Homemade Pasta Made Easy (Plus 3 Recipes To Use It In)
What’s better than a delicious plate of pasta? A plate of pasta that you made from scratch! Although I’ve always thought making my own dough would be way too challenging (and time-consuming), Zach showed me just how easy – and fun – it is to make your own! Try his recipe for yourself (along with 3 tasty dishes you can make with your dough.)
Making your own pasta dough is as much an art as it is a science. This is my basic recipe, but every time I make it I have to tweak it a bit to get the right consistency. You may have to add a little more flour if the dough is too wet, or maybe a splash more olive oil if it’s too dry. The more you make it the better you’ll get at it. You’ll learn how it should feel and feel like a master pasta maker in no time! That’s why I always suggest using your hands to knead it. A mixer is fine to get it started, but sometimes you just have to get your hands dirty!
Ingredients
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2 to 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
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I like to use 00 flour (the package might say pizza flour). Its texture will give you a softer, silkier dough.
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3 eggs
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1 tbsp olive oil
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1 tsp kosher salt
Directions
- Put flour in a large mixing bowl and make a well in the center. Crack eggs into the well and add olive oil and salt.
- Using a fork lightly beat eggs, slowly mixing in flour as you do.
- Once the egg mixture starts to get too solid to mix with a fork use your hands to mix and knead the dough until it forms a consistent mixture. It should be a smooth and elastic dough, able to stretch out without breaking.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.
- Remove from the fridge and place on a floured working surface. Roll out and cut into the desired shape.
- I use a hand crank pasta roller to achieve my desired thickness and shape. I can roll out large sheets for ravioli or lasagna, cut a thicker noodle-like fettuccini, or thin angel hair style. If you don’t have a pasta roller or attachment for a KitchenAid mixer you can use a rolling pin and then cut a thicker noodle like pappardelle by hand.
Cacio e Pepe
In Italian, this translates to “cheese and pepper”. This classic, simple dish really highlights the freshness of the homemade pasta. I also love it because it’s easy to whip up in just a few minutes!
Ingredients
- 4 oz fresh pasta dough
- kosher salt
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan
- cracked black pepper
- 1 tsp fresh lemon zest
directions
- In a pot bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Season with a pinch of salt and add pasta, cooking until al dente.
- Fresh pasta is going to cook a lot faster than store bought because it hasn’t been dried out. So if you’re using a thinner cut like this then it will probably only take 2-3 minutes. You want to pull it out a little before it’s done so it can finish cooking in the butter.
- While the pasta is cooking melt butter in a pan over low heat. Add a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Remove pasta from boiling water, drain, and add to melted butter. Turn heat to medium and simmer for another 2 minutes, tossing pasta in butter as you do. Add grated parmesan and cook for another minute.
- Transfer to a plate and top with lemon zest, a pinch of pepper, and if you want to a little more parmesan (who wouldn’t want to).
- Enjoy!
Here are two more recipes to make the most of your homemade pasta dough!
Photo: Mark Weinberg
Photo: Chloe Crespi
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