Creating Fresh Homemade Pasta may seem intimidating but it is actually easier than you think! This can be made in two different ways using just four ingredients with absolutely delicious results!
So about this pandemic… I’m over it. I think everyone is. But one of the great things that has come from this pandemic is that I have gotten so much extra time in the kitchen! I have tried my hand at all sorts of things that I haven’t done before, like Same Day Sourdough Bread, and have had the opportunity to expand on some of the things that I knew how to do but I have gotten better at like making Giardiniera and Pickled Asparagus.
An article I read recently got the wheels turning on my next project, making Fresh Homemade Pasta. Here’s the article: Fresh Pasta. This last weekend, I decided it was time to try to make my own homemade pasta. I had tried to make it many years ago but I didn’t really catch the bug until recently when I picked up some pre-made Mushroom Ravioli and realized that I could probably make it myself instead instead of paying $8 for it.
There’s literally four ingredients. Four. It is not that hard to commit to trying something new – like making pasta – when there’s so few ingredients and you have everything in the house already. Two super easy methods to make it, by hand or by food processor (my favorite) and you feel so accomplished afterwards! Literally what do you have to lose?
Why Make Fresh Homemade Pasta from Scratch?
- Making pasta is a very satisfying experience. It is really fun to have everything come together and to design whatever kind of pasta that you want to.
- It’s even more fun making pasta with a friend (or even with your better half).
- A rolling pin is really all you need, but manual pasta rolling machines don’t cost that much if you decide that you want one. KitchenAid even makes a power attachment for the KitchenAid mixer if you have one.
- Homemade pasta is better for you. The ingredients are fresh and you can choose the flour that you want to use, like gluten free, organic, special or everyday all purpose flour.
- Fresh homemade pasta cooks in half the time of dried pasta and is so delicious that you might not even need sauce – just toss in a little butter and some fresh herbs and dinner is ready!
Do You Have To Make Homemade Pasta By Hand?
In a word – no! Making Homemade Pasta is a hands on activity, but if you are thinking that you are going to be kneading this dough by hand for 15 minutes I can tell you right now that you don’t have to. I am always experimenting and it is always delicious.
I have made the dough by hand and kneaded it by hand, I have made the dough by hand and then let the KitchenAid mixer do the kneading with the dough hook, and I have made the dough in the food processor and finished it up by kneading it for two minutes. You really can do whatever works for you! Pasta is very forgiving and the mistakes still taste good.
About the Ingredients
- Eggs – I use large white or brown eggs for this recipe because typically that’s what I have in my refrigerator. Not all fresh pasta requires eggs or oil but the egg adds flavor, protein and fat, which makes the dough easier to work and enriches the taste.
- Olive Oil – Olive oil adds fat and flavor to the pasta and makes the pasta dough more supple and easier to roll. I use extra virgin olive oil because the oil that you choose makes a difference in the final flavor of the pasta and extra virgin olive oil is what I typically have on hand.
- Flour – I use just plain all purpose flour when I make pasta but there is real value in trying other kinds of flour like Semolina or 00 flour. Changing the flour changes the pasta consistency, 00 flour resulting in silkier noodles and Semolina resulting in heartier, rougher pasta noodles. Different flours and different consistencies are worth trying out but everything comes with a learning curve. Experiment, experiment, experiment!
“Life is a combination of magic and pasta.”
– Federico Fellini
How to make Fresh Homemade Pasta – Method One – By Hand
The first time I made homemade pasta I wanted the full experience of making the dough by hand. I watched some You Tube videos, and I had seen it done of cooking shows, and it didn’t seem that hard to do. There is a satisfaction in doing it the way that it has been done for years and years, so lets cover that first.
In a small bowl, add the olive oil to the eggs and quickly blend together with a fork.
Pour the flour in a mound on a large cutting board. Top with a generous pinch of salt. Create a large well in the middle of the mound. Add the egg mixture into the center of the well.
Using a fork, begin whisking the flour into the egg mixture. Slowly work in the surrounding flour into the egg mixture. The mixture will become thicker as the flour is worked in.
Once the majority of the flour has been worked in and the dough begins to come together, set the fork aside and use your hands to fold in the rest of the dough until it forms a loose ball.
Knead the dough for 8 – 10 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic. Sprinkle with additional flour if the dough appears to be too sticky, add water a tablespoon at a time if the dough appears to be too dry.
Form into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Allow to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour. Divide the dough into portions, keeping the unused portions wrapped in plastic until ready to use. Roll out the pasta dough with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface, or alternately by using a pasta rolling machine, creating whatever kind of pasta you want!
How to make Fresh Homemade Pasta – Method Two – Food Processor
When making Fresh Homemade Pasta it’s great to be traditional in your method, which is why I explained how to make it by hand first. Now that that’s out of the way, I’d like to introduce you to my favorite (and the fastest) way of making Fresh Homemade Pasta – using your food processor.
It is amazing how fast this comes together and how much time and energy is saved in kneading the dough. This is how I usually make Fresh Homemade Pasta and you are about to see why!
Add flour, salt, olive oil and eggs to the bowl of a 5 cup food processor fitted with the blade attachment.
Pulse for 10-15 seconds until all ingredients are incorporated and the mixture becomes crumbly.
Remove the crumbly mixture from the food processor onto a large cutting board and using your hands, gather into a ball.
Knead the dough for 1-2 minutes until it is soft and supple. Not even kidding here – 1-2 minutes. That’s all.
Form into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Allow to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour. Divide the dough into portions, keeping the unused portions wrapped in plastic until ready to use. Roll out the pasta dough with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface, or alternately by using a pasta rolling machine, creating whatever kind of pasta you want!
So I Made Homemade Pasta … What the Heck Do I Do Now??
The first time I made Fresh Homemade Pasta I was so proud of myself. Then I realized that I had absolutely no idea as to what I was supposed to do with it. I knew that it would be different than the dried pasta that I had in the cupboard from the grocery store but I didn’t know the “rules”. I made a lot and I wasn’t ready to use it right away so I had to do some research as to proper storage. Here’s what I learned:
Making pasta is actually really fun. I have this little manual pasta roller that I picked up forever ago. To buy them new they start about $25 and go up from there. You don’t need one at all (you CAN use a rolling pin and a knife!) but if you are going to get one to start, I would like to recommend that you buy a lower end (by this I mean cheaper!) one. There’s a bit of a learning curve. The fancy ones can be confusing and you don’t want to commit a lot of $$$ to something that you aren’t sure how often you are going to use it.
Rolling the pasta until it’s thin enough for noodles and then rolling it through to cut them is so satisfying! So once you have created noodles, you have some decisions to make:
- You can use the pasta right away
- You can dry and refrigerate the pasta
- You can dry and freeze the pasta
USE RIGHT AWAY: Cook the pasta in a large salted pot of boiling water until al dente, typically 1-7 minutes depending on the thickness of your pasta. Drain and use immediately.
DRY THE PASTA AND REFRIGERATE OR FREEZE: If not using right away, let the pasta dry on a drying rack or on a baking sheet for 30 minutes to 2 hours. I literally found the least expensive drying rack I could for my noodles because I thought it would be fun to hang them. It’s not necessary at all though. They will dry on a cooling rack or a baking sheet just as easily!
Fresh pasta can be stored in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 2 weeks.
TO COOK DRIED REFRIGERATED OR FROZEN HOMEMADE PASTA: To use frozen fresh pasta, thaw first then cook as usual. Cook the pasta in a large salted pot of boiling water until al dente, typically 1-7 minutes depending on the thickness of your pasta. Drain and use immediately. Enjoy!
A Couple of Homemade Pasta Sauce Recipes You May Enjoy
Pantry Marinara Sauce – Homemade sauce using just pantry ingredients that is big on flavors and compliments any pasta – especially Fresh Homemade Pasta!
4 Ingredient Alfredo Sauce – So delicious and so simple – restaurant quality at home!
Penne Pasta with Vodka Sauce – Nobody says you have to use Penne Pasta – this sauce is amazing on homemade pasta noodles!
Get the Printable Recipe Here!
Did you make Fresh Homemade Pasta? Be sure to leave a rating and comment below!
Fresh Homemade Pasta
Equipment
- Food Processor, if using, 5 cup or larger capacity
- Manual or automatic Pasta Roller, or rolling pin
- Stand mixer equipped with a dough hook, if using
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1 generous pinch of salt
Instructions
To Make Fresh Homemade Pasta By Hand
- Pour the flour in a mound on a large cutting board. Top with a generous pinch of salt.
- Create a large well in the middle of the mound.
- In a small bowl, add the olive oil to the eggs and quickly blend together with a fork.
- Add the egg mixture into the center of the well.
- Using a fork, begin whisking the flour into the egg mixture. Slowly work in the surrounding flour into the egg mixture. The mixture will become thicker as the flour is worked in.
- Once the majority of the flour has been worked in and the dough begins to come together, set the fork aside and use your hands to fold in the rest of the dough until it forms a loose ball.
- Knead the dough for 8 – 10 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic. Sprinkle with additional flour if the dough appears to be too sticky, add water a tablespoon at a time if the dough appears to be too dry.
- Form into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Allow to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour.
- Divide the dough into portions, keeping the unused portions wrapped in plastic until ready to use. Roll out the pasta dough with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface, or alternately by using a pasta rolling machine, creating whatever kind of pasta you want!
To Make Fresh Homemade Pasta With A Food Processor
- Add flour, salt, olive oil and eggs to the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment.
- Pulse for 10-15 seconds until all ingredients are incorporated and the mixture becomes crumbly.
- Remove the crumbly mixture from the food processor onto a large cutting board and using your hands, gather into a ball.
- Knead the dough for 1-2 minutes until it is soft and supple.
- Form into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Allow to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour.
- Divide the dough into portions, keeping the unused portions wrapped in plastic until ready to use. Roll out the pasta dough with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface, or alternately by using a pasta rolling machine, creating whatever kind of pasta you want!
Notes
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