Food
April 16, 2018
How To Make The Best Homemade Pasta
Food editor Kristen Eppich shares step-by-step instructions on how to master fresh pasta at home.
When you woke up this morning, I bet you didn’t think you could make homemade pasta at all — never mind for tonight’s dinner. Well, with only a few ingredients (that are probably already in your pantry) and about 30 minutes of prep, you can. It’s darn delicious, and more delicate in texture and flavor than dried pasta, even without a complicated sauce. For me, homemade pasta + butter + Parmesan + pepper = heaven. Use my simple, go-to recipe and follow the instructions below to make your own fresh pasta for dinner tonight. Plus, click through for four delicious topping ideas!
Get Kristen’s recipe for homemade pasta dough.
Using this recipe, begin by mixing flour and salt. Form a well. Crack eggs into well and add oil.
Fork whisk, working from the inside out, incorporating flour into eggs until it becomes a shaggy mixture.
Knead dough on floured surface until uniform and smooth, about 5 minutes. Wrap in plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Cut dough into quarters. Keep pieces covered with plastic wrap. Form first piece into a rectangle. Run through pasta machine at widest setting, leading with narrow end.
Fold each end of pasta into the center, then fold in half. Run through widest setting two more times, leading with narrow end.
Run through next setting 3 times, then all narrower settings once. Continue to flour dough as needed to keep it from sticking.
Once your pasta is rolled out, simply cut into random shapes and sizes. Once cooked, it folds into itself, beautifully capturing sauce in the crevices.
Get our recipe for Pasta Rags With Pan-Roasted Mushrooms And Miso Butter.
Sounds decadent, right? It is, in the best way. If you don’t want to cook a whole lobster, take a shortcut and buy frozen lobster meat. It’s cooked, shelled and ready to go. Then just grab a few tails for garnish.
Get our recipe for Shrimp And Lobster Ravioli In Lemon Cream Sauce.
This recipe is my take on a classic bolognese, with all the expected flavors but made with stewed beef instead of ground. I started making bolognese this way because my daughter didn’t like ground meat – now I prefer the added texture and flavor.
Get our recipe for Pappardelle Bolognese.
This recipe is proof that spaghetti pairs well with almost any flavor combination. It features ginger, garlic, eggplant and sausage, cooked hot and fast and then tossed with the pasta.
Get our recipe for Fresh Spaghetti Stir-Fry.
Stacey Brandford
House & Home March 2018