Our Easy Homemade Pasta Noodles recipe is simple to make and oh so delicious too! With just four common kitchen ingredients, you can have homemade pasta from scratch on your dinner table this evening.
Easy Homemade Pasta Recipe
What are your fondest childhood memories? Mine are of my little Italian Grandma Dora making homemade pasta for our Sunday family dinners with my aunts, uncles and cousins.
The importance of family was instilled in all of us from a very young age and we are still close to this day.
Bum Bum, as we affectionately called our grandma, stood tall at 4 feet 10 inches with beautiful blue eyes and a heart of gold.
A strong, loving, kind woman, she was an amazing role model for all of us.
Bum Bum came to this country from Italy as a young girl. She married my grandpa, 16 years her elder, when she was just 19 years old in an old fashioned "arranged marriage" which were commonplace back in the day. And they lived happily ever after!
They had four children, my mother being the second oldest, and lived in the Bronx, New York.
Bum Bum was your typical little Italian lady who loved to cook and make everything from scratch.
Picking dandelion greens in the yard and making a delicious dandelion soup with them signaled that spring had arrived.
Toralles, the classic Italian cookie, formed into shapes including our initials (I loved that!) meant that the holidays were quickly approaching.
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And homemade pasta, made with Bum Bum's special pasta machine and laid out to dry on the dining room table, made me a happy little girl because I knew my cousins would be arriving for dinner soon!
My mom carried on these traditions through the generations and now I do my best to carry the torch and make delicious memories, and fresh pasta, with my four sons and their families.
Thank you Bum Bum for teaching us the importance of family by your example and for making delicious memories that I treasure and savor to this day. xoxo
A delicious recipe you don't want to miss out on that uses homemade pasta is our pasta with tomato basil white wine sauce!
Here at Swirls we have lots of delicious easy pasta recipes for you to try!
You’ll want to check out the Swirls of Flavor Amazon Storefront for my favorite kitchen recommendations!
How to make pasta without a pasta machine
Don't have a pasta machine? No problem!
- Make your pasta dough as directed in the recipe
- Use a rolling pin and roll until pasta dough is desired thickness.
- Sprinkle pasta sheet with a dusting of flour and then roll up.
- Using a sharp knife, cut pasta into 1/4-inch strips for fettuccine or thinner for spaghetti.
- Repeat with remaining sheets of pasta.
The best part of making homemade pasta with my grandchildren, besides the delicious memories we are making, is listening to them rave about how delicious their pasta is as they are eating it! They really love their own cooking! Too cute!
Thank you Bum Bum for teaching us the importance of family by your example, for teaching me how to make your homemade pasta and for making delicious memories that I treasure and savor to this day. xoxo
Tips for making homemade pasta noodles
- Arrange pasta on a sheet pan and cover with a kitchen towel until ready to cook
- Hang on pasta drying rack until ready to cook
- Pasta can be cooked immediately
- Pasta can be left to dry slightly
Making pasta with kids
Making pasta is so much fun for kids to do! My grandkids get so excited when they know we will be making homemade pasta for dinner. And, I must admit, I get excited too! It really is lots of fun!
I love sharing this tradition with them, not just because it has been passed down through the generations in our family but it is:
- A math lesson when they measure out ingredients
- A science lesson when they see how ingredients come together and form something new
- A culinary lesson when they cook the pasta
- A delicious dinner to share together around the dinner table tonight
Homemade Pasta FAQ's
What should I do with the pasta once it is made?
After drying the pasta either on a drying rack or on the table, you can then arrange it on a baking sheet or flat surface and cover it lightly with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap.
You can keep the pasta, covered and at room temperature, until you are ready to cook it later in the day.
Can you freeze uncooked pasta?
Yes, you can absolutely freeze leftover uncooked homemade pasta.
To freeze fresh pasta, first place the homemade pasta on a drying rack or baking sheet for about 15 minutes so that the pasta dries out slightly.
Then you can transfer the pasta to airtight containers or freezer bags. Press out any air before freezing.
Fresh pasta can be stored in the freezer for up to one month.
How long can you leave homemade pasta on the drying rack?
You should leave your homemade pasta to dry on the pasta drying rack, or on a table, for at least 30 minutes.
However, you can leave it to dry for much longer without any issues. The pasta will rehydrate when it cooks in the boiling water.
Can you refrigerate uncooked pasta?
Yes, you can also refrigerate uncooked homemade pasta.
Simply toss the fresh pasta with a little bit of flour, just to lightly coat the pasta so it doesn’t stick together.
Transfer the pasta to airtight plastic food storage bags and refrigerate for up to two days.
How long do you cook homemade pasta for?
Homemade pasta takes less time to cook than store bought pasta in the box.
Add the fresh pasta to boiling salted water and cook just until the pasta floats on top of the water, about 2 minutes, and your pasta is done!
How to make homemade pasta
Scroll down for the full recipe instructions and ingredient amounts in the recipe card below
- Arrange flour in a mound on a flat surface and make a well in the center.
- Place eggs, oil and salt in the well.
- Using a fork lightly beat the eggs, oil and salt then gradually draw in the flour until a dough has formed.
- Knead dough until smooth on a lightly floured surface.
- Divide into two balls and wrap in plastic wrap. Let dough rest 30 minutes.
- Then divide each ball of dough into three pieces.
- Using a pasta machine or rolling pin, roll dough out to desired thickness.
- Cut pasta into long strips using either a pasta machine or a knife.
- Arrange pasta on a sheet pan and cover with a kitchen towel until ready to cook or hang on pasta drying rack. Pasta can be cooked immediately or left to dry slightly.
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta until it floats and is al dente; drain.
- Serve with your favorite sauce.
Ingredients to make the best homemade pasta recipe
- flour – base for pasta
- eggs – help to form and flavor the dough
- olive oil – adds moisture and tenderness
- kosher salt – makes the flavor pop
Easy Pasta Recipes
One Pot Fettuccine Bolognese is an easy recipe brimming with beef, carrots, celery and onions and forms a sauce with diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, red wine and seasonings as it cooks with the pasta in the same pot. Perfect pasta and sauce recipe for a busy weeknight dinner and great to serve when entertaining too!
One Pot Mexicali Bowtie Pasta, an easy recipe for a busy weeknight dinner that cooks in just minutes in one pot, and is bursting with corn, black beans, pasta and cheesiness! Bowtie pasta cooks together in one pot with salsa, butter, chili powder and cumin that becomes a light flavorful sauce, for a pasta dinner with a Mexican flair!
Take the ordinary out of dinner tonight with Lasagna Roll-Ups with Vodka Sauce, an easy recipe that you can make ahead! With just 7 ingredients, you can have this pasta recipe ready for your Meatless Monday dinner.
One Pot Creamy Tomato Basil Pasta makes it’s own velvety tomato sauce and gets it’s creaminess from a secret ingredient cream cheese! Just stir the ingredients together in one pot, bring to a boil and cook until the pasta is al dente. Stir in the cream cheese, arugula and basil and serve!
Easy Homemade Pasta Noodles
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Ingredients
- 3 cups flour , sifted
- 4 large eggs
- 2 Tbs. olive oil
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
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Instructions
- Arrange flour in a mound on a flat surface, making a well in the center.
- Place eggs, oil and salt in the well.
- Using a fork lightly beat the eggs, oil and salt then gradually draw in the flour until a dough has formed.
- Once all ingredients are combined, knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth.
- Divide dough into two balls and wrap in plastic wrap. Let rest 30 minutes.
- Divide each ball of dough into thirds.
- Using a pasta machine or rolling pin, roll dough out to desired thickness.
- Using pasta machine or knife, cut pasta dough into 1-inch wide strips for pappardelle or 1/4-inch wide strips for fettuccine.
- Arrange pasta on a sheet pan and cover with a kitchen towel until ready to cook or hang on pasta drying rack.
- Pasta can be cooked immediately or left to dry slightly.
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta until it floats and is al dente; drain.
- Serve with your favorite sauce.
Notes
- Arrange pasta on a sheet pan and cover with a kitchen towel until ready to cook
- Hang on pasta drying rack until ready to cook
- Pasta can be cooked immediately
- Pasta can be left to dry slightly
Made this recipe yesterday and it turned out delicious! I plan to make my own pasta from now on and hopefully will become skilled at it. My only issue was trying to figure out the pasta machine, but now that I've done it, making my own pasta should be a breeze! Thanks for such a great recipe Gwynn!
This makes me so happy Shelby! You'll get a feel for using that pasta machine in no time! Have fun!
I love making homemade noodles! Sometimes it can be time consuming, but this recipe sounds fairly easy.