Fresh Homemade Pasta

Four different pasta recipes with a shared process. They all use the same master technique and base ingredients, but incorporate a variety of colors and flavors.

Overview

  • Yield: 1 lb
  • Prep Time: 30 mins
  • Cook Time: 2 mins
  • Additional Time: 30 mins
  • Total Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

Egg Pasta

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling and dusting

  • 3 large eggs

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

Herb Pasta

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling and dusting

  • 3 large eggs

  • 2 tablespoons minced fresh herbs (try basil or parsley)

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

Vegetable Pasta

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling and dusting

  • 2 large eggs

  • 1/4 cup vegetable juice (try beet, spinach, or carrot juice, or even tomato paste)

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

Squid Ink Pasta

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling and dusting

  • 3 large eggs

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

  • 8 grams (or 2 x 4g packets) squid ink

Method

  1. Mound the flour onto your work surface and make a large well in the center. (Tip: I use my measuring cup to carve out a deep, perfect well about 5 inches in diameter.)
  1. Crack each egg into the well, followed by the remaining ingredients in your chosen pasta recipe.
  1. Using a fork, beat the eggs and oil (plus any herbs, vegetable juice, or squid ink, if using) until well combined.
  1. Little by little, add the flour to the egg mixture and beat until all of it is incorporated. Mix the dough with your fork until it begins to take shape and you can gather it into a loose ball.
  1. With your hands, start kneading the dough. It will feel soft and jiggly at this stage, but keep kneading for about 10 minutes until the dough firms up. I like to push the dough down and out with the heels of my hands, then fold it back over onto itself, rotate a quarter-turn, and push down again.
  1. When your dough looks smooth and no longer feels sticky, shape it into a ball and cover with a kitchen towel to keep it from drying out. Let the dough rest for at least 30 minutes.
  1. Cut the dough into quarters. Keep the rest of the dough covered with a towel while you work on each piece.
  1. On a floured surface, roll out the dough as thin as you can get it — you should be able to see your hands through the pasta sheet when you pick it up. Dust liberally with more flour to prevent sticking.
  1. Fold the pasta sheet a few times over itself (as if you were folding a letter) and cut it to your desired width. (See Notes below.)
  1. Shake the noodles out, toss with a little flour, then let them rest in loose mounds on a towel while you roll out the remaining dough.
  1. When you’ve finished cutting all the noodles, simply drop them into a boiling pot of salted water. Fresh pasta cooks in 2 to 5 minutes, depending on thickness.

Notes

General pasta widths:

  • Spaghetti: 1/16 inch
  • Linguine: 1/8 inch
  • Tagliatelle: 3/16 inch
  • Fettucine: 1/4 inch
  • Pappardelle: 1 inch

Freezing tips

  • If you’ll be storing the pasta to use later, lay the noodles out in long strands to rest and dry out a little. Pick up a single-serving portion of noodles and twirl into a nest.

  • Repeat with the remaining noodles, then place the nests on a cookie sheet and freeze for about 1 hour.

  • This keeps the pasta from clumping together in storage; once they’ve firmed up, transfer to a freezer-proof bag or container and freeze again.

  • Frozen pasta can go straight into boiling water and takes a little longer to cook, but otherwise comes out exactly like fresh pasta.

References and Acknowledgments

Fresh Homemade Pasta