Homemade Pasta Recipe: How to Make Authentic Pasta From Scratch (2024)

When it comes to food, I can’t think of a countrythat does it better than bella Italia.

From the pasta, pizza, and arancini, to all the gelato and tiramisu, limoncello and vino, we always make it our mission to eat and drink everything in sight. And we usually take a few cooking classes, too!

During our latest trip to Florence, we took an incredible cooking classwhere we learned how to make this authentic homemade pasta recipe we’re about to share!

After spending weeks in Italy, spoiling ourselves with countless plates of ridiculously delicious, fresh pasta, it’s hard to go back to the store-bought kind. There’ssimply nothing like homemade pasta.

And now that we know how quick andeasy it is to make our own pasta from scratch, we literally have no excuse not to do so! (And after this post, neither will you.)

So without further ado, here’s the authentic homemade pasta recipe we learned to make in Italy!

How to Make Pasta from Scratch

The ingredients

First things first! The ingredients necessary to make this recipe…

To make this authentic homemade pasta recipe, you need four ingredients:

• extra virgin olive oil,
• eggs,
• salt, and
• flour.

Note, however, that you can’t use any flour! You need a specific type of verysoft, very fine flour, also known as “00” flour.

It can be difficult to find “00” flour in the grocery store, but you can buy this “00” flour online! Also, keep in mind that this type of flour is ideal for making Neapolitan-style pizza dough.

Making your dough by hand, versus by mixer

In Italy, I learned how to make this authentic homemade pasta recipe by hand. But at home, I prefer to use my Stand Mixer and our Pasta Roller and Cutter Set.

Thesegadgets make pasta-making a breeze, and if you don’t already have a mixer and pasta attachment, I highly recommend it!

The mixer allows you to easily throw together a batch of pasta dough. Meanwhile, the pasta rollerflattens out your dough into very thin sheets and the pasta cutter slices your dough into whatever noodle type you want,such as spaghetti or fettuccine.

Making the dough by hand

Making your pasta dough by hand is a lot more labor-intensive and takes a lot longer. However, there is something to be said for making pasta the traditional way, like we learned to do in Italy!

To make the dough by hand, you’ll simply follow the recipe below to make the dough. Then you’ll roll it out – getting your pasta sheets as thin as you can – and cut noodlesinto your desired width with a pizza cutter or a knife.

(Below, I will explain both how to make the pasta with a mixer and pasta attachment, as well as by hand. I will write instructions for making the pasta by hand in parenthesis and italics.)

How to Make Authentic Homemade Pasta

Are you ready to try outthis authentic homemade pasta recipe? Let’s do it!

First, in your mixer bowl, add inthe “00” flour and create a well in the middle of the pile with your hand. Then, crack your eggs into the well, along with your salt and extra virgin olive oil.

(If you’re not using a mixer, simply do this on a clean surface.)

Next, attach your paddle to your mixer and set it to the lowest speed.

Turn on your mixer and run it until the ingredients incorporate and the dough comes together into small, sticky clumps – such as in the photo above. Depending on the size of your eggs, you may need to use more or less.

(If you’re not using a mixer, use a fork to lightly whisk together the eggs, salt, and olive oil,meanwhilegradually adding flour from the edges of the well. Continue doing so until the dough comes together with a sticky consistency.)

Next, gently knead the dough with your hands for about 10 minutes. Add flour to your work surface as needed, to ensure your dough does not stick.

Once your dough is smooth, form it into a ball and tightly wrap it in plastic wrap. Then place it in the refrigerator to chill for 15 minutes.

(If making your pasta without a mixer, simply follow the same instructions as above.)

Next, take your dough out of the refrigerator and cut it into three even pieces.

Insertyour pasta roller onto your mixer and set the mixer to the lowest setting.

Then, turn your mixer on andrun the dough through the pasta roller. Start with setting #1 – the widest setting – and continuethe process through setting #8 – the thinnest setting.

By the end of the process, your pasta sheetswill be thin enough to start cutting!

(If you don’t have a pasta roller, then you should grab your rolling pin and get to work! Cut your dough into three even pieces. Then, roll out your dough as thinly as possible, making sure it’s no thicker than 3 mm throughout your entire pasta sheet. Remember to add flour to your work surface as needed, to prevent your dough from sticking.)

Next,remove the pasta roller from your mixer andinsertthe pasta cutter of your choice.

Then, simply turn your mixer on to the lowest speed, and feed your pasta sheets through the cutter!

It’s as simple as that.

Your pasta sheets will come out the other end as beautiful, fresh noodles, and you’ll hardly be able to contain your excitement.

(To cut your noodles withoutthe pasta cutter, you should fold your sheets over themselves into layers. Then, cut the sheets lengthwise into strips and unravel them. Then, your noodles will be ready to cook!)

How to boil fresh pasta

And now, for the best part.

All that’s left to do is boil your noodles, mix theminto your sauce, and eatit all up!

To cook your pasta, simply bring a pot of salted water to a boil, and then cook your pasta until it rises to the surface and is al dente. This shouldn’t take more than two or three minutes.

Then, let thefeast begin!

• Use your fresh lasagna sheets to make my Best Vegetarian Lasagna Bolognese (vegetarian) or my Best-Ever Lasagna Bolognese with Fresh Pasta & Béchamel (meat-based).
• Or pair your pasta with my Vegan Bolognese Sauce (made with mushrooms, lentils, and walnuts) or with my Traditional Meat-Based Bolognese!

See that?! Making pasta from scratch, in the comfort of your own kitchen, couldn’t be simpler – especially with aStand Mixerand Pasta Roller and Cutter Set.

Just make sure to pick up (or order) “00” flour first!

Learning to make this pasta in Italy spoiled us forever. Now, nothing but fresh, homemade pasta makes the cut, because it’s so much better than anything you can buy at the grocery store. Andthe good news is that it doesn’t take much time or effort to whip up a fresh batch of your own delicate, delicious pasta.

So what are you waiting for?! Put a huge smile on your face by loadingup on some homemadeItalian-style carbs.Buon appetito!

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Did you try out this homemade pasta recipe? Rate it and let us know how it went in the comments below, and tag us @maddysavenue in your foodie photos!