Fresh Homemade Pasta

The possibilities are endless when you learn how to make fresh pasta at home.

The pandemic drove us to learn more challenging cooking stuff … since restaurants were closed and we were missing out on some great Italian cooking, especially fresh pasta made from scratch. We didn’t know how hard it was to make fresh pasta, but to our surprise, it was really really easy. Not sure why we waited this long to learn how to make pasta at home.

This recipe is so easy that it is hard to mess up. The first time we made it by rolling the pasta sheets with a rolling pin and that was a mistake. We couldn’t get the sheets thin enough, so my mom gave us her 25+ years old pasta machine and that made a HUGE difference.

Have you made fresh pasta from scratch? Can you tell the difference between boxed “dry” pasta and fresh homemade pasta? Let me know in the comments below.

Ingredients

• 3 large eggs, beaten to blend
• 2 cups all-purpose flour (or “00” flour)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• Note: Add ½ tbsp water if dough is too dry or leftover flour

Instructions

1. Mix eggs, flour, oil, and salt (using the well technique).
2. Knead with hand until dough surface is silky smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes).
3. Dust dough with flour and cover with plastic wrap.
4. Let rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
5. Cut and roll as desired.

Rolling Pasta Sheets

1. Cut the pasta into quarters. Cover the unused pieces in plastic wrap.
2. Flatten the dough into a rectangular shape and dust with flour.
3. Roll the dough through the first setting and trifold the sheet to form a rectangular shape. 
4. Roll and fold 3-4 more times until the sheet does not get any thinner. 
5. Roll at the each setting twice until desired thickness. Remember to keep the dough dusted with flour so that it doesn’t stick to the machine.
6. Let the sheets rest until the surface is leathery. Flip over to let the other side turn leathery.

Cutting the Pasta

1. Use the pasta machine to cut into shape, or;
2. Roll the sheets tightly.
3. With a sharp knife, cut the rolls to your desired thickness (pasta type).

The Final Product

Here is our fresh homemade pasta drying on a pasta rack. We made spicy fettuccini pasta by adding chilli pepper flakes into the ingredients.