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With some extra time at home these days, I’ve been doing things that have been on the list for a while and one of those things was to make fresh pasta! It was actually a lot of fun, and completely delicious, so I wanted to show you how to make fresh pasta in case you have a little extra time on your hands too {wink}.
Years ago, I had an electric pasta machine and I used to make fresh pasta all the time. I’ve had a pasta attachment for my Kitchen Aid mixer for a long time but had just never broken it in and now that I finally used it, I’ll definitely be using it more.
How to Make Fresh Pasta Dough
To make fresh pasta dough, you’ll need four eggs, sifted flour, water, and salt. It takes only basic ingredients that you likely have at home.
{Full measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card further down in this post.}
The ingredients are combined, first the flour and salt, then the eggs and water are slowly added, until a somewhat crumbly dough has been made. It’s important to sift the flour to get the dough consistency needed.
You’ll likely be surprised by how little liquid there is when added to the dry ingredients but don’t add water! The measurements are important to achieve a good result.
How to Knead Pasta Dough
Once mixed, place the dough on a clean surface and knead it for about a minute until the dough is smooth and holds together in a ball.
This is the time to add a drop more water, if needed, to hold the dough together. Add a literal drop at a time {less than 1/8 of a teaspoon} and knead it in fully. You shouldn’t need to add much more than a drop to get the dough to stay together.
If the dough is too wet or sticky, it won’t work in the pasta attachment. Dust or pat it with flour to get it back to the right consistency.
How to Make Pasta
Once the dough has been made, you’ll use a pasta machine or mixer attachment to make it.
I love the ease of using the Kitchen Aid pasta attachment. It simply attaches to the front of the mixer, you drop small walnut-sized pieces into the top …
… and the auger inside pushes the pasta right through.
The attachment has a dough cutter to cut the pasta at the appropriate lengths.
How to Dry Fresh Pasta
As the pasta is being made, separate it and lay it in a single layer on a clean, dry towel or hang it or lay it on a drying rack if it’s long like spaghetti.
Let it air dry for one hour.
How to Store Fresh Pasta
Once the pasta has dried for an hour, place it in an airtight bag or container, and store it in the fridge for up to five days.
Fresh pasta can also be frozen.
Fully dried pasta can be stored in an airtight container in the pantry but be sure it has dried fully.
How to Cook Fresh Pasta
To cook fresh pasta, fill a pot with water, add a dash of salt, and boil.
Once the water is boiling, add the pasta {if the pasta is frozen, don’t thaw it first}, and cook until tender.
Dry pasta will take about seven minutes, fresh pasta will take four or five minutes.
Top the cooked pasta with your favorite sauce and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese, and enjoy. The taste of fresh pasta is delightful!
Basic Pasta Recipe
A simple egg and flour recipe to make fresh pasta.
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Break the eggs into a measuring cup. If they measure less than 7/8 cup of water, add water until that measurement is reached.
- Add the flour and salt to a mixing bowl.
- With a flat beater and a low speed {2}, gradually add the eggs and tablespoon of water.
- Mix for 30 seconds.
- Exchange the flat beater for a dough hook and continue to knead at low speed {2} for another two minutes.
- Place the dough on a clean surface. The dough will be crumbly.
- Hand knead for about one minute until the dough is smooth, pliable, and holds together in a ball, If needed, add a drop of water at a time so the dough will stick together but don't make it wet. The dough should be very dry.
- Follow the machine's instructions to make the pasta pieces. If using a Kitchen Aid attachment, feed walnut-sized pieces of dough into the attachment, slice at the desired length, and let dry on a towel for one hour.
- Store pasta in the refrigerator or freezer or dry completely and store in the pantry.
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