Fresh Pasta from Scratch

15 items · Cooking · Medium difficulty · 1 hour

Make restaurant-quality fresh pasta at home with this clear step-by-step checklist.

• Confirm egg-to-flour ratio

  Use about 1 large egg per 100 g (3.5 oz) flour as a baseline; adjust for humidity.

• Choose and measure 00 flour

  Prefer finely milled '00' for silky dough; AP flour works if needed. Measure by weight.

• Make a flour well and add eggs

  Create a mound with a well, crack eggs into center, keep edges intact while starting to mix.

• Mix eggs and flour to form shaggy dough

  Use fork or hands to gradually incorporate flour until a rough, cohesive dough forms.

• Knead dough until smooth and elastic

  Knead 8–12 minutes by hand (or 5–8 min in mixer) until dough bounces back when pressed.

• Wrap and rest dough 30 minutes

  Cover tightly with plastic or a damp towel to hydrate the dough and relax gluten.

• Divide dough and flatten portions

  Cut into 2–4 pieces and press each flat so it fits the pasta machine or rolling surface.

• Roll dough progressively thinner

  Start on widest setting and step down until desired thinness; dust with flour sparingly.

• Choose pasta shape based on sauce

  Match noodle size to sauce: ribbon shapes for ragù, wider noodles for hearty sauces.

• Cut tagliatelle for meat sauces

  Slice sheets into ~6–8 mm (1/4 in) ribbons for ragù and tomato-based sauces.

• Cut pappardelle for rich or game sauces

  Slice wider ribbons (20–30 mm) to hold chunky, hearty sauces.

• Cut sheets to chosen shape or width

  Use pasta machine cutters or a knife/bench scraper; flour lightly to prevent sticking.

• Decide to dry pasta or cook immediately

  Short dry (15–30 min) for shape hold or fully dry for storage; fresh cooks in minutes.

• Cook fresh pasta in plenty of salted boiling water

  Boil 1–3 minutes for thin ribbons; test often — fresh pasta cooks much faster than dried.

• Reserve pasta cooking water and finish pasta in sauce

  Save 1 cup of cooking water, toss pasta with sauce over heat, add water to emulsify if needed.

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