Homemade Pasta - Easy Fresh Tagliatelle
There’s something truly rewarding about making fresh pasta at home. The dough comes together with just a few ingredients, but the texture and flavor are on another level compared to dried pasta. Using fine Italian semola flour gives the pasta a beautiful bite and silky texture that works perfectly for homemade tagliatelle. Once you try homemade pasta, it’s hard to go back.
Ingredients
- 4 medium eggs
- 2 ⅔ cup (400g) Italian semola flour , semola rimacinata
- 1 egg yolk , optional, if needed
- extra semola flour , for dusting
Instructions
Prepare the dough.
- Place the semola flour on a clean work surface or in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and add the eggs end extra yolk if used.
- Using a fork, slowly start mixing the eggs into the flour.
- Mix until a shaggy dough forms.
- Transfer the dough to a working surface. Knead the dough for about 8–10 minutes until smooth, elastic, and firm. At first, it may seem dry, but keep kneading, semola flour absorbs moisture slowly.
- If the dough feels too dry, wet your hands slightly while kneading.
- Cover the dough and let it rest for at least 30 minutes at room temperature. This relaxes the gluten and makes rolling much easier.
- Cut the dough into smaller pieces. Keep the remaining pieces covered while working.
- Flatten one piece slightly and pass it through the pasta machine on the widest setting.
- Place the pasta sheets on the working surface and continue with the remaining pieces of dough.
- Gradually reduce the thickness setting.
- If the pasta sheets become too long, cut them in half to make them easier to handle.
- Continue to reduce the thickness setting until you reach your preferred thickness for tagliatelle.
Cut into tagliatelle.
- Dust the pasta sheets lightly with semola flour so they don’t stick. Run them through the tagliatelle cutter attachment.
- Arrange the pasta into little nests or lay flat on a floured tray.
How to cook the pasta.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Fresh pasta cooks quickly, usually in about 2–3 minutes.
- Serve immediately with your favorite sauce.
Notes
- Fine Italian semola flour gives homemade pasta a wonderful texture and slightly chewy bite.
- The dough should feel firm, not sticky. Don’t panic if it seems dry at first, keep kneading.
- Resting the dough is essential. It makes rolling much smoother and prevents the pasta from shrinking back.
- Always keep unused dough covered so it doesn’t dry out.
- Lightly dust pasta sheets with semolina before cutting to prevent sticking.
- Fresh pasta cooks much faster than dried pasta, so keep an eye on it.
- If the dough becomes sticky while rolling, dust lightly with flour, but avoid adding too much.
- Homemade pasta freezes beautifully. You can freeze the tagliatelle nests on a tray, then transfer to a bag once frozen.
- To dry homemade pasta for longer storage, allow it to dry completely for 12–24 hours in a cool, dry place until it becomes brittle. Store the fully dried pasta in an airtight container. Properly dried pasta can be stored at room temperature for up to 1–2 months.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 serving out of 6Calories: 282kcalCarbohydrates: 48.76gProtein: 12.14gFat: 3.49gSaturated Fat: 1.017gTrans Fat: 0.011gCholesterol: 109mgSodium: 42mgPotassium: 164mgFiber: 2.6gSugar: 0.11gVitamin A: 158IUCalcium: 28mgIron: 1.33mg