Basic Homemade Pasta

My Italian mother made homemade pasta often. She cut her smooth egg-rich dough into a variety of shapes, but among my favorites were her fettuccine—silky flat noodles. She served her homemade noodles with a traditional Bolognese Ragù or, sometimes, simple Pomodoro Sauce. I still remember her hanging the freshly cut noodles to dry on a broomstick that she positioned between two chairs.

Recipe Information

Prep Time

10.0 min

Cook Time

5.0 min

Addition Time

0.0 min

Total Time

25.0 min

Servings

4.0

Yields

1.0

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons water (Optional)

Preparation

Step 1

Gather all ingredients.

Step 2

Combine flour and salt in a medium bowl. Make a well in the center and add beaten egg. Mix well until a stiff dough forms, adding up to 2 tablespoons water if needed.

Step 3

Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth, 3 to 4 minutes. Wrap dough and let rest for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Step 4

Roll dough by hand or with a pasta machine to desired thickness, then cut into strips of desired width and length.

Chef's Note

You can also use a mix of all-purpose flour and 00 flour. I often add just a tablespoon or two of semolina flour to my egg pasta dough. This adds an extra bit of texture, which I like. But it’s really up to you. Once you’ve made pasta a few times, you’ll start to get a feel and a taste for your preferences.

Editor's Note

Pasta machine: I highly recommend using a pasta machine to stretch the dough. I use a classic hand crank machine with rollers to stretch the dough into sheets, as well as cutters to cut the sheets into ribbons.

Nutrition Fact

Calories

176.0 kcal

Protein

6.0 g

Carbs

0 g

Fat

2.0 g

Fiber