Homemade Pasta - Love and Lemons (2024)

Learn how to make pasta at home! This 4-ingredient homemade pasta recipe is easy to make, and it yields chewy, delicious noodles every time.

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Homemade Pasta - Love and Lemons (1)

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This homemade pasta recipe is our new favorite cooking project! Lately, Jack and I have been spending even more time than usual in the kitchen, experimenting with bread, baked goods, and even okonomiyaki. But we keep coming back to homemade pasta. It’s super fun to make together, and it only requires a handful of basic ingredients. Of course, the fact that it’s absolutely delicious doesn’t hurt either. 🙂

My homemade pasta recipe refers to the pasta maker attachment for the KitchenAid Stand Mixer, which is how we roll out our fresh pasta at home. If you don’t have a KitchenAid, don’t worry! You could also roll out this pasta dough according to the instructions on a regular pasta maker. However you make it, I hope you try this recipe. It’s an easy, fun way to spend an hour in the kitchen with someone you love, and at the end, you get to eat a big plate of chewy noodles with a perfect al dente bite.

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Homemade Pasta Recipe Ingredients

You only need 4 ingredients to make delicious fresh pasta at home, and there’s a good chance you have all of them on hand already:

  • All-purpose flour– In the past, I thought you needed 00 flour or semolina flour to make great fresh pasta, but this homemade pasta recipe proved me wrong. In it, regular all-purpose flour yields chewy, bouncy noodles every time.
  • Eggs – The key ingredient for adding richness and moisture to the dough!
  • Olive oil– Along with the eggs, a splash of olive oil moistens the dough and helps it come together.
  • Salt– Add it to the dough and the pasta water for the best flavor.

Find the complete recipe with measurements below.

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How to Make Pasta

Ready to learn how to make pasta? Check out this step-by-step guide first, and then find the full recipe at the bottom of this post!

First, make a nest with the flour on a clean work surface. Add the remaining ingredients to the center and use a fork to gently break up the eggs. Try to keep the flour walls intact as best as you can!

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Next, use your hands to gently mix in the flour.Continue working the dough to bring it together into a shaggy ball.

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Then, knead! At the beginning, the dough should feel pretty dry, but stick with it! It might not feel like it’s going to come together, but after 8-10 minutes of kneading, it should become cohesive and smooth:

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If the dough still seems too dry, sprinkle your fingers with water and continue kneading to incorporate it into the dough. If the dough becomes too sticky, dust more flour onto your work surface.

When the dough comes together, shape it into a ball and wrap it in plastic wrap. Let the dough rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

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After the dough rests, slice it into 4 pieces.

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Use a rolling pin or your hands to gently flatten one into an oval disk.

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Then, run it through the widest setting of your pasta maker (level 1 on the KitchenAid attachment). I run the dough through the pasta maker 3 times on this setting before proceeding to the next step. If you don’t have the KitchenAid attachment, roll out the dough according to your pasta maker’s instructions.

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Next, fold the dough… if you want to. This step is somewhat optional, but it will make your final pasta sheet more rectangular, which will yield more long strands of pasta. Plus, it’s super simple! Just lay the dough flat and fold both short ends in to meet in the center.

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Then, fold it in half lengthwise to form a rectangle.

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Once you’ve folded the dough, roll it out to your desired thickness.On my KitchenAid attachment, I run it through the pasta roller three times on level 2, three times on level 3, and one time each on levels 4, 5, and 6.

Repeat these steps with the remaining dough pieces. Each time you finish with a piece of dough, lay one half of it on a lightly floured baking sheet. Sprinkle the dough with flour, and fold the other half on top. Sprinkle the top with flour, too!

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Finally, cut and cook the pasta.Run the pasta sheets through your desired pasta cutter attachment. Cook the noodles in a pot of boiling salted water for 1 minute, and enjoy!

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Homemade Pasta Serving Suggestions

If you’ve never had fresh pasta before, you’re in for a treat! Its chewy, bouncy texture and rich flavor make it so much better than the dried pasta at the store. In fact, these noodles are so good that we usually serve them really simply. They’re fantastic with marinara sauce, pesto, homemade Alfredo sauce, or olive oil and vegan Parmesan or Parmesan cheese.

Of course, they’re delicious in larger pasta dishes, too. Use them instead of dried pasta in any of these recipes:

  • Spaghetti Aglio e Olio
  • Fettuccine Alfredo
  • Easy Pesto Pasta
  • Roasted Vegetable Pasta
  • Linguine with Lemon and Tomatoes
  • Garlic Herb Mushroom Pasta

Find more of my favorite pasta recipes here!

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Homemade Pasta

rate this recipe:

4.97 from 1274 votes

Prep Time: 30 minutes mins

Cook Time: 2 minutes mins

Resting Time: 30 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr 2 minutes mins

Serves 3 to 4

Save RecipePrint Recipe

This fresh homemade pasta is SO delicious and easy to make! Serve it simply with olive oil and Parmesan cheese, or use it in your favorite pasta recipes.

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Place the flour on a clean work surface and make a nest. Add the eggs, olive oil, and salt to the center and use a fork to gently break up the eggs, keeping the flour walls intact as best as you can. Use your hands to gently bring the flour inward to incorporate. Continue working the dough with your hands to bring it together into a shaggy ball.

  • Knead the dough for 8 to 10 minutes. At the beginning, the dough should feel pretty dry, but stick with it! It might not feel like it’s going to come together, but after 8-10 minutes of kneading, it should become cohesive and smooth. If the dough still seems too dry, sprinkle your fingers with a tiny bit of water to incorporate. If it’s too sticky, dust more flour onto your work surface. Shape the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

  • Dust 2 large baking sheets with flour and set aside.

  • Slice the dough into four pieces. Gently flatten one into an oval disk. Run the dough through the Pasta Roller Attachment or a pasta maker three times on level 1 (the widest setting).

  • Set the dough piece onto a countertop or work surface. Fold both short ends in to meet in the center, then fold the dough in half to form a rectangle (see photo above).

  • Run the dough through the pasta roller three times on level 2, three times on level 3, and one time each on levels 4, 5, and 6.

  • Lay half of the pasta sheet onto the floured baking sheet and sprinkle with flour before folding the other half on top. Sprinkle more flour on top of the second half. Every side should be floured so that your final pasta noodles won't stick together.

  • Repeat with remaining dough.

  • Run the pasta sheets through the Pasta Cutter Attachment (pictured is the fettuccine cutter). Repeat with remaining dough. Cook the pasta in a pot of salted boiling water for 1 to 2 minutes.

Notes

Fresh pasta can be stored in the fridge, wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to 2 days.

adapted from Serious Eats

Homemade Pasta - Love and Lemons (2024)

FAQs

How many eggs per cup of flour for pasta? ›

And it's good rule of thumb: 2 eggs per cup of flour. And for normal portions, I figure one egg per person, but you always want more, which is why I used 6 eggs for 3 people. It's a snap if you use standing mixer. But knead by hand if you wish—it's meditative and relaxing.

What does adding olive oil to pasta dough do? ›

Olive oil – Along with the eggs, a splash of olive oil moistens the dough and helps it come together. Salt – Add it to the dough and the pasta water for the best flavor.

Why is my homemade pasta sticking together? ›

Because pasta will expand while cooking, you want to make sure that there is ample room for each noodle to do so without sticking to its neighbor. The recommended water to pasta ratio is four to five quarts of water per pound of pasta. If a standard pot is six to eight quarts, this means it will be filled ¾ of the way.

What does adding an egg to pasta do? ›

The chef's pro-tip is simple: Stir an egg yolk into any dish that begs for an element of thickness or creaminess. That's it. To Skurnick, this flavorful, enriching trick is obvious.

Should you use egg yolks or whole eggs in pasta dough? ›

The more egg white, the more pliable the dough; the more yolk, the richer the pasta will be. There are endless variations, but for a dough that works every time use: 1 whole egg plus 2 yolks for every 150g of flour.

What is the golden rule for pasta? ›

In Italy, the golden rule for cooking pasta is 1, 10, 100 or 1 liter of water, 10 grams of salt for every 100 grams of pasta. Converted for American cooks, the rule should be 1/3, 3, 30, referring to 1/3 oz of salt, 3 oz of pasta and 30 oz of water.

What not to do when making pasta? ›

5 Things We Never Do When Making Pasta
  1. Use a small pot to boil the pasta.
  2. Neglect to salt the water.
  3. Forget to give the pasta a stir or two as it cooks.
  4. Cook it past al dente.
  5. Dump out all of the pasta water.
May 1, 2019

What gives pasta more flavor? ›

Fresh basil is the natural choice with simple pasta sauces like marinara, but parsley, cilantro, and even mint can also give pasta dishes a burst of fragrant flavor when they're sprinkled on just before serving.

What is the best flour for pasta? ›

All-purpose flour does what it says on the tin, so it's perfectly fine to use for making pasta. However, most pasta recipes will recommend either semola or “00” flour.

Why does Gordon Ramsay add oil to pasta? ›

Ramsay notes that the olive oil coats the noodles so they don't stick together.

How do restaurants keep spaghetti from sticking? ›

What keeps spaghetti from sticking together? Adding the dry pasta to salted, rapidly boiling water. It's also important to have an adequate amount of water so it can move around. Then you need to stir it every couple of minutes (I use tongs) to separate it and move it around.

Why does my homemade pasta come out hard? ›

1) Too much flour or not enough

Too much flour makes the pasta tough. Not enough will result in runny lumps that are impossible to roll through pasta maker.

How long should pasta dry before cooking? ›

Place your dough on a flat and floured surface, this could be a baking tray or a countertop. Then sprinkle with flour and leave to dry for 15 minutes. Once you've cut your shapes, you leave the pasta for a further 15 minutes before adding it to boiling water.

How many eggs per cup? ›

5 large eggs

How many eggs are in a serving of pasta? ›

Chef's tip: When you make fresh pasta, the ratio is always 1 egg and 100 grams of flour per person – so it's easy to scale this recipe up or down.

What is the ratio of pasta to cups? ›

Two ounces of dry pasta is equal to 1/2 cup dry, which boils up to be 1 1/2 cup cooked, or a heaped 1 cup.

Do you put eggs first then flour? ›

Remember – flour first, then egg, then crumbs

The flour creates a dry surface on the wet or moist food and it's this dry surface that the egg will hold on to in the next step. If you didn't coat a chicken breast in flour, for instance, the egg would just slide right off the slippery chicken.

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