Homemade Pasta (A Step-by-Step Guide)
Homemade Pasta (A Step-by-Step Guide): Transform ordinary flour and eggs into culinary magic! This step-by-step guide will walk you through the entire process of making homemade pasta, from dough to delicious dish. Tom the Chef Founder Published: November 26, 2024 Introduction to Homemade Pasta (A Step-by-Step Guide) Making your own pasta might seem intimidating, but it’s easier than you think! This step-by-step guide will walk you through the process, from creating the perfect pasta dough to shaping and cooking your delicious creations. To begin, you’ll need a batch of fresh pasta dough. You can find my simple recipe here. Once you have your dough ready, follow these easy steps in our homemade pasta (a step-by-step guide) and transform it into beautiful, homemade pasta! 1. Pre-form the dough: 1.1. Place the dough on a floured working surface and using a dough cutter, separate into 6 pieces (lengthwise). Important: If you are going to use a pasta press instead of pasta rollers, for example, for preparing macaroni, skip directly from this step to pressing your desired shape with the pasta press and ignore the following instructions for the pasta roller. 1.2. Generously flour all pieces, and using a rolling pin, flatten into sheets about 1/4″ or less thick and again generously flour. Tip You can dip pieces of the dough in a flour bin instead of flouring them by hand. Another good alternative is to use a small strainer to distribute the flour. 2. Basic Noodle Sheets: 2.1. Set the pasta maker (sheet roller) to 1 (maximum thickness) and process into sheets on high speed. Note: Steps 4.2 and 4.3. do not have to be performed for lasagna since our final pasta dough doesn’t have to be that compact. 2.2. Then fold each processed sheet in half and process again (feed the folded side in). Dust between the majority of the folds to start forming a compact dough and to incorporate more flour into the dough. 2.3. Repeat this step about 3 – 5 times to reach a nice smooth and pliable consistency. Always fold into half, either by the width or lengthwise based on how wide the dough is (a dough with a thickness of 1 should have a width that is at most ½ of the width of the pasta roller). Optionally, fold the dough or even cut it into half (lengthwise) if the dough is getting to be too wide. 3. Final pasta dough forming: 3.1. Process from a low number to a higher number until you reach the desired thickness. Note: Starting with a thickness of 2, run each pasta sheet through the machine once or twice, and do not fold. Dust each pasta sheet with flour after each roll (or at least after a few rolls). Important: The desired thickness depends on the pasta shape you selected. Refer to the guide below to identify the correct thickness for your chosen shape before proceeding further. 3.2. When you reach the desired thickness, replace the sheet roller with the required cutter (only for some kinds of pasta, when specified) or cut the sheet into individual noodles using a knife or pizza cutter. Important: Instructions for each of the popular pasta shapes are below. Popular Pasta Shapes Soup noodles Desired thickness 2 Switch to the spaghetti cutter and cut into noodles. You can keep the sheets long for longer noodles or you can cut them into the desired length before cutting with a spaghetti cutter. You can add them directly into the soup for the last 2 – 5 minutes of cooking or cook them separately in water for about 1 – 2 minute. Desired thickness 2 Switch to the spaghetti cutter and cut into noodles. You can keep the sheets long for longer noodles or you can cut them into the desired length before cutting with a spaghetti cutter. You can add them directly into the soup for the last 2 – 5 minutes of cooking or cook them separately in water for about 1 – 2 minute. Spaghetti Desired thickness 2 Switch to the spaghetti cutter and cut spaghetti/Lo Mein. Cooking time is about 1 – 3 minute (with really dense dough it may take a little longer). Desired thickness 2 Switch to the spaghetti cutter and cut spaghetti/Lo Mein. Cooking time is about 1 – 3 minute (with really dense dough it may take a little longer). Fettuccine Desired thickness 5 Switch to the fettuccine cutter and cut the fettuccine. Cooking time is about 1 – 2 minutes (with really dense dough it may take a little longer). Desired thickness 5 Switch to the fettuccine cutter and cut the fettuccine. Cooking time is about 1 – 2 minutes (with really dense dough it may take a little longer). Pappardelle Desired thickness 5 Cut 1″ wide pappardelle noodles using knife. Cooking time is about 1 – 2 minutes (with really dense dough it may take a little longer). Desired thickness 5 Cut 1″ wide pappardelle noodles using knife. Cooking time is about 1 – 2 minutes (with really dense dough it may take a little longer). Lasagna sheets Desired thickness 5 Cut each sheet in half to reach 12 sheets (or to shape your lasagna pan), and use for preparing lasagna. Do not precook (the dough will be placed raw directly on the lasagna and cooked while baking in the oven). Desired thickness 5 Cut each sheet in half to reach 12 sheets (or to shape your lasagna pan), and use for preparing lasagna. Do not precook (the dough will be placed raw directly on the lasagna and cooked while baking in the oven). Ravioli Desired thickness 5 Ravioli cut into squares or circles, add filling. Brush with egg and fold together Cooking time is about 1 – 2 minutes. Desired thickness 5 Ravioli cut into squares or circles, add filling. Brush with egg and fold together Cooking time is about 1 – 2 minutes. Tagliatelle Desired thickness 6 Switch to the fettuccine cutter and cut tagliatelle. Cooking time is about 30 seconds to 90 seconds (with really dense dough it may take a little longer). Desired thickness 6 Switch to the fettuccine cutter and cut tagliatelle. Cooking time is about 30 seconds to 90 seconds (with really dense dough it may take a little longer). Tortellini Desired thickness 6 Tortellini cut into squares or circles, add filling. Brush with egg and fold together. Cooking time is about 1 – 2 minutes. Desired thickness 6 Tortellini cut into squares or circles, add filling. Brush with egg and fold together. Cooking time is about 1 – 2 minutes. Linguine / Linguine Fini Desired thickness 5 for regular linguine or thickness 6 or 7 for linguine fini. Switch to the spaghetti cutter and cut linguine. Cooking time is about 30 – 90 seconds (with really dense dough it may take a little longer). Desired thickness 5 for regular linguine or thickness 6 or 7 for linguine fini. Switch to the spaghetti cutter and cut linguine. Cooking time is about 30 – 90 seconds (with really dense dough it may take a little longer). Angel hair soup noodles Desired thickness 7 or 8. Switch to the spaghetti cutter and cut angel hair noodles. You can keep the sheets long for longer noodles or you can cut them into the desired length before cutting with a spaghetti cutter. You can add them directly to soup for last 2 – 3 minutes of cooking or cook them separately in water for about 60 seconds. Desired thickness 7 or 8. Switch to the spaghetti cutter and cut angel hair noodles. You can keep the sheets long for longer noodles or you can cut them into the desired length before cutting with a spaghetti cutter. You can add them directly to soup for last 2 – 3 minutes of cooking or cook them separately in water for about 60 seconds. Special shape pasta For fusilli, penne, macaroni, etc., you will need a special pasta press – for the exact directions, follow the instructions enclosed with the machine. Cooking time is about 1 – 4 minutes (based on the shape of pasta; with really dense dough it may take a little longer). For fusilli, penne, macaroni, etc., you will need a special pasta press – for the exact directions, follow the instructions enclosed with the machine. Cooking time is about 1 – 4 minutes (based on the shape of pasta; with really dense dough it may take a little longer). Note that there are many more kinds of pasta (not all pasta shapes are listed). 4. Cook or Dry: When your pasta is formed, you can cook it immediately or dry it for later use. Delicious Pasta Recipes You Need To Try From Sarah Published: August 26, 2025 From The Headless Chef Published: February 5, 2025 From Tom the Chef Published: January 14, 2025 Chicken Parmesan 30 min.30 min. 30 min. 30 min. 1x From Tom the Chef Published: January 14, 2025 From Laura Published: November 13, 2024 From Laura Published: November 12, 2024 From Laura Published: November 11, 2024 From Chef Jeff Published: October 25, 2024 From Tom the Chef Published: October 24, 2024 From Sammiedee Published: October 17, 2024 From Chef Jeff Published: October 3, 2024 From Laura Published: September 24, 2024 From Laura Published: September 23, 2024 From The Headless Chef Published: September 17, 2024 From Tom the Chef Published: March 19, 2024 From Tom the Chef Published: January 31, 2024 From Tom the Chef Published: January 21, 2024 From Tom the Chef Published: January 21, 2024 From Tom the Chef Published: January 21, 2024 From Tom the Chef Published: January 18, 2024 From Tom the Chef Published: January 18, 2024 Mac & Cheese 30 min.30 min. 30 min. 30 min. From Tom the Chef Published: January 18, 2024 From Tom the Chef Published: January 18, 2024 From Tom the Chef Published: January 18, 2024 From Tom the Chef Published: January 18, 2024 Pasta Dough 25 min.25+ min. 25 min. 25+ min. From Tom the Chef Published: January 17, 2024 From Tom the Chef Published: January 17, 2024 From Tom the Chef Published: January 5, 2024 From Faceless Chef Published: December 14, 2023 Carbonara Pasta 25 min.60 min. 25 min. 60 min. 2x From Faceless Chef Published: December 12, 2023 Congratulations! You’ve now mastered the art of making homemade pasta. With a little practice, you’ll be creating delicious, personalized pasta dishes that will impress your friends and family. So grab your ingredients, unleash your creativity, and enjoy the wonderful world of homemade pasta! About the Author: Tom the ChefFounder # 1 120 Followers Published Recipes: 268Av. Recipe Evaluation: Location: Iowa, USAMember since: 2023-02-02 Published Recipes: 268 Av. 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Sourcing of ingredients, providing tools, equipment, and anything else related to the preparation and consumption of the products of this recipe. Nutritional data and information and diet-related information (and their accuracy). It is important to consult with your medical provider to ensure that the diet you are considering is suitable for you and to verify the information provided before proceeding. The overall outcome of following recipes, including the look and taste of the final product. Possible errors in articles and recipes (including incorrectly or unclearly explained steps and directions). Typos. All readers (users and visitors of www.CookingHub.com) are responsible for evaluating the recipes and articles and making their own decisions about whether to follow the steps and recommendations. They must ensure that the ingredients and steps fit with their dietary restrictions and avoid preparation methods that could pose a health risk due to an unsuitable diet.