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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.

Pasta on a wooden board.


 

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.

flour, water and salt in a glass bowl

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.

forming the mixture to a dough ball

Knead the dough a couple of times then roll it out on a lightly floured flat surface.

rolling the dough

With a rolling pin or pasta machine roll to a thin rectangle.

rolled until paper think then cut

Trim the pasta dough, then roll up from the short end.

roll the dough up

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.

the dough sliced to make fettuccine

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.

A roll of pasta.

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.

How to freeze Homemade Pasta

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.

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!

Pasta cut on a wooden board.

More Homemade Pasta Recipes

Pasta on a wooden board.

Simple Homemade Pasta

Rosemary Molloy
This Simple Homemade Pasta is made without eggs & only 3 ingredients. Perfect for adding to soups or tossing with a tasty tomato sauce.
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 6 minutes
Resting Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 6 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Italian
Servings 4 servings
Calories 228 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • 2 cups all purpose or semolina flour (250 grams/320 grams semolina)
  • 1/2 cup + 2 1/4 tablespoons water (lukewarm 85F / 35C) (150 grams total)
  • 1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt (depends on how salt 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 1/8 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

You can actually leave out the salt when making the dough, but be sure to salt the boiling water well before cooking.
When you are using a stand up mixer use the dough hook on speed 2 and knead for about 2-3 minutes. Then continue with the recipe.
The homemade pasta can be stored covered well 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.
To dry the 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.

Nutrition

Calories: 228kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 67mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 3mg
Did You Make This Recipe?Please leave a comment below or pin it to your Pinterest account!

Updated from May 1, 2020.

77 Comments

    1. 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!

    1. 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.

      1. 5 stars
        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!

      2. 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!

  1. 5 stars
    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.

  2. 5 stars
    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!

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