Homemade Italian Pasta Recipe

This homemade Italian pasta recipe is the authentic recipe for pasta all'uovo (pasta with egg) which is the dough of the classic Italian homemade pasta like tagliatelle, fettuccine, spaghetti, lasagne, tortellini, and ravioli. Once you master it, it is a fun recipe to make with children.

Jump to:

• Is pasta originally from China?
• Pasta by region
• What flour to use
• The importance of the ingredients
• Making pasta by hand or by machine
• Making the dough
• Shaping the pasta
• How thick should be the pasta sheets
• Making tagliatelle
• Making spaghetti
• How to store it
• How to cook it
• Sauces for fresh pasta
• Other recipes you may like
• 📋 Homemade Italian Pasta Recipe

Is pasta originally from China?

While it is believed that pasta was introduced in Italy by Marco Polo in the 13th century back from his trip to Asia, pasta was already made in Italy way before.

There were found traces of pasta in the Etruscan tombs 4th century BC, and recipes were found in the famous cooking book from the Roman Empire "Res Culinaria" by Apicio.

In addition, the Chinese noddle and the Italian pasta are not very similar.

In China pasta is made with rice flour while Italian pasta is made with durum wheat semolina.

Their consistency, taste and cooking methods are very different.

Pasta by region

Italian pasta can also vary widely by region. Each region has its traditions, technique, shape, and styles.

This recipe is for the classic pasta all'uovo used to make tagliatelle, fettuccine, and lasagne and has its origins in the Region of Emilia Romagna.

Emilia Romagna is the region where the durum wheat semolina flour used in this recipe is farmed, in its fertile fields of the Po valley.

Using this pasta all'uovo dough as a base, each local town has created its pasta specialty which goes from lasagna to tagliatelle, tortellini, and ravioli.

If you want to know more about Italian regional cuisine you can read the article: Traditional Italian Recipes By Region

What flour to use

The traditional Pasta all'uovo is made with durum wheat semolina flour. Making it with regular flour will not give the same results.

Regular flour will make the pasta too tough and will not result in the right consistency.

You can buy the Semolina flour in this Amazon affiliate link.

If you cannot find the Semolina flour, you can try using the same flour you would use for bread.

The importance of the ingredients

The choice and the measurements of the ingredients are very important.

• For each person, you would need 100 gr (3.5 oz) of semolina flour and for each 100 gr ( 3.5 oz) of semolina flour, you need 1 egg.
• 100 gr (3.5 oz) of semolina flour is about 0.6 Cup, so slightly more than half a cup.
• Traditionally eggs with a dark shell were used as the yolk would have a brighter red color that will give the pasta a nice golden look.
• For every 3 eggs, you would need to add 2 teaspoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt.

• American flours may need also 1 tablespoon of water. Add it if the dough crumbles.
• The dough should be elastic and should not stick to the fingers, otherwise, it will not pass smoothly between the pasta rolls.
• Make sure you have a large free surface to lay the sheets once they are rolled. They take a lot of space.
• You will also need some regular flour to dust the surface where you lay the pasta sheets so they don't stick to each other.

Making pasta by hand or by machine

Making pasta by hand is not difficult but it is long and time consuming, so if you plan of making homemade pasta regularly buying a pasta machine is worth it.

The dough has to be mixed for a long time to achieve the right smooth and elastic consistency. It is so much easier to use an electric mixer.

I use the KitchenAid mixer as it also has the rolls to shape the pasta. For me, it was worth the investment as I make homemade pasta quite often.

I have my own chickens and plenty of eggs to use.

Although KitchenAid is expensive and not for everyone. If you don't want to spend as much, you can use your electric mixer to make the dough and invest in a regular Pasta Machine to roll the pasta.

N.B.: Pasta rolls and pasta machine should not be washed with water otherwise the rolls will rust. Use a brush to brush off the remaining flour.

If the rolls still look dirty, pass a small amount of dough to remove the dirt and throw it away.

Making the dough

In this recipe I am using 500 gr (1 lb - 3 cups) of Semolina flour, 5 eggs and 1 tablespoon of olive oil:

1. Put the eggs, the semolina flour, and the olive oil into the mixer
2. Mix the dough until it is smooth and elastic, it will take few minutes
3. Wrap the dough in cling and let it rest for 30 minutes
4. On a large well-floured surface, cut the dough into 6 pieces

Shaping the pasta

Making the sheets

1. Pass the first piece of dough through the rolls (keep the speed of the rolls low, on KitchenAid I use 2)
2. Rolls thickness settings at number 1
3. Fold the dough and pass it through again several times
4. Until the dough is smooth and you hear a bubble burst

What to do if the sheet tears

5. If the dough tears
6. Fold and dust the surface with regular flour

7. Do the same with all the pieces of dough until all the dough is shaped in thick sheets (about 3 mm - ⅛")

Thinning down the pasta sheets

1. Once all the dough is shaped into sheets
2. Reduce the rolls thickness settings to number 2
3. Pass all the sheets through one by one (low speed)
4. If the sheets get too long cut them in two with a sharp knife ( I usually keep my sheets 20 cm - 8 in long)

5. Keep reducing the thickness of the rolls to number 3
6. Pass all the sheets through the rolls again
7. Reduce the thickness to number 4 and pass all the sheets again
8. The sheets will become very long. If you don't have enough space and you have to overlap them, flour their surface so they don't stick to each other

How thick should be the pasta sheets

The thickness of the pasta sheets depends on their final use. On KitchenAid the settings are as follow:

• Setting Number 1 and 2 to knead and shape the dough into sheets
• Setting Number 3 a thicker pasta used for stew or broth
• Setting Number 4 is used for lasagna, tagliatelle, fettuccine, and spaghetti
• Setting Number 5 for tortellini and ravioli

Once the sheets have the thickness required, you can proceed to roll them into the final shape.

Making tagliatelle

1. Insert the tagliatelle roll into the machine and pass through the sheets one at the time
2. Place each batch of tagliatelle on the floured board

Making spaghetti

1. Insert the spaghetti roll into the machine and pass through the sheets one at the time
2. Place each batch of spaghetti on the floured board

How to store it

The pasta can either be cooked immediately or stored for later use.

1. If you want to store the pasta for later use, spread them on the board
2. Let them dry for few hours covered with a cloth
3. Store in an air thigh container and use within 1 week
4. If you want to keep them for longer you can freeze them

How to cook it

Homemade Italian pasta is cooked in salted boiling water just like regular pasta but it only requires 4 minutes of boiling.

If you are not familiar with how Italian cook pasta, here are the main rules we follow:

Sauces for fresh pasta

Homemade Italian pasta all'uovo is usually served with a meat sauce like ragu (lamb ragu) or Bolognese. Here in Provence, they serve it with Daube Provencal.

Fresh pasta all'uovo has a rich taste, so it can also be seasoned with a simple tomato sauce, butter, or fresh truffle.

Once served let your guests top it with some freshly grated Parmesan.

Once you make this homemade Italian pasta recipe a couple of times, it will become easier and easier to make.

It is so easy that once you mastered it, I encourage you to make with your young children.

They will love seeing the tagliatelle coming out of the rolls and touch them with their little fingers.

Other recipes you may like

If you like to try homemade pasta, I am sure you will also love to make fresh homemade gnocchi, and here are some recipes you can try:

• Light and fluffy gnocchi
• How to make Italian gnocchi
• Rainbow gnocchi

If you are making a homemade Italian pasta recipe, leave your comment below I would like to hear from you. You can find more delicious ideas if you FOLLOW ME on Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest and Instagram or sign up to my newsletter.