Simple Homemade Pasta
This Simple Homemade Pasta is made without eggs and only 3 ingredients. Perfect for adding to your favourite soup recipe or tossing with a homemade tomato sauce. Homemade fresh pasta was never so easy.
This was one of the simplest homemade pasta recipes I ever learned, thanks again to my mother-in-law. She would make this type of eggless pasta to add to her Minestrone or Pasta e Fagioli recipes but of course you can serve it with a Simple Tomato Sauce or even tossed with olive oil and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.
She was always make her homemade pasta by hand, no machine for her. That means from kneading the dough to rolling it out and cutting.
So of course I am showing her way, but you can definitely use a machine from mixing and kneading to rolling it out with your stand mixer to your pasta maker.
Recipe Ingredients
- Flour – all purpose flour or semolina flour
- Water – lukewarm water
- Salt –
How to make A Simple Two Ingredient Pasta Recipe
In a large bowl add the flour, make a well in the middle and add the water and salt, mix with a fork to combine.
Move the mixture to a flat surface and gently knead for about 3-5 minutes to form a compact dough ball. Cover the dough with a tea towel or plastic wrap and let rest 30 minutes.
Knead the dough a couple of times then roll it out on a lightly floured flat surface.
With a rolling pin or pasta machine roll to a thin rectangle.
Trim the pasta dough, then roll up from the short end.
Cut the dough with a sharp knife or pasta cutter to the size you want, from pappardelle to fettuccine, thin or thick. Unroll the cut pasta and place on a lightly floured flat surface until the water boil. Then cook and serve with your favorite Spaghetti Sauce.
So if you are looking for a homemade pasta recipe with few ingredients I hope you give this Simple Two Ingredient Homemade Pasta a try and let me know how it goes. Buon Appetito!
More Homemade Pasta Recipes
- Homemade Sourdough Pasta
- Homemade Cheese Cannelloni
- Homemade Creamy Mushroom Ravioli
- Authentic Homemade Pasta
Simple Homemade Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose or semolina flour (320 grams semolina)
- ½ cup + 2¼ tablespoons water (lukewarm 85F / 35C) (150 grams total, if doubling the recipe then double this amount)
- ¼-½ teaspoon salt (depends on how salty you like it)
Instructions
- In a large bowl add the flour, make a well in the middle and add the water and salt, mix with a fork to combine, then move to a flat surface and gently knead for about 3-5 minutes, form into a compact dough ball, if the dough is too dry then add a little more water (1 tablespoon at a time).
- Cover the dough with a tea towel or wrap in plastic wrap and let rest 30 minutes.
- Knead the dough a couple of times, then roll it out on a lightly floured flat surface. Roll to about an ⅛ inch thickness, roll up and slice to make fettuccine or thicker or thinner or even into squares to add to soup. Cook in boiling salted water for about 6-7 minutes. Enjoy!
Notes
What is the best flour to use
Probably the best flour to use for making pasta is semolina flour, which is a flour that is coarsely ground and made from a hard wheat called durum. Although if you can’t find this flour all purpose will work too.How thin should the pasta be?
You should roll the dough to about 1/8″ about the thickness of pie dough for long pasta, and a bit thinner for stuffed pasta such as ravioli. Be sure to keep the dough well floured so they don’t stick together.How Long Does It Take To Cook?
Unlike homemade pasta that is made with eggs, this pasta does take longer to cook, approximately 6-8 minutes compared to egg pasta which needs only about 2-4 minutes. Be sure to cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water. Pasta is cooked when it still has a bite to it, you don’t want it to become mushy.How To Dry This Simple Pasta
Leave the pasta uncovered in a dry area for 12 to 24 hours, carefully turning it every 1-2 hours. The reason for the twelve-hour window is because various factors can affect how long your pasta takes to dry. From the temperature of the room to the thickness of the dough. A good idea is to place an electric fan next to your pasta to ensure it dries evenly. Be sure to switch the fan onto a relatively low setting. Store the dried pasta in an airtight plastic bag or container in a dry cool place it should keep for up to 3 months. If mold starts to form, then the pasta should be discarded.How To Store It
The homemade pasta can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 days. To freeze the pasta, place the cut or shaped pasta well-spaced on a cookie sheet, then put it in the freezer to harden for a couple of hours. When they are well hardened, put them in freezer safe bags or containers and freeze. When you decide to use them, boil them directly from frozen, stirring often. They may need a minute more to cook. You can also freeze the dough ball, wrap in plastic and place in a freezer safe bag or container, let the dough thaw in the fridge then bring it to room temperature before rolling out. It will last up to 2-3 months.Nutrition
Updated from May 1, 2020.
I seen some comments about make lasagna. Do you have to precook pasta before assembling the lasagna? I’m thinking about making lasagna meals for the freezer.
Hi Nikita, depends on the lasagna noodles you use. If you use oven ready then no but if you use the regular dry pasta then yes if you have to boil first. Take care!
I don’t know about this original commenter, but I would love to know if you have to precook the pasta in this recipe before assembling lasagna, since that was my first thought when I read the comment and it sounded like a good idea to use this for lasagna.
Hello, it depends what type of lasagna noodle you use, if it’s oven ready (which I use) then you don’t pre boil, dry pasta you have to pre boil. Hope that helps. Take care!
Hello!
Your recipe got good ratings, but I’m confused. I wanted to make this for 6 people, but i don’t think all of the ingredient amounts change, specifically “150 grams total, if doubling the recipe then double this amount”. I didn’t read the recipe before changing the number of folx it was for… which then confused me more when I looked at the difference between using all purpose flour (weigh out 250g), but semolina is a full 70g more with no adjustments elsewhere?
As other recipies/ sites highly recommend using weight and not cup/ ml measurements, I wanted metric, but there are still tablespoons and teaspoons listed?
If possible, please help me out. I can’t figure out if I’m just so new at all of this that there is something I don’t understand, or if something got bungled on the website since this seems to have worked out for a lot of people (and/ or I’m having a math problem)!
TY from a fello Canuk!
Hi Kat, I put the amount in grams (total gram amount, if doubling the recipe …) because when doubling the amount the system won’t double the tablespoons, so I did the total in grams myself. The difference in amount of the flour is because semolina flour weighs more for 2 cups than all purpose flour. I hope that helps. Take care!
Can i use gluten free flour
Hi Judith, I have never used gf flour for this but you can try. If you do, let me know how it goes. Take care!
Hi. I’m planning to put together the dough balls earlier in the day tomorrow in prep for dinner and was wondering if they can rest for several hours prior to rolling out instead of just 30 minutes? Is it ok to put it in the fridge as well until needed in the evening? Thanks.
Hi Maria, I would refrigerate it and make sure you wrap it well you may need to let it sit at room temp for. Bit in order to work with it. Take care!
Thank you! Easy to follow, turned out great!! Served it with a bechamel sauce – yummy!
Hi Tiona, thanks so much, so glad you enjoyed it. Take care!
Do I need to dry the pasta before freezing?
Hi Heather, no you don’t have to dry it to freeze it, I actually wrote the instructions in the notes in the recipe card. Hope that helps. Let me know. Take care!
Thank you for offering a fantastic guide to making homemade pasta from scratch. It’s perfect for beginners, with easy-to-follow instructions and tips on kneading, ingredients, and storage. The emphasis on using quality ingredients like semolina flour helps ensure the best results. The personal touches and insights into Italian culinary traditions make this guide both informative and enjoyable to read. A great resource for anyone looking to master authentic Italian pasta at home.
Hi Supriya, thanks so much, glad you enjoyed the recipe and the post. Take care!
Hi Again
Putting it simpler. Can I assemble all ingredients for lasagna in a pan with homemade noodles in the morning then cook it in the evening? and would I need to store it in the fridge?
Thanks
Kathleen
Hi Kathleen, yes you can make it ahead to bake later, but it does need to be refrigerated. Take care!
Hello
I am making your pasta dough again and was wondering about the storage in fridge for a couple of days.
How to store it
The homemade pasta can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Is this for the dough ball or already prepared pasta. I am making lasagna pasta again but wanted to make the dough this morning then make the lasagna in the pan tonight
Or could I just make the whole lasagna noodles and all this morning in a dish and store in fridge till this evening?
Thanks for any suggestions and help
Kathleen
Hi Kathleen, I usually keep the dough ball in the fridge, although if you separated the pasta with flour and parchment paper, that should work also. Take care!
I make this recipe with semolina flour ,i make ziti and fettuccini also learned from
My mother in law who lives in Italy ,cavatelli .you need to roll into a rope cut little pieces then with butter knife you turn into little hats tks for all your great recipe
Hi Peggy, thanks so much, glad you enjoy the recipes. Take care!
Hi can this be made with 00 flour only? If so, how much and does it affect resting/kneading/cooking time ?
Thanks!
Hi Od, northern Italy usually makes pasta with 00 same resting time and kneading, start with 1/2 cup of water and add a bit more if needed. Hope that helps. Take care!
Hello!
Can you dry these noodles and store them in the pantry?
Hi Bethany, yes you can, leave the pasta uncovered in a dry area for 12 to 24 hours, carefully turning it every 1-2 hours. The reason for the twelve-hour window is because various factors can affect how long your pasta takes to dry. From the temperature of the room to the thickness of the dough. Hope that helps.
Great! Thank you!
You’re welcome have a great weekend!
Hi Rosemary,
Great article and recipe!
I have one question about drying the pasta. I was wondering the shelf life of the pasta if you choose to dry it and store it in the pantry. Have you had any experience of it molding? I would think it should last at least 2-3 months if dried properly, but wondering your advice/experience with it.
Thank you!
Hi Cat, thanks, I have never dried this pasta, but if dried properly and stored in an airtight plastic bag or container in a dry cool place it should keep for up to 3 months. I hope that helps. Take care!
This was a really good recipe. Directions are clear and it’s super easy to follow. Only thing I did differently is I only cooked the noodles for about 3 minutes. I like my pasta more al dente and it was perfect at about 3-4 minute mark.
Hi Kalyn, thanks so glad you liked it. Take care!
Great recipe! My son and I made this last night and it turned out perfectly. We used just semolina flour, but will try a mixture of both flours next time to see how that turns out. Thanks for a great recipe to get my son in the kitchen making his pasta and sauces again!
Hi Dawn, thanks so much, so glad you enjoyed it and so happy your son was in the kitchen giving you a hand. Take care and have a great weekend!
Can I use whole wheat flour?
Hi CP I have never made it with whole flour, but I would recommend starting with 30% whole wheat to start. Let me know how it goes. Take care!