Our easy recipe for homemade pasta.

Read more: Make Fresh Homemade Pasta

Historically, it was thought that Marco Polo introduced pasta to Italy – but in 1892, an Etruscan Tomb dated from 500 BC was discovered near Tarquinia, Italy that showed signs of what appears to be pasta being made. The Etruscans were obviously very civilized.

Many of our dining experiences are spent in pursuit of the ultimate Italian Restaurant. While these can be formal, with a sophisticated menu, our favorite spots are usually the traditional Trattorias’ also known as “an Italian Restaurant Serving Simple Food” with the staple being homemade pasta – and doesn’t that just say it all.

There is just no comparing fresh homemade pasta to a dried store-bought noodle, and some time ago we started making our own pasta at home. It is surprisingly easy, and now once a week or so we serve ourselves a terrific plate of fresh pasta which can be ready in 15 minutes or less. I just know that Marco Polo and the Etruscans would smile upon us.

Here is our favorite homemade pasta recipe. A printable recipe card is available at the bottom of this post.

Fresh Pasta Recipe (Serves 4)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup bread flour (We prefer bread flour as it has more protein, but all purpose flour will work well too!)
• 1 cup pasta flour – (we use Farina 00)
• 2 eggs (Allow eggs to come to room temperature before cracking)
• 1/2 tsp salt……….that’s it

Method:

• Place flour and salt on a smooth flat surface and mix thoroughly
• Create a well in the middle
• Break two eggs and place in the well

• Whisk eggs with a fork and slowly incorporate flour until middle is dry
• I use my bench scraper to bring the rest of flour into the mixture and chop to incorporate

• Tip: If mixture is too dry, add a little water; if too wet, add a little flour
• Knead the dough for 10 minutes or so – till the dough is pliable, soft and smooth….you can just tell.

• Form into ball, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes or overnight.

Stretching and Cutting The Pasta Dough

When ready to work with the dough ball, cut it into four manageable pieces.

It is possible to make pasta with just a rolling pin and a knife, and we started with this method. We have now moved on to using a Marcato Atlas 150 manual pasta maker. In either case a how-to video is worth 10,000 words. There are links to the rolling pin method video and a pasta maker video below:

Rolling Pin Method: See Chef Paul Magro

With the Rolling Pin method, roll out the dough until it reaches the desired thickness (should be able to see hand shadow through the dough), fold it, and then slice it into ribbons.

Marcato Pasta Maker: See Mamma Giuliana

We purchased the Marcato Atlas 150 Pasta Maker from Lee Valley Tools (also available from Amazon and Consiglio Kitchenware). We are extremely pleased with this device. The version that we purchased makes fettuccine, tagliolini and flat lasagne noodles, and we later purchased the spaghetti attachment.

Cooking and Storing the Pasta

Your pasta can be cooked immediately after cutting into the desired form and will cook within 2 to 3 minutes of boiling in salted water. Sample now and then for desired firmness.

Freezing Fresh Pasta

We also freeze pasta in dinner sized bags – simply freeze on a tray (lightly dusted with flour) for 1 hour before bagging into dinner sizes and keep for up to 30 days – even after freezing there is a noticeable quality difference from store bought pasta.

We regularly serve homemade pasta with anchovies, fresh tomato sauce, carbonara (authentic or vegan), or our homemade bolognese sauce. We have recently posted a fantastic “midnight pasta” recipe that I think you will love!

We added to our kitchen gadgetry collection with a pasta drying rack. It’s not necessary at all – but it seems to keep our spaghetti making tidy!

Below is a printable recipe card from RecipesGenerator. Please give it a try!

Below is a printable recipe card from RecipesGenerator. Please give it a try!

Enjoy

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