Easy Pasta From Scratch

Making pasta from scratch intimidates a lot of home chefs, but it’s pretty easy. It’s just 4 ingredients, rolled together, rested, flattened, cut, and boiled. Really, that’s it!

I use a KitchenAid for the mixing, flattening, and cutting, but everything can be done by hand.

USING A KITCHENAID

In the metal bowl, add 2 cups of flour (I use all-purpose). Then add 3 slightly scrambled eggs, a tablespoon of olive oil, and a pinch of salt.

Secure the bowl to the KitchenAid and add the dough hook. Lower the top of the KitchenAid and secure it. Place the speed on 2 or 3 and mix for about 10 minutes. Stop the mixing a few times and scrape down the sides. Mix until the dough becomes a ball and releases from the bowl and stays on the hook. You may need to add a few drops of water if it’s dry, or more flour (a tablespoon at a time) if it’s too wet. Where you live, climate, or kitchen temperature can affect the dough.

Place some flour on a clean countertop or cutting board. Place the dough ball onto the flour and knead the dough for a few minutes. Kneading is pushing out the dough with the palm of your hand outward and slightly to the right, fold the dough in half, and now knead outward and slightly to the left.

Mold the dough into a ball. Once you can press the dough slightly and it bounces back, you’re done kneading. Wrap the dough with cling wrap, or covered with a clean dish towel, and let it rest on the counter for about 30 mins upto a few hours. If using a dish towel, make sure it’s not drying out.

Attach the pasta roller to the front of the KitchenAid and move the dial to the thickest setting. Set it on the lowest setting and sprinkle the rollers with flour.

Grab 2 sheet pans (or something close to that) and sprinkle flour over them. Set aside.

After the dough rests, cut up the ball into 8 pieces. Grab one of the pieces and place the cling wrap or dish towel over the other 7.

Flatten the dough piece slightly with your hands and dust it with flour. Place the dough in the rollers (thickest setting) and roll it out. Set the thickness setting on the next thinner setting (or two), dust the dough with flour if needed, and roll out the dough. Keep going thinner (and dust if needed) until you get your desired thickness (I stop at 7 or a few setting before the thinnest setting).

Cut the dough crosswise in half into 2 pieces and place the rolled out dough onto the pasta drying rack. Sprinkle the dough with flour. Cover the dough with cling wrap or a dish towel.

Repeat with the next piece of dough, and place under the cling wrap or towel for just 1 layer. In-between layers, sprinkle the cling wrap or towel with flour and repeat until all the pieces of dough are done.

Remove the pasta roller and add the pasta cutter to the front of the KitchenAid. Turn on the cutter on the lowest setting and sprinkle the cutters with flour.

Get one of the flatted pieces of dough and cover the rest. Dust with flour if needed and run it through the cutter. Definitely sprinkle the cut pasta with flour and place them on the 2nd sheet pan.

BY HAND

On a clean counter, place 2 cups of flour (I use all-purpose). Make a divot (circle well) in the center of the flour (not going all the way to the bottom)..Then add to the divot/well 3 slightly scrambled eggs, a tablespoon of olive oil, and a pinch of salt.

With a fork, start mixing a little bit of the flour to the egg and keep going (little by little) until all combined (or mostly combined.

Knead the dough for a few about 10 minutes. Kneading is pushing out the dough with the palm of your hand outward and slightly to the right, fold the dough in half, and now knead outward and slightly to the left. Sprinkle the dough and the counter top with flour frequently.

Mold the dough into a ball. Once you can press the dough slightly and it bounces back, you’re done kneading. Wrap the dough with cling wrap, or covered with a clean dish towel, and let it rest on the counter for about 30 mins upto a few hours. If using a dish towel, make sure it’s not drying out.

Grab 1 sheet pan (or something close to that) and sprinkle flour over it. Set aside.

Clean up the counter where you did the kneading (scrape up wet or dry pasta).

After the dough rests, cut up the ball into 8 pieces. Grab one of the pieces and place the cling wrap or dish towel over the other 7.

Sprinkle the counter and the piece of dough with flour. Also flour a wood rolling pin. Roll the dough out with the rolling pin, sprinkling the counter, dough, and rolling pin with flour as needed. Keep rolling out until desired thickness (about 1/16 inch thick). Cut in half. Cover one half while cutting other half.

Sprinkle flour on a pizza cutter or large knife, and cut the dough into pasta strips.

• 1 to 2 millimeters for spaghetti
• 1/4 inch for fettuccine
• 2 to 3 inches for lasagna

Spaghetti/fettuccine (slices of pasta): Holding the pasta with it touching the pan, twist your wrist so you make a nest of pasta. If you skip the nest step, just add the pasta to the pan, sprinkle with flour, and gently mix. No need to cover the cut pasta. Repeat until done.

Lasagna (large slices): Cut dough and place on sheet pan in 1 layer. When you’re ready for a new layer, sprinkle flour on the lasagna pieces, cover the pieces, sprinkle flour over the cover. Repeat until done.

BOIL PASTA

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add some salt to the boiling water. Gently shake the flour off the pasta pieces and add the pasta gently to the water. Stir now and occasionally so they don’t stick to each other. Cook for a few minutes (I cook mine about 4 minutes for fettuccine). Taste a piece of the pasta until it’s cooked to your desire.

2 cups of flour (I use all-purpose). Then add 3 slightly scrambled eggs, a tablespoon of olive oil, and a pinch of salt.

Grab a coffee mug and scoop out some of the water (which now has starch in it which can be used for thickening sauces). Drain the pasta and add it directly to your sauce or mix the pasta with butter and olive oil, and garish with parsley.

NOTES

• When mixing the egg into the flour, if it’s too wet add some flour, and if it’s too dry add some water. Add either one tablespoon at a time. Where you live, climate, and temperature of your kitchen can affect the dough.
• If you insert the dough into the KitchenAid roller on the thinest setting in the beginning, just remove it, clean up the roller, push the dough back together, and start again at the thickest setting.
• Make sure you have flour on hand at all times.
• Yes, you can use egg substitute instead of fresh eggs for less calories. And if your sauce is just butter, you can use I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter.

I hope this inspires you to make pasta from scratch.

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INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 3 slightly scrambled eggs
• tablespoon of olive oil
• pinch of salt

EQUIPMENT

• KitchenAid with dough hook (or countertop and fork)
• Pasta roller (or rolling pin or wine bottle)
• Pasta cutter (or pizza cutter, or knife)
• Cling wrap (or dish towel)
• Sheet pan or pasta drying rack

DIRECTIONS USING KITCHENAID

1. In the KitchenAid’s metal bowl, add 2 cups of flour, 3 slightly scrambled eggs, a tablespoon of olive oil, and a pinch of salt.
2. Secure the bowl to the KitchenAid and add the dough hook.
3. Lower the top of the KitchenAid and secure it.
4. Place the speed on 2 or 3
5. Mix for about 10 minutes
6. Stop the mixing a few times and scrape down the sides.
7. Mix until the dough becomes a ball and releases from the bowl and stays on the hook.
8. You may need to add a few drops of water if it’s dry.
9. Place some flour on a clean countertop or cutting board.
10. Place the dough ball onto the flour
11. Knead the dough for a few minutes.
12. Once you can press the dough slightly and it bounces back, you’re done kneading.
13. Mold the dough into a ball.
14. Wrap the dough with cling wrap, or covered with a clean dish towel
15. Let it rest on the counter for about 30 minutes.
16. Cut up the ball into 8 pieces.
17. Grab one of the pieces and place the cling wrap or dish towel over the others
18. Attach the pasta roller to the front of the KitchenAid
19. Set it on the lowest setting (thickest) and sprinkle the rollers with flour.
20. Flatten the dough piece slightly with your hands and dust it with flour.
21. Place the dough in the rollers (thickest setting) and roll it out.
22. Set the thickness setting on the next thinner setting (or two), dust the dough with flour if needed, and roll out the dough.
23. Keep going thinner (and dust if needed) until you get your desired thickness
24. Cut in half
25. Place on a sheet pan or counter and cover
26. Repeat with the next piece of dough until all done
27. Remove the pasta roller and add the pasta cutter to the front of the KitchenAid.
28. Turn on the cutter on the lowest setting and sprinkle the cutters with flour.
29. Get one of the flatted pieces of dough and cover the rest.
30. Dust pasta with flour and run it through the cutter.
31. Dust cut pasta with flour again.
32. Place cut pasta pieces on a sheet pan in a pile or pasta drying rack.
33. Repeat with the rest of the pasta
34. Let pasta dry

DIRECTIONS BY HAND

1. On the countertop, add 2 cups of flour.
2. Make a divot in the center of the flour (like making a flour bowl) and add 3 slightly scrambled eggs, a tablespoon of olive oil, and a pinch of salt.
3. Start mixing the eggs with a small amount of flour and keep adding small amounts untill almost all combined.
4. Knead the dough for a about 10 minutes.
5. Once you can press the dough slightly and it bounces back, you’re done kneading.
6. Mold the dough into a ball.
7. Wrap the dough with cling wrap, or covered with a clean dish towel
8. Let it rest on the counter for about 30 minutes.
9. Cut up the ball into 8 pieces.
10. Grab one of the pieces and place the cling wrap or dish towel over the others
11. Sprinkle the pasta with flour
12. Sprinkle a rolling pin (or you can even use a wine bottle) with flour.
13. Roll out the dough piece until you get your desired thickness
14. With a pizza cutter or knife, Cut the flatted pasta in half, then into strips.
15. Dust pasta with flour.
16. Place cut pasta pieces on a sheet pan in a pile or pasta drying rack.
17. Repeat with the rest of the pasta
18. Let pasta dry