For some reason, I always thought making pasta was really hard: something for only the most serious home cooks. However, I couldn’t have been more wrong! When I did cookery at school, we made fresh pasta, and it was so simple! This Easy Fresh Pasta recipe will show you just how quick it is to make your very own pasta. Once you have tasted fresh pasta, you won’t want to go back to the shop-bought kind.
I use a food processor as it turns the recipe from “speedy” to “literally takes no time at all”. However, if you don’t have one, You can easily mix the dough with a spoon, and then follow the recipe from there. You only need to knead the dough for a little while too, until it becomes smooth.
To my surprise, I found a pasta machine in the depths of one of our cupboards. I didn’t even know we had one. They are really good machines to have if you make pasta often as they make the rolling process really easy. The trick is to fold the dough a few times between feeding it through on the widest setting. This makes the dough really smooth and improves the texture. Lots of pasta machines also come with handy attachments that make quick work of shaping your dough if you want things like spaghetti or tagliatelle. You simply feed the finished dough through just like with the roller setting and it cuts it to shape for you.
If you don’t have a pasta roller, fear not. You can still make delicious pasta at home. Just knead the dough for a little longer and roll out as thin as you can with your rolling pin. Then using a sharp knife, or a pizza cutter, cut it into strips by hand. You might not be able to get them quite as thin or uniform, but it will still be delicious.
After making this Easy Fresh Pasta, I whipped up some homemade pesto and tossed it through the cooked spaghetti. A delicious, easy lunch! But you can add whatever you like to your pasta. You can also use this recipe to make pasta for my Beef Short Rib Ravioli, which is delicious. I hope you convert to being an at-home pasta maker when you see how simple it is!
Easy Fresh Pasta
Equipment
- food processor
- pasta roller
Ingredients
- 400 g plain flour
- 4 eggs
Instructions
- In the food processor, add the flour and the eggs. Pulse until a rough dough forms.
- Tip onto a floured surface and knead for a few minutes until the dough is smooth. Cover in cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- When ready to roll, cut a 4 inch chunk of dough off the main ball (it doesn't need to be precise). Roll the dough into a sausage shape with your fingers, then lay on the surface and flatten with a rolling pin until you have an oblong shape. (If not using a pasta machine, roll as think as possible with your rolling pin, and cut to shape with a sharp knife.)
- Flour the pasta roller and set it to the widest setting and feed the dough piece through. Then lay it flat on the surface, and fold each side inwards on itself. Roll to flatten with a rolling pin and feed it through the pasta machine again. Repeat the fold and roll once more.
- Change the machine settings to one lower, and roll the piece of dough through. Keep lowering the width until you get to the desired thickness.
- If making lasagne or ravioli, your pasta is ready to go! If making another type, cut it to shape with a sharp knife or feed through an attatchment on the pasta machine if you have one. Dust with flour once done to prevent it sticking until you cook it.
- When cooking, the fresh pasta will only take 2-3 minutes to cook in salted boiling water. Toss with some fresh pesto for a quick, delicious meal.
Method in Pictures
Gather your ingredients
Add the ingredients to a food processor
Pulse until the dough comes together
Tip onto a lightly floured surface
Knead for a few minutes until smooth
Cut away a small piece of dough
Flatten the piece with your hand as much as you can
Generously flour the pasta machine
Set the machine to the thickest setting and roll the piece through
Fold the rolled piece over on itself like this
And flatten again with your hands
Roll again on the thickest setting
Move the settings on the roller down one by one
And roll the dough through each time until reaching the desired thickness
If using the pasta dough for spaghetti or tagliatelle, roll through an attachment piece, or cut with a sharp knife
Dust with flour so the pieces don't stick together
Do the same with any of the settings on your machine
When ready to cook, add to salted boiling water for 2-3 minutes
For a quick and easy meal, serve with a few spoons of fresh pesto, or a tomato sauce