How to Make Fresh Pasta at Home
There’s something quite special about making your own homemade pasta. While the option of dried (store-bought) pasta is never a bad one, there’s nothing that quite gives the same experience of creating fresh pasta from scratch.
This guide introduces you to the world of fresh pasta, providing you with the ingredients and methods required, plus information on storing, cooking and answers to some common questions. We have also provided a selection of delicious recipes you can try yourself, allowing you to experiment with your pasta making once you’ve mastered the basics.
Why make homemade pasta?
Making your own homemade pasta is one of those things that initially may seem like it requires some effort, however many will agree that once you have learnt how, the reward always outweighs this.
Learning how to make fresh pasta is hugely rewarding for any foodie and leaves you with a great sense of pride afterward – especially when you see your family or friends tucking into a bowl of ravioli, tortelli or spaghetti that you have made.
Learning how to make fresh pasta is hugely rewarding for any foodie and leaves you with a great sense of pride afterward – especially when you see your family or friends tucking into a bowl of ravioli, tortelli or spaghetti that you have made.
Also, there is a real pleasure in the process of making it. It’s one of those relaxing and therapeutic experiences that makes cooking so rewarding, plus you will develop a whole new set of cookery skills.
Once you have mastered the basics, you can start to experiment more and have fun with it.
As well as the standard pasta recipe, you can get creative, with home chefs using different natural ingredients to turn their pasta into a variety of colours. Squid Ink is used to turn your pasta black; Spinach makes it green; Tomato paste gives it an orange hue; and Beetroot results in a vibrant purple colour.
Adding these ingredients to your dough will also allow you to test out different flavours. Other things to try include:
Freshly chopped herbs, such as basil, parsley, or mint
Ground spices, such as turmeric, chilli flakes or paprika
Roasted peppers
Cocoa powder
Once you have mastered the basics, you can start to experiment more and have fun with it.
As well as the standard pasta recipe, you can get creative, with home chefs using different natural ingredients to turn their pasta into a variety of colours. Squid Ink is used to turn your pasta black; Spinach makes it green; Tomato paste gives it an orange hue; and Beetroot results in a vibrant purple colour.
Adding these ingredients to your dough will also allow you to test out different flavours. Other things to try include:
Freshly chopped herbs, such as basil, parsley, or mint
Ground spices, such as turmeric, chilli flakes or paprika
Roasted peppers
Cocoa powder
Your creativity does not have to stop there, as you can also try out a range of different pasta shapes. From the long, ribbons of tagliatelle or fettucine, to the more intricate patterns of fusilli, casarecce or silatelli.
Pasta makers, cutters and shaper attachments for your food mixer can make this even easier and quicker.
Pasta makers, cutters and shaper attachments for your food mixer can make this even easier and quicker.
A final reason for making your own pasta is that you are in control of the ingredients you use. This means you can experiment with different flours or use eggs from your favourite local farm. Also, if you are adding new flavours or colours you can source some of these from a trusted supplier or even out of your own garden.
Homemade pasta ingredients
When it comes to making homemade pasta there are two great things about fresh pasta - you only need three key ingredients (flour, eggs and salt) and you are likely to have these in your cupboard or fridge already.
Different recipes have slightly different requirements, as you will see with the recipes we feature below, with some of them requiring additional optional ingredients such as olive oil (which can also help to bind your dough) or semolina.
When it comes to flour, some recipes simply use plain flour, whereas others suggest you use ‘Type 00’. This is a fine, white Italian flour used specifically for fresh pasta making. It is commonly sold in major supermarkets, but your favourite Italian deli or online food supplier will also stock it.
Several people start to experiment with mixing flours too. For example, using a mix of ‘00’ and semolina flour makes the pasta more robust than just using the more delicate pure ‘00’. Depending what type of sauce you are planning on using, you might want to try a different combination.
Different recipes have slightly different requirements, as you will see with the recipes we feature below, with some of them requiring additional optional ingredients such as olive oil (which can also help to bind your dough) or semolina.
When it comes to flour, some recipes simply use plain flour, whereas others suggest you use ‘Type 00’. This is a fine, white Italian flour used specifically for fresh pasta making. It is commonly sold in major supermarkets, but your favourite Italian deli or online food supplier will also stock it.
Several people start to experiment with mixing flours too. For example, using a mix of ‘00’ and semolina flour makes the pasta more robust than just using the more delicate pure ‘00’. Depending what type of sauce you are planning on using, you might want to try a different combination.
Homemade pasta equipment
As with many things in cooking, many basic methods only require minimal equipment, but using the right kitchen appliance will make things quicker and easier.
To make homemade pasta completely by hand you simply need a large cutting board, a fork, a rolling pin, some reusable wrap, and a sharp knife.
Taking this step further, you can use a mechanical pasta maker to help you roll the pasta dough to the required thickness.
To help speed up the dough-making part of the process is to use a food processor, rather than the fork method.
And another option which really helps you make your dough simply is to use a stand mixer. Not only will you be able to speed up the process of mixing the dough, but there are also a wide range of useful pasta attachments, including shapers, rollers and cutters.
A final optional piece of equipment is a pasta drying rack. These are typically wooden and look great in your kitchen with ribbons of fresh pasta drying on them.
Taking this step further, you can use a mechanical pasta maker to help you roll the pasta dough to the required thickness.
To help speed up the dough-making part of the process is to use a food processor, rather than the fork method.
And another option which really helps you make your dough simply is to use a stand mixer. Not only will you be able to speed up the process of mixing the dough, but there are also a wide range of useful pasta attachments, including shapers, rollers and cutters.
A final optional piece of equipment is a pasta drying rack. These are typically wooden and look great in your kitchen with ribbons of fresh pasta drying on them.
Using a stand mixer means you will save time and effort, plus make less mess in your kitchen than if you just do it by hand.
Here are the steps to follow:
1. To start, fit the dough hook to your stand mixer and add the ingredients into the bowl (depending on your pasta recipe)
2. Next use the speed setting 2 and mix for about 3 minutes. You are looking for a mixture that looks crumbly but is still moist. If it seems a bit too dry, then add a tablespoon or two of water, and if it seems too sticky, then add a little extra flour
3. Remove the mixture from the bowl, put it onto a floured large board and then knead it by hand until it becomes a smooth dough
4. Use your hands to form a ball, wrap the dough and let it rest at room temperature for at least 15 minutes (although this can be up to 2 hours if you need to do something else in the meantime)
5. Now it is time to turn your dough into pasta sheets. Start by rolling it out with a rolling pin into a flattened oval disc shape. Then take your flattened disc and feed it through the stand mixer pasta roller attachment, roller, changing the setting from 1 to 6 or 7 to get the right thickness (this is typically between 1-2mm). It can be rolled by hand or using a manual machine but once you’ve used the attachment on your mixer, you’ll realise how much easier it is. Alternatively, you can continue to roll it by hand
6. Once you have rolled out the pasta sheets, it can be cut into different widths to make lasagne, spaghetti, trenette or fettuccine using the different pasta cutters, or if you wish, you can cut by hand. It can also be used to make filled pasta such as ravioli or tortellini.
7. The last step is to dry the pasta for around 30 minutes, using a pasta rack or creating ‘nests’
1. To start, fit the dough hook to your stand mixer and add the ingredients into the bowl (depending on your pasta recipe)
2. Next use the speed setting 2 and mix for about 3 minutes. You are looking for a mixture that looks crumbly but is still moist. If it seems a bit too dry, then add a tablespoon or two of water, and if it seems too sticky, then add a little extra flour
3. Remove the mixture from the bowl, put it onto a floured large board and then knead it by hand until it becomes a smooth dough
4. Use your hands to form a ball, wrap the dough and let it rest at room temperature for at least 15 minutes (although this can be up to 2 hours if you need to do something else in the meantime)
5. Now it is time to turn your dough into pasta sheets. Start by rolling it out with a rolling pin into a flattened oval disc shape. Then take your flattened disc and feed it through the stand mixer pasta roller attachment, roller, changing the setting from 1 to 6 or 7 to get the right thickness (this is typically between 1-2mm). It can be rolled by hand or using a manual machine but once you’ve used the attachment on your mixer, you’ll realise how much easier it is. Alternatively, you can continue to roll it by hand
6. Once you have rolled out the pasta sheets, it can be cut into different widths to make lasagne, spaghetti, trenette or fettuccine using the different pasta cutters, or if you wish, you can cut by hand. It can also be used to make filled pasta such as ravioli or tortellini.
7. The last step is to dry the pasta for around 30 minutes, using a pasta rack or creating ‘nests’
How to make pasta by hand
An alternative to using a stand mixer to make your pasta is to do it all by hand.
To do this:
1. Take your flour and create a mound on your board or work surface. Make a well in the centre and add the remaining ingredients to the flour, using a fork to break up the eggs in the process
2. Use your hands to combine the ingredients until you have a rough ball of dough
1. Take your flour and create a mound on your board or work surface. Make a well in the centre and add the remaining ingredients to the flour, using a fork to break up the eggs in the process
2. Use your hands to combine the ingredients until you have a rough ball of dough
3. Knete den Teig, bis er glatt ist – das kann etwa 8–10 Minuten dauern, was länger ist, als wenn du einen Standmixer verwenden würdest
4. Wickel den Teig ein und lasse ihn etwa 30 Minuten lang bei Raumtemperatur ruhen
4. Wickel den Teig ein und lasse ihn etwa 30 Minuten lang bei Raumtemperatur ruhen
5. Snijd het deeg in stukken (afhankelijk van de hoeveelheid die je hebt gemaakt), neem elk stuk en gebruik een deegroller om het tot een dikte van 1-2 mm te rollen.
6. Gebruik een scherp mes om het in ‘linten’ van verschillende breedtes te snijden, afhankelijk van het soort pasta dat je wil maken (bijvoorbeeld tagliatelle, pappardelle of fettuccine). Bestuif deze met wat bloem om te voorkomen dat ze kleven.
7. Ten slotte moet je de pasta drogen met behulp van een specifiek rek of door individuele 'nesten' te creëren.
6. Gebruik een scherp mes om het in ‘linten’ van verschillende breedtes te snijden, afhankelijk van het soort pasta dat je wil maken (bijvoorbeeld tagliatelle, pappardelle of fettuccine). Bestuif deze met wat bloem om te voorkomen dat ze kleven.
7. Ten slotte moet je de pasta drogen met behulp van een specifiek rek of door individuele 'nesten' te creëren.
Zo kook je verse pasta
Nu je de pasta hebt gemaakt, is het tijd om het te koken zodat je ervan kunt genieten.
Het belangrijkste om te onthouden bij het koken van verse pasta in vergelijking met de gedroogde variant is dat de kooktijd veel korter is.
Afhankelijk van de dikte kan de pasta al in 15 seconden gaar zijn, en bij veel soorten pasta moet je streven naar 'al dente', in ongeveer 2-3 minuten.
Om de pasta te koken doe je deze in een grote pan met gezouten kokend water. Voeg de pasta toe, roer zachtjes en breng het terug aan de kook. Begin vervolgens met het timen van jouw gewenste kooktijd.
Zodra de pasta gaar is, laat je deze onmiddellijk uitlekken en serveer je deze zo snel mogelijk.
Het belangrijkste om te onthouden bij het koken van verse pasta in vergelijking met de gedroogde variant is dat de kooktijd veel korter is.
Afhankelijk van de dikte kan de pasta al in 15 seconden gaar zijn, en bij veel soorten pasta moet je streven naar 'al dente', in ongeveer 2-3 minuten.
Om de pasta te koken doe je deze in een grote pan met gezouten kokend water. Voeg de pasta toe, roer zachtjes en breng het terug aan de kook. Begin vervolgens met het timen van jouw gewenste kooktijd.
Zodra de pasta gaar is, laat je deze onmiddellijk uitlekken en serveer je deze zo snel mogelijk.
Verse pasta bewaren
Zoals de naam al doet vermoeden, kun je verse pasta het beste kort nadat je deze hebt gemaakt nuttigen. Bewaar het in een luchtdichte container en kook het binnen twee dagen.
Het goede nieuws is dat je ongekookte verse pasta tot een maand lang kunt invriezen.
Eenmaal gekookt, is het de volgende dag waarschijnlijk nog goed, als je niet alles hebt opgegeten of als je te veel hebt gemaakt voor één maaltijd.
Zoals de naam al doet vermoeden, kun je verse pasta het beste kort nadat je deze hebt gemaakt nuttigen. Bewaar het in een luchtdichte container en kook het binnen twee dagen. Het goede nieuws is dat je ongekookte verse pasta tot een maand lang kunt invriezen. Eenmaal gekookt, is het de volgende dag waarschijnlijk nog goed, als je niet alles hebt opgegeten of als je te veel hebt gemaakt voor één maaltijd.
Door zelf verse pasta te maken, kun je jouw lievelingsgerechten opnieuw proberen of jouw eigen familiefavorieten creëren. Ook kun je jouw creatieve vaardigheden uitleven met tal van smaken. En deze creativiteit wordt nog spannender als je bedenkt dat er een enorme verscheidenheid is aan verse pastarecepten die je kunt uitproberen en waarvan je kunt genieten.
Van een eenvoudige klassieker zoals een spaghetti bolognese tot de meer complexe tortelloni met prosciutto, ricotta, parmezaan en erwtenpesto, pastarecepten zijn flexibel en bieden talloze vleesvrije opties.
Hier volgt een kleine selectie van onze favorieten:
Carbonara
Spaghetti alla carbonara is another classic pasta recipe. It sees fresh spaghetti combined with tangy Parmesan cheese, smoky pancetta and eggs, plus added flavour from garlic, black pepper and olive oil.
Get the recipe
Get the recipe
Kip pesto oprollasagne
Dit is een recept voor lasagne met een belangrijk verschil. De vaak gebruikte ragoutsaus van rundvlees wordt hier vervangen door de hoofdingrediënten kip, muskaatpompoen en groene pesto.
Het recept
Het recept
Paste cu cerneală de calamar cu scoici
Această rețetă nu se remarcă doar prin combinația armonioasă de scoici, ardei iute, usturoi și ulei de măsline, ci și prin culoarea neagră vibrantă a pastelor, datorită cernelii de calamar. Fettuccine sunt pastele preferate pentru acest fel de mâncare.
Aflați reţeta
Aflați reţeta
Tortellini cu spanac și ricotta
Aceasta este o rețetă pentru iubitorii de paste umplute, cu o combinație câștigătoare de spanac și brânză ricotta. Nucșoara rasă și frunzele de salvie tocate aduc cu adevărat acest fel de mâncare la viață.
Aflați reţeta
Aflați reţeta
Ravioli cu crab
O alta rețetă cu pachete de paste, dar de data aceasta pastele ravioli și umplutura combină carne albă de crab, ricotta și pesmet. Aromele includ lămâie, pătrunjel, mărar şi salvie.
Aflați reţeta
Aflați reţeta
Întrebări frecvente despre prepararea pastelor
Sperăm că acest articol v-a oferit deja o mulțime de informații despre prepararea propriilor paste, cu toate acestea mai jos este un rezumat al întrebărilor cheie frecvente pe care le puteți avea.
Ce făină este cea mai bună pentru a prepara paste?
Este larg acceptat că cel mai bun tip de făină pentru a prepara paste proaspete este „00”.
Aceasta este o făină albă, iar cei doi zero se referă la grosimea texturii – făina cu un singur zero („0”) este brută și făina cu trei zero („000”) este în regulă, „00” fiind între acestea.
După cum am menționat mai sus, puteți găsi făină „00” pe scară largă în prezent în marile supermarketuri, magazine italiene și magazine specializate în produse alimentare, precum și în magazinele online de produse alimentare.
Ar trebui să folosiți ouă sau apă în aluatul pentru pastele proaspete?
Cu excepția cazului în care preparați paste vegane, ouăle sunt opțiunea preferată, deoarece dau umiditate pastelor.
Ouăle ajută la formarea glutenului pentru o structură și o formă bună, plus grăsimea, care ajută ca aluatul să fie neted și mătăsos.
Există câteva rețete de paste proaspete care folosesc apă în loc de ouă, care se pare că datează din vremurile raționalizării după cel de-al Doilea Război Mondial, când ouăle erau insuficiente.
Selectarea formei corecte de paste
Unul dintre lucrurile minunate despre paste este varietatea de forme în care pot fi făcute. Aceasta înseamnă că vă puteţi distra ore întregi în bucătărie experimentând.
Pentru a potrivi forma corectă de paste cu sosul corespunzător, există câteva instrucțiuni generale de urmat:
| Forma pastelor | Tipul de paste | Sosul ideal |
|---|---|---|
| Lungi și subțiri | Spaghetti, linguine, vermicelli, bucatini, angel hair, reinette și fideo | Sosuri pe bază de roșii, smântână sau ulei |
| fundițe lungi | Lasagna, pappardelle, tagliatelle, fettuccine | Sosuri bogate cu carne sau sosuri cremoase |
| Tuburi | Penne, rigatoni, macaroni, tubini, penne rigate, ziti | Sosuri de legume, bolognese, ragu |
| Spirale | Fusilli, rotini, campanelle, gemelli | Sosuri uşoare şi fine, inclusiv pesto |
| Scoici | Conchiglie, pipe rigate, cavatelli | Sosuri cu smântână dulce sau carne |
| Paste umplute | Tortellini, ravioli sau tortelloni | Sosuri uşoare cu unt şi ulei |
| Mini-forme | Orzo, anelli, orecchiette, tripolini | Supe, tocăniţe sau salată de paste |
Rolele de paste ale roboților de bucătărie sunt cu adevărat utile, deoarece vă pot ajuta să creați cu ușurință o serie de forme diferite.
Puteţi congela paste proaspete negătite?
Pastele proaspete negătite pot fi congelate dacă este necesar.
După ce le-ați preparat, lăsați-le să se usuce timp de aproximativ 15-30 de minute și apoi păstrați-le într-o cutie ermetică la congelator. Alternativ, puteți congela aluatul înainte de rulare și tăiere și îl puteți scoate oricând de la congelator pentru a crea o masă ușoară, dar impresionantă oricând aveți nevoie.
La fel ca majoritatea alimentelor congelate, ar trebui să le consumați cât mai curând posibil, așa că mulți sugerează că nu ar trebui să fie congelate mai mult de o lună.
Puteţi decongela aluatul timp de câteva ore în frigider, deşi unele persoane îl gătesc de la congelator. Urmăriți timpul de gătire, deoarece va avea nevoie de un pic mai mult timp, dar nici să-l gătiți prea mult.
Sunteți pregătiți să vă preparați propriile paste? Începeți cu Kenwood.
Să vă preparați propriile paste proaspete este una dintre acele abilități de învățat, care este extrem de plină de satisfacții și vă permite să experimentați cu o gamă largă de forme, culori și arome.
Este necesar un proces de învățare, mai ales la început, însă utilizarea echipamentelor precum roboții de bucătărie fac întregul proces mai ușor și mai rapid.
Și există o varietate interesantă de rețete pe care să le încercați și, mai important, pentru a vă bucura de mâncare. Alte rețete tentante includ:
Tagliatelle cu dovlecei și roșii