With just 4 ingredients that you probably have in your pantry you can make the best homemade pasta dough you've ever tasted. Why is this the best? Well, because it's simple, it works, and it's easy to make for beginners! Step by step instructions and images help you all the way through.
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? Ingredients
Pasta is simple with just a few ingredients.
- All-purpose flour
- Kosher salt
- Eggs
- Olive oil
? Instructions
Step one is to mix the dough together and knead it.
You will probably want to do this in your mixer unless you have arm muscles like the Incredible Hulk. I used to knead this stuff by hand but I am not that interested in firm youthful upper arms anymore. At least not interested enough to actually knead this.
But you can...if you want to.
Once it is kneaded you will form it into a ball and let it rest for about a half hour. This allows all the gluten that you have developed to chill out and relax. Just leave it on the counter with a towel tossed over it.
- Let dough rest for 30 minutes.
- Roll it out into a thin rectangle.
- Cut in fourths.
- Begin feeding it through the machine.
Using a pasta roller
The first thing you will want is a pasta roller. Now, you can roll the pasta by hand with your rolling pin but it is more difficult to get it exactly right.
It is usually thicker when made that way which does detract from the delicacy of the finished dish. If you have a Kitchen Aid you can buy a pasta attachment and there are actual electric pasta makers, too. Personally, even though I have an electric pasta maker I prefer the hand cranked kind.
This is the one I have and I think it is worth every penny. It is heavy duty and easy to use. It is easy to clean up...and it doesn't get bogged down with whole wheat or vegetable pasta doughs.
I attach mine to a plain wooden stool. It works best for me. You can attach yours to the table, counter, or whatever is convenient. It just needs to be stable.
- If you are using a pasta maker like the one above you will set it on #1 and feed the dough through 4 or 5 times.
- Then you will set it on #2 and feed it through 1 or 2 times.
- I usually set it on #3 for a thinner pasta and feed it through again.
Experiment to see how thin you like your pasta - and you will probably find that you use different thicknesses for different dishes. For lasagna I stop with a #3. This particular pasta maker has 9 different settings. Anyway you just keep feeding it through until you have the thickness you want.
Just keep feeding the pasta through the machine until it is as thin as you want it.
Shaping
Once that is done it is ready to be cut into the shape you desire. Most of the hand cranked pasta makers just have two different flat noodle settings but you can buy extra attachments for different shapes.
For lasagna you don't need to cut it with the pasta maker. Just measure the length of your lasagna pan and cut it short enough to fit. Use as many pieces and you need for the width.
For fettuccine or linguine you will just feed the homemade pasta dough through the proper sized cutters on the machine (usually on the back) and it will be automatically cut to size.
Drying
I usually let homemade pasta dough dry for a half hour or so before I cook it but you don't have to.
Keep in mind that fresh pasta will cook VERY quickly. Test it after 2 minutes. You can even use the lasagna noodles in the lasagna without boiling it first - I don't like to do that because I think it gives it a raw doughy starchy taste but other people say it is fine.
Try it and see if it works for you - after all you will save about 2 minutes. 🙂
? Storage
Once you've rolled and cut the pasta let it dry for 30 minutes before transferring to an airtight container.
Store in the refrigerator for 2 days or freeze for up to a month. Let frozen pasta thaw overnight in the refrigerator and then cook as directed.
❓FAQs
Experience level - easy.
How do you make it?
You can make homemade pasta with either a hand cranked machine, an electric pasta maker, a pasta making attachment, or just a rolling pin. The main thing is that the pasta get rolled out thinly.
What is the best flour?
You'll find out more about flour in this post. Semolina is the flour mostly used in homemade pasta but all-purpose flour can be used as well. Whole wheat flour works best if you use part all-purpose along with it.
How long does it last?
Fresh pasta can be refrigerated for two days or so. You can freeze it for longer storage.
Ready to try it? Here's the recipe I use... oh...and that lasagna? Here's the recipe: Chicken Alfredo Lasagna with Homemade Pasta
? Related recipes
Here are some of my favorite pasta recipes - you can use this pasta with any of them!
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Pasta is delicious and inexpensive when it is homemade. you might think that it takes a lot of time but it really doesn't - especially with one of these pasta makers. You can use the electric kind or a hand cranked version. This is the Pasta Maker I have and you can get it on Amazon. Or, try the pasta attachment for your Kitchen Aid.
☕️ Kaffeeklatsch
I was going to post my Chicken Alfredo Lasagna recipe today and then I remembered that I wanted to post this homemade pasta dough recipe first so that you could really make a lasagna that would make your entire family (including random inlaws) drool.
Homemade pasta dough is really quite simple, pretty fast and very inexpensive. It is messy and that is the one negative about making your own pasta.
Maybe it is just me - I tend to be messy anyway. You don' believe me? Who found red food color on her upper thigh when she had been wearing jeans? Yep. Me.
When I get done in the kitchen it looks, more or less, like someone took the flour scoop and just pretended it was fairy dust and I was Wendy (from Peter Pan). Fly!
This is my favorite homemade pasta dough recipe. It's probably not one of those recipes you'll make on a busy weeknight but it's fantastic for a family dinner on the weekend.
📖 Recipe
Best Homemade Pasta Dough Recipe…Ever
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Ingredients
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Instructions
- Blend the flour and salt together.
- Add the eggs, oil and half of the water.
- Mix slowly, adding more water as needed until the dough can be formed into a ball that holds together. Don't let it get too wet or it will be hard to work with.
- Knead for about three minutes, or until the dough is smooth and elastic.
- Cover with a clean tea towel and allow to rest for thirty minutes.
- Divide the dough into 4 parts.
- Roll each part out on a lightly floured board so that it will fit through the #1 setting on your pasta maker.
- If you are rolling by hand just roll each piece of dough out until it is as thin as you can get it and cut into the desired sizes.
- Rub a light coating of flour on the dough.
- Put the dough through the #1 setting about 5 times or more.
- Change to a #2 setting and put the dough through that setting two or three times.
- Change to a #3 setting and put the dough through that setting.
- Continue to make the dough thinner until it is as thin as you want it.
- Cut into desired shapes and allow to rest for 10 minutes or so.
- Place in salted, rapidly boiling water and cook until done - 2 or 3 minutes.
Notes
- You can use whole wheat flour, semolina flour, or a combination if you like.
- You can substitute vegetable puree for the water.
- I'd suggest following the recipe exactly before trying any variations.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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We'll never share your email or send you spam. Pinkie swear.This post has been updated from the original March 2012 version. Last updated March 1, 2020 for easier instructions and better experience.
Lisa
I used this recipe with one exception. I used half all purpose flour and half Bobs Red Mill SEMOLINA flour and it was so perfect!
Thomas
Instead of buying a drying rack, I just drape the freshly cut pasta over the handle of my oven door.
Marye
That's so smart!
Kayla
Can you freeze any unrolled dough?
Marye Audet
I've never tried.
Alessandra
1 tbls of salt seems excessive... should it be tsp? i've made pasta several times (with and without my nonna) and it's never been salted, but i followed the recipe as written here and it's extremely salty. i certainly wont be salting the water (or maybe even my sauce).
otherwise, recipe seems standard and it was certainly much easier to make in the stand mixer (i've only ever done it by hand before)
Marye Audet
I use kosher salt which has a larger crystal. I bet that's it.
Marye Audet
That's great, Richard! I do love homemade pasta!