DIY Pasta

Drying Pasta on a hanger

Fresh homemade pasta tastes so much, well, fresher than dry store bought pasta. I often make it for special occasions or when we can't cheaply buy wheat pasta.

Basic Pasta Recipe

(about 2–3 adult servings of pasta, recipe can easily be multiplied by however many servings you need)

1 egg
1 cup flour (white, whole wheat, or a mixture)
2 or more Tbsp water

Measure flour into a bowl or on a clean counter, make a well in the center, add eggs, and mix until well incorporated. Add water a couple of tablespoons at a time and knead well until dough reaches a nice elastic consistency. You can add extra herbs or a little olive oil for a different flavor at this time. Let the dough rest at least a half an hour, and then roll and cut into desired shape.

Flat rectangles for lasagna are the easiest, and you don't even have to dry or boil them. Just layer, bake, or freeze for later. You can also cut smaller rectangles, fill, and roll into manicotti. Or you can cut squares or hearts for ravioli, fill, and use a little egg white or water to seal the edges. Or you can simply cut long strips for fettuccine, dry for at least 15 minutes so that the noodles don't stick together, and boil like regular pasta.

After cutting, you can either bake a pasta dish right away or freeze it for later. Pasta can also be dried and stored in an airtight container for later use. Homemade pasta does not keep well in the fridge (not even overnight), but does freeze beautifully, so you can make multiple batches at a time.