Homemade Pasta Recipe
Make Homemade Pasta Recipe in just 1h 30m. Get the full recipe with step-by-step instructions at pekinthechef.com.
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Ingredients
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Pasta Dough
Cooking & Finishing
Method
Pasta Dough
- 1
Measure and mound the flour
On a clean work surface or in a large bowl, combine the all-purpose flour and semolina flour. Make a mound and create a well in the center about 3–4 inches wide and deep enough to hold the eggs.
- 2
Add eggs and seasonings
Crack the three whole eggs and the extra yolk into the well. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon fine salt to the eggs.
- 3
- 4
Form and knead the dough
When the dough is cohesive enough, use your hands to bring it together into a ball. If it seems dry, add up to 1 tablespoon water; if too sticky, dust with a little flour. Knead the dough vigorously for 8–10 minutes until it becomes smooth, elastic, and slightly tacky but not sticky.
- 5
Rest the dough
Shape the dough into a ball, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or place it in an airtight container, and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. Resting relaxes the gluten and makes rolling easier.
- 6
Roll out the dough
After resting, divide the dough into 2 or 4 portions. Keep the pieces you are not working with wrapped. Flatten one piece with your hands or a rolling pin to a thickness that will feed into your pasta machine (roughly 1/4 inch). If using a machine, run the dough through the widest setting 2–3 times, folding it once between passes to help smooth it. Then progressively reduce thickness settings, running the sheet through each setting once until you reach the desired thickness (for tagliatelle ~3–4 on many machines; for lasagna wider/thicker sheets use fewer passes). If rolling by hand, roll to an even thinness (about 1–2 mm) on a lightly floured surface.
- 7
Cut into shapes
Lightly dust the rolled sheets with flour to prevent sticking. For long pasta (fettuccine, tagliatelle), loosely roll each sheet into a cigar shape (do not compress), then slice across to the desired width (6–8 mm for tagliatelle, 3–4 mm for spaghetti-like shapes with a cutter). Unroll the strips and hang them over a drying rack or lay them on a floured tray. For filled pasta or lasagna, cut and shape according to your recipe.
- 8
Dry slightly before cooking (optional)
If you prefer, allow the cut pasta to air-dry for 15–30 minutes to develop a little surface dryness—this helps the strands keep shape when boiling. Fresh pasta can also be cooked immediately.
Cooking & Finishing
- 9
Bring water to a boil
Bring 4 liters of water to a rolling boil in a large pot. Add 1 tablespoon fine salt once boiling.
- 10
Cook fresh pasta
Add the fresh pasta to the boiling water and stir gently to prevent sticking. Fresh pasta cooks quickly: small shapes 1–2 minutes, long strands 2–4 minutes depending on thickness. Taste a strand for doneness — it should be tender with a slight bite (al dente).
- 11
Reserve pasta water
Before draining, reserve about 1/2 cup (120 ml) of the starchy pasta cooking water to help finish your sauce or loosen the pasta.
- 12
Drain and finish
Drain the pasta quickly (do not rinse). Return it to the pot or a warm pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil or butter and some reserved pasta water as needed to create a glossy finish. Toss gently to coat. Add grated Parmesan or Pecorino to taste and toss again. Serve immediately.
- 13
Storage
Fresh pasta can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours on a tray covered loosely with plastic, or frozen in an airtight container for up to 2 months. When cooking from frozen, add an extra 1–2 minutes to the cooking time.