How To Make Pasta At Home

 

Are you a fan of Italian cuisine? Do you like good pasta? If you answered yes to both questions, making pasta from scratch is a must! Traditional Italian recipes are even better when made with fresh pasta. Moreover, learning how to make pasta at home is not at all hard. Check the guide below for tips, tricks, and a delightful homemade pasta recipe.

Why Make Pasta From Scratch?

Once you try homemade pasta, it’s hard to go back to the dry boxed variety you can find in grocery stores.

Homemade pasta is delicious, fresh, chewy, and it makes all pasta dishes better. Not to mention it’s fun to make. If you’re a pasta fan, you should really try making pasta at home.

What Do You Need To Make Pasta From Scratch?

Before diving into the process of making fresh pasta, let’s take a look at the ingredients and tools you will need.

Homemade Pasta Ingredients

The ingredients you’ll be needing for our homemade pasta recipe are:

  • Eggs;
  • Flour;
  • Olive oil;
  • Sea salt.

What Is The Best Flour For Making Pasta?

“00” flour is probably the best for homemade pasta, as it makes the silkiest pasta. However, you can also use semolina flour or all-purpose flour.

Semolina flour is heartier than “00” flour and helps the sauce cling better to the pasta noodles.

If all-purpose flour is the only one you have on hand, you can definitely use it since it works pretty well too.

You can also use a mix of “00” flour and semolina flour. Or a mix of all-purpose flour and “00” flour. Any combination works, really.

Homemade Pasta Tools

As for the tools you need, it really depends on what tools you have in your kitchen. You don’t have to invest in expensive tools; you can work with what you already own.

For making the dough, you’ll need a food processor or a stand mixer. If you don’t have neither of these tools, you can make the dough by hand.

For rolling out pasta, you can use a pasta maker or you can roll out pasta by hand with a rolling pin and a knife.

When it comes to drying pasta, you can use a drying rack or a baking sheet.

Homemade Pasta From Scratch – 3 Methods

Making fresh pasta is easy and anyone can do it. Depending on the tools you have, there are three different methods you can rely on when trying out our homemade pasta recipe. The steps for each method are described in detail in the homemade pasta recipe you can find at the end of this post.

Method 1 – Making Fresh Pasta In A Food Processor

Using a food processor to make fresh pasta is the quickest and easiest method. The pasta dough is ready in a couple of minutes if you use a food processor so, if you have one, get it ready for some delicious homemade pasta.

Method 2 –Making Fresh Pasta In A Stand Mixer

Another quick and convenient tool for homemade pasta is a stand mixer. Stand mixers usually have hooks for making dough so the process is really easy. Furthermore, some stand mixers come with a roller attachment you can use to roll out pasta.

Method 3 – Making Fresh Pasta By Hand

If you don’t own a food processor or stand mixer, don’t worry! You can still make fresh pasta. All you have to do is make the dough by hand. Granted, it takes a little longer but homemade pasta is worth the effort.

How To Roll Fresh Pasta With A Pasta Maker

When pasta dough is done and rested, it’s time to roll it. If you have a pasta maker, follow the steps below:

  • Cut the dough into 4 wedges.
  • Place one wedge on a floured cutting board.
  • Wrap the other 3 wedges in plastic wrap to prevent drying.
  • Shape the dough on the cutting board with your hands until you obtain a flat disc.
  • Feed the flat disc through the rollers of the pasta maker on the widest setting (the widest setting is usually the first setting but check to make sure this is true for your pasta maker).
  • When the disc comes out, fold it and feed it through the rollers again.
  • Do this 3 or 4 times at the same setting.
  • Reduce the setting, and feed the dough through the rollers one time.
  • Reduce the setting again and feed the dough through the rollers.
  • Reduce the settings and feed the dough through the rollers one pass for each setting until the pasta sheet reaches your preferred thickness. You can stop at any setting.
  • If the pasta gets too sticky, lightly sprinkle it with some flour. If the dough disc gets too long, you can cut it in two.
  • Once the dough sheet reached your desired thickness, connect the cutter attachment, and cut pasta in your preferred shape.
  • Transfer the pasta to a drying rack or to a baking sheet and allow it to dry.
  • Repeat the process with the rest of the pasta wedges.

How Do You Make Pasta From Scratch Without A Pasta Maker?

If you don’t own a pasta maker, you can roll fresh pasta with a stand mixer or by hand.

How To Roll Homemade Pasta With A Stand Mixer

Using the pasta roller attachment on your stand mixer involves the same steps required by a pasta maker. Except it’s actually easier to use the stand mixer, as you don’t have to hold the pasta sheet with one hand and cranking the machine with the other. Follow the steps described above to roll fresh pasta with the stand mixer then use the cutting attachment to cut pasta in your preferred shape.

How To Roll Homemade Pasta By Hand

Rolling pasta by hand requires some precision but it’s definitely a simple process.

Start by dividing the pasta dough into 4 wedges, as directed above.

Wrap 3 wedges in plastic wrap to keep them from drying.

Sprinkle flour on a cutting board and shape the last wedge into a flat disc.

With a rolling pin, roll out the dough disc until you reach your desired pasta thickness (1-2mm is preferred – if you can see your hand through the dough, you can stop).

Sprinkle more flour as needed to prevent sticking.

With a knife or a pizza cutter, slice the dough into 5 sections.

Sprinkle all 5 sections with flour.

Roll the sections into loose cylinders, starting from the short side of each section.

Decide on your desired noodles width and cut all cylinders crosswise to form noodles.

How To Cook Fresh Pasta

Fresh pasta cooks way faster than dry pasta. Generally speaking, it takes 1-5 minutes for homemade pasta to cook, depending on its thickness.

As for the cooking method, bring salted water to a boil in a large stockpot. When the water is boiling, add in the homemade pasta. Start stirring immediately to prevent the fresh pasta noodles from sticking together. Continue to stir and cook until pasta is al dente. You can boil pasta until soft if you don’t like it al dente. When pasta is done cooking, strain as usual and use in your favorite pasta recipe.

Do You Have To Cook Fresh Pasta Immediately?

You don’t have to cook fresh pasta immediately. You can store homemade pasta for up to 2 weeks. However, if you don’t cook the pasta right away, you have to allow the pasta to dry properly before storing it.

You can use a drying rack if you have one. If you don’t have a drying rack, sprinkle flour on a baking sheet and swirl the noodles into nests. Transfer the nests to the floured baking sheet.

Allow the pasta to dry for at least 30 minutes. You can let the pasta dry for 1 or 2 hours if you have time.

How To Store Fresh Pasta

When the fresh pasta is dry, you should transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate or freeze it for later use.

Fresh pasta lasts for up to 2 days in the refrigerator and up to 2 weeks in the freezer.

If you freeze fresh pasta, when ready to use, thaw the pasta in the refrigerator for 6 hours then cook as recommended above.

What Recipes To Make With Fresh Pasta

Can you use fresh pasta in all pasta recipes? Yes, of course! Here are some of our favorite pasta dishes made with fresh pasta:

  • Pasta Carbonara;
  • Pasta Aglio e Olio;
  • Pasta Arrabiatta;
  • Pasta Primavera;
  • Fettucine Alfredo.

Homemade Pasta Recipe

You can make this homemade pasta recipe using a food processor, a stand mixer, or your hands. The recipe requires only 4 basic ingredients you probably already have in your pantry. This homemade pasta recipe makes 1 pound of fresh pasta.

Ingredients

  • 4 large eggs at room temperature;
  • 2 1/2 cups of flour;
  • 1 tablespoon of olive oil;
  • 1 teaspoon of sea salt.

Directions

How To Make Pasta In A Food Processor

Fit the food processor with its normal blade attachment.

Add all the ingredients to the food processor bowl.

Pulse for a few seconds or until the mixture has a crumbly dough texture.

Remove the dough from the food processor.

Make a ball with the dough using your hands.

On a cutting board lightly-floured, knead the dough for a couple of minutes until it has a smooth texture. The dough should feel smooth and elastic. If it feels wet or sticky, add more flour and knead until you achieve the right texture.

Form the dough into a ball again.

Wrap the dough with plastic wrap.

Let the dough rest for 30 minutes or so at room temperature.

If you don’t plan to use the dough immediately, you can refrigerate for a day.

When ready, roll out pasta with a pasta maker or by hand.

Cook or let dry and store for later use.

How To Make Pasta Using A Stand Mixer

Fit the dough hook on your stand mixer.

Add all the pasta ingredients to the mixer bowl.

Knead the dough on low for 10 minutes or until it’s smooth and elastic. Add more flour if the dough is wet or sticky.

Remove the dough from the mixer and form a ball.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap.

Let the dough rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.

If you don’t plan to use the dough immediately, you can refrigerate for a day.

When ready, roll out pasta with a pasta maker or by hand.

Cook or let dry and store for later use.

How To Make Pasta By Hand

Start by placing the flour on a cutting board in a mound.

Use your fingers to create a well in the center of the mound.

Add eggs, salt, and olive oil to the well.

Gently, whisk the eggs and the wet ingredients until combined.

Once the eggs are mixed, start incorporating the surrounding flour into the mixture.

Slowly keep adding more flour to the mixture until the egg mixture is thick.

If the eggs spill out of the well when mixing, use the fork to pull the mixture back in.

With your hands fold in the remaining flour until you form a ball.

Knead the dough ball until the dough is smooth and elastic (approximately 10 minutes). You can add more flour to the cutting board to prevent the dough from sticking to the board. You can also add more flour to the dough if it’s too wet or sticky.

When you’re done kneading, form the dough into a ball.

Wrap the dough with plastic wrap.

Let the dough rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.

If you don’t plan to use the dough immediately, you can refrigerate for a day.

When ready, roll out pasta with a pasta maker or by hand.

Cook or let dry and store for later use.

 

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