Homemade pasta is not only easy, but fun for everyone! Here are a few of our favorite homemade pasta recipes so you can make your own pasta at home today!
Equipment
Technically, you can make homemade pasta without any special equipment. You just need your hands for mixing, a rolling pin, and a knife. BUT, having the pasta roller and cutters make this process significantly easier! If you already have a Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer, then getting the pasta roller attachments is a must!
But if you aren’t ready to splurge on the attachments, or if you don’t have a Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer, here are a few options that will make pasta making a bit easier. The hand crank pasta roller and this 5 wheel adjustable pastry cutter make good inexpensive replacements for the Kitchen Aid sets.
What flour should I use?
The best flour for making this pasta is Tipo 00. This flour is refined more than typical all purpose flour, giving the pasta a smoother and silkier texture once cooked.
If you do not have or cannot find Tipo 00, you can use bread flour or all purpose flour. We have done a side-by-side comparison of the Tipo 00 and AP flour and found no difference in flavor or ratio of ingredients, but you may want to cook your AP flour pasta slightly longer (about 30 s to 1 min longer).
Multipurpose Pasta Dough
Our go-to egg pasta dough to make anything from lasagna to fettuccine or tagliatelle, as well as stuffed pasta like ravioli or tortellini is our Multipurpose Pasta Dough recipe.
We first made pasta from scratch during our first trip to Italy several years ago, and since then you can find us making pasta at least once a week! We experimented with several versions of this recipe and eventually landed on this one, which we feel is a true winner! Unlike some heavy egg pastas out there with a dozen egg yolks, this one has a good balance of eggs along with the addition of milk and melted butter giving it a beautiful silky texture. This version with butter and milk is not the most traditional, but we absolutely love the mouthfeel and texture that these additions bring to the pasta dough.
Additionally, once you cut your pasta into your desired shape, this dough freezes nicely so that you can have pasta in a pinch whenever you want!
Here are a few of our favorite recipes we make with this particular dough:
Tagliatelle with Mushroom Sausage Cream Sauce
This delicious pasta that can be cut by hand with a knife (no machine necessary for cutting) is perfect for a nice hearty sauce of mushrooms and sausage.
Summer Pasta
This super easy and fresh Summer dish is perfect for a hot day when spending hours in the kitchen is just not an option.
Chicken Piccata with Caper Lemon Butter Sauce
We always serve our Chicken Piccata with a nice homemade spaghetti or fettuccine to soak up all that tasty Caper Lemon Butter Sauce.
Pumpkin Ravioli with Parmesan Sage Cream Sauce
Pumpkin Ravioli is always a delight in the Fall when the weather starts to cool down. But we often make this Parmesan Cream Sauce with a variety of pasta dishes throughout the year!
Fettuccine with Winter Spiced Cream Sauce and Rosemary Sage Meatballs
Fettuccine is probably the pasta cut we make the most in this house. And it is the perfect cut for this Winter Spiced Cream Sauce with Rosemary Sage Meatballs.
Roasted Zucchini and Tomato Pasta
This super easy pasta dish is anything but simple when it comes to flavor. It is perfect for summer when zucchini and tomatoes are in season!
Pasta Cutting and Shapes
Lasagna Sheets
For lasagna sheets, leave your sheets whole then cut them to the length of your baking dish and trim the width as needed.
Cannelloni
To trim the sheets of pasta into cannelloni sheets, cut the sheets into rectangles measuring 5 x 4 inches (about 12 x 10 cm). Then lay the cannelloni rectangles out on a flat surface and place filling (approx 3-4 tbsp or 75 g per tube) along the center of the cannelloni sheet. Roll the long ends together so that they overlap about ½ inch (1-2 cm). Then add extra filling to the ends so that the cannelloni is filled completely.
Spaghetti
Technically spaghetti is cylindrical in shape, and therefore is made by extruding your pasta. We do this with our machine, but it is just fine to roll it out and cut it as well. By doing this, you are basically making a small version of fettuccine. For spaghetti, take your pasta sheets and cut them into strips approximately ⅛ inch (1-2mm) wide.
Fettuccine
For fettuccine, take your pasta sheets and cut them into strips approximately ¼ inch (6-7mm) wide.
Pappardelle
For pappardelle, take your pasta sheets and cut them into strips approximately 1 inch (25 mm) wide.
Ravioli
To make ravioli, cut your pasta sheets into squares measuring 3 x 3 inches (7 x 7 cm). Once you have squares, add about 1-2 tsp of filling to the center of one square, dip your finger in water and run it along the edges of the square. Take another square and place it on top and press down around the filling to seal the edges. Try to avoid sealing the ravioli with too much air in the pocket with the filling. Crimp the edges with a fork or use a ravioli cutter to cut the edges. Set aside on a parchment paper-lined sheet tray dusted with flour.
Other Shapes
We also have a few other shapes on the blog along with videos on shaping. Check them out below:
If you made pasta and need some sauce recommendations, check out some of our sauce recipes here:
- Pork and Shiitake Mushroom Ragù
- Marinara Sauce from Scratch
- Lobster Ravioli with Lemon Cream Sauce
- The Best Homemade Shrimp Scampi
- Crunchy Chicken with White Wine Lemon Butter Sauce
- Italian Pizza Sauce
Looking for more delicious Italian dishes??
In 2021, we did a little … ok a BIG thing! We wrote our very first cookbook: Mangiamo!
This cookbook features 60 recipes including a variety of pasta dishes, from spaghetti, cavatelli, lasagna, and cannelloni, to potato, ricotta, and sweet potato gnocchi varieties. We also included some of our favorite meat and seafood dishes, appetizers and small bites, desserts and cocktails. It really has everything we love in one package!
Find out more HERE. Preorders are now open and the book will be released in early April 2022.
Visit our Amazon Storefront to see our favorite kitchen essentials
Homemade Pasta
Course: MainCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Easy4
servings15
minutes3
minutes30
minutesThis Multipurpose Pasta Dough recipe is our go-to for anything from Lasagna to Fettuccine, as well as stuffed pasta like Ravioli, Tortellini, and Agnolotti!
Ready to make this recipe? Click HERE to have the ingredients delivered straight to your door!
Ingredients
1 ½ cups (200g) Tipo 00 flour + additional ¼ cup (30 g) set aside if needed if dough is overly wet
2 tsp (12g) melted unsalted butter
2 tsp (10g) whole milk
1 large (57g) whole eggs
3 large (45g) egg yolks
Directions
- Make the Dough
- Pile flour on a clean flat surface. In the center of the pile, make a well with your fingers all the way to the bottom, leaving a wall of flour as a barrier around the outside. Next, add butter, milk, egg and egg yolks to the center of the well.
- With a fork, beat the egg mixture and slowly incorporate the flour from the outside edges. Use a bench scraper to assist this process by moving the flour into the center. Once the egg mixture begins to form a sticky mass and is no longer runny, use your bench scraper to fold the remaining flour into the dough until you are able to bring the dough together by hand. It will be very sticky at this point.
- Knead the dough by hand using the heel of your hand to push down into the flat surface of the table, then folding the dough onto itself then rotating the dough. Repeat this until the dough forms a smooth ball. This should take about 5 minutes.
- At this point, your dough should not look dry and flaky. On the other hand it should not be sticky either, so you may need to adjust with water or flour until you achieve a smooth, almost leather like feeling. If you notice the dough looks dry, wet the tips of 1-2 fingers and continue to knead. Repeat this as needed. If your dough appears too wet, add a pinch of flour at a time, and repeat as necessary.
- Once the dough is ready, you will then press the dough into a disc approximately 2 inches (5 cm) thick and wrap it in plastic wrap. Place it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours to rest.
- Roll out the Dough
- Remove the pasta dough from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes inside the plastic wrap. Unwrap, and knead on a lightly floured surface for a few minutes by hand.
- Cut the dough into manageable pieces about the size of the palm of your hand (approx 85-100g per piece), press each piece on a flat surface with your hands to flatten it to about ¼ inch (6 mm) thick. Run each piece through a pasta roller starting with the widest setting.
- Fold and run through on the widest setting a total of 3 times. If it gets too wide you can fold the sides in to make it thinner. If it rips or tears, simply fold it over and start again. Run it through the next setting 2 more times folding in between.
- Then run the sheet through once at the next lowest setting, and continue until desired thickness is achieved. We leave it slightly thicker for spaghetti and fettuccine and thinner for lasagna, cannelloni, pappardelle, and ravioli. Every roller is different, so you may need to try out a few thicknesses to find what you prefer.
- Lay your pasta sheet on a flat surface dusted with flour while you roll out the rest of the dough.
- Alternatively, you can roll the pasta dough out with a rolling pin, but be prepared to really put some muscle into it. You want to roll the sheet out until you can see the light through it when you hold it up.
- Cut your pasta sheets as desired for the dish. Sprinkle and toss with semolina flour to prevent pasta from sticking together. Use or freeze immediately (see note below).
- Cooking your fresh pasta
- To cook fresh pasta, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil over high heat. Once boiling, add a generous fistful of salt to the water. Your water should taste like the ocean. Add your fresh pasta and stir to separate the noodles. Allow the pasta to cook for 2-3 minutes, then remove to a colander. Enjoy with some high quality EVOO for a simple and tasty pasta, or with your preferred sauce.
**If cooking frozen pasta: remove pasta from freezer directly into your boiling salted water. Add one additional minute to cooking time.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Fresh pasta freezes perfectly! Once your pasta is cut into your desired shape, dust with additional flour or semolina and place nests of pasta on a sheet tray. Place the sheet tray (uncovered) in the freezer for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the pasta from the freezer and put it in airtight freezer storage bags and place the bags back in the freezer. Enjoy within 3 months.
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Gorgeous smooth and velvety pasta recipes on this blog! They inspire me to cook better <3
Thanks so much for your comment and for making our recipes! We are so happy to hear that you love them!
My favorite, go to, fail proof homemade pasta recipe! Last weekend was my third time using this recipe and it came out beautifully… both the process of making it and the end result of everyone asking for more. My only recommendation is you double up because it’s too good, everyone will want seconds and if there happens to be any left- you can conveniently freeze it for another day.
Highly recommend!
Thank you so much for your comment! We are thrilled that you love this recipe as much as we do!
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Thank you! The topic of homemade pasta is very interesting, we are waiting for your next publications, if they are in the plans. What is the best way to dry pasta? Just spread on some surface at room temperature?
Hello Carolyn,
We recommend that you freeze fresh egg pasta, especially if using our recipe for Multipurpose Pasta Dough in this post, rather than drying it. But if you are making eggless pasta dough, you should lay it out flat in a single layer and allow it to dry for several hours to a few days (depending on the climate) before storing in an airtight container in your pantry.