly to about the thickness of a dime. Cut fettuccine-type pasta by rolling or folding the flour-dusted dough like you would a burrito. Then cut the rolled dough into thin slices.
How to Cook Homemade Pasta
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Drop your cut pasta dough into the boiling water and cook until you reach your desired tenderness. Homemade pasta cooks faster and takes just 2-4 minutes, depending on how thick you cut the pasta. See tips for cooking frozen pasta in the Make-Ahead section below.
How to Serve Homemade Pasta
Toss the cooked pasta with these warmed sauces or use the uncooked pasta dough in any dish that calls for dried pasta.
- Cheesy pasta – toss with butter, parmesan cheese and reserved pasta water to add creaminess
- Pesto– toss with a heaping tablespoon of homemade pesto (or storebought if you must)
- Marinara – homemade marinara sauce coats the noodles beautifully
- Alfredo Sauce – you’ll find the best recipe in our Cookbook
- Bolognese Sauce
Make-Ahead
I prefer cooking the pasta immediately or freezing the dough since refrigerating can cause the pasta to stick more. Either way, dust generously with semolina.
- Freezing: to save space, once the pasta has been dried for 20 minutes, sprinkle more semolina and arrange the pasta into nests – grab a handful of pasta from the center of their strands, lift up, and as you lower it, twist the pasta to form a nest. Freeze uncovered for 1 hour until firm, then transfer to a freezer-safe zip-top bag for up to two months.
- To Cook from Frozen: do not thaw and cook directly from frozen to prevent sticking. Frozen pasta can take an extra 2 minutes to cook and get rid of any eggy taste.
Can I dry egg pasta dough for storage?
Because it has raw eggs in it, it’s best to store homemade pasta in the freezer and it does freeze well. Freezing homemade pasta is also considered safer and more effective for preserving the quality and taste of the pasta.
This foolproof homemade pasta recipe makes it easy to make delicious pasta dishes from scratch. The pasta has a delicate yet chewy texture you’ll crave. You’ll never want store-bought dried pasta again!
More Pasta Recipes
If you’re looking for more inspiration, here are some delicious recipes to try with Homemade Pasta Dough:
Homemade Pasta Recipe
This Homemade Pasta recipe is the perfect recipe for making pasta from scratch. The fail-proof pasta dough comes together with only a few simple ingredients and is easy to work with. We use a pasta roller to roll and cut the dough, making it even easier.
Servings: 6 servings
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Prep – dust a large baking sheet with semolina flour. Secure your pasta roller and set it to the widest rolling setting.
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To make the dough – in a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour and salt. Make a well in the center and crack your eggs into it. Drizzle the eggs with olive oil then use your fingers to blend the eggs into the flour. Start stirring the flour from the sides of the well and work outwards until the dough is thoroughly mixed and has come together into a mass of dough. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead the dough until it is smooth and flexible, but not sticky, dusting with flour if needed. Knead for about 5 minutes. 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.
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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.
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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 setting 2 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.
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To Cut the Pasta – 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).
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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.
- Make Ahead: Once your pasta strands have rested for 20 minutes on a semolina-dusted baking sheet, sprinkle with a little more semolina on top then twirl the 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, 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.
252kcal Calories40g Carbs9g Protein6g Fat
Nutrition Facts
Homemade Pasta Recipe
Amount per Serving
% Daily Value*
Saturated Fat
Trans Fat
Polyunsaturated Fat
Monounsaturated Fat
Cholesterol
Potassium
Carbohydrates
Vitamin A
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.