Egg pasta is made using only flour, eggs and a pinch of salt. It can be used for a variety of pasta dishes such as lasagne, cannelloni and ravioli, or can be cut into ribbons and served with a sauce. However it is used, homemade egg pasta is guaranteed to add a touch of luxury to your meal. The quantities below are sufficient to make enough pasta for two servings for a main course. For different quantities, simply use the ratio of one egg to 100g flour.
Ingredients
- 200g plain flour (plus extra flour for rolling and dusting)
- 2 medium sized eggs
- A pinch of salt
Equipment needed
- Large bowl
- Fork
- Board
- Pasta machine or rolling pin
How to make homemade egg pasta
Measure the flour (200g) into a large baking bowl. Break two eggs into the flour and add a pinch of salt.
Mix together with a fork and then finally use your hands to combine the dough into one mass. The dough may feel slightly lumpy at this stage but the dough should become smoother when it has been passed through the roller of the pasta machine (or rolled out using a rolling pin).
If you have a pasta machine then prepare the dough to pass through the machine. First, divide the dough into three balls. Make sure the dough and board are well floured at all times to prevent it sticking.
Take one of the three pieces of dough and pass through the thickest setting on the pasta machine. Fold the dough over itself and pass through the thickest setting several times until the dough has lost its lumpiness and feels smooth.
Pass through the machine again, reducing the thickness each time, until the desired thickness is reached. I find that setting "5" is the best thickness for most recipes. If you are going to use the pasta sheets whole, such as for lasagne or cannelloni, then the pasta is ready at this stage to be cooked and used in your recipe. Alternatively, if you plan to make tagliatelle/pasta ribbons then pass through the relevant part of the pasta machine to create ribbons.
To cook
Cook the pasta sheets or ribbon pasta in a large pan of boiling salted water for about 3 minutes or until al dente. The cooking time may vary slightly with the thickness of the pasta.
If you are using the pasta for a stuffed pasta dish such as ravioli, prepare your stuffed pasta using uncooked pasta, and then cook the pasta once stuffed.
Tips
- If you don't have a pasta machine then the dough can be rolled out on a board or work surface using a rolling pin.
- Keep the dough and work surface well floured to prevent the dough sticking to itself or anything else.
- The prepared pasta can be left out on boards to dry to use later, or can be dried and then frozen. Do not store in the fridge as it will become sticky.
- The quantity of flour and number of eggs can easily be altered to make different quantities of pasta, using a ratio of 100g flour to 1 egg.
Why not use your homemade pasta to make cheese and spinach cannelloni? A tasty meal which is great for both entertaining and family meals.
Or you may wish to try your hand at making spinach pasta, a colourful variation on traditional egg pasta.
Egg pasta
Equipment
- Pasta machine
Ingredients
- 200 g flour
- 2 eggs
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Measure the flour into a large bowl. Add the eggs and a pinch of salt.
- Mix together with a fork and then finally use your hands to combine the dough into one mass.
- Divide the dough into three portions. Sprinkle four over the balls of dough and the pastry board to prevent the pasta sticking.
Using a pasta machine
- Take the first ball of dough and pass it through the pasta machine on the thickest setting.
- Fold the dough over itself and pass through the thickest setting several times until the dough is smooth and free of lumps.
- Pass through the machine again, reducing the thickness each time, until the desired thickness is reached.
If you don't have a pasta machine
- Roll the pasta out using a rolling on a floured board. Fold over and re-roll until the pasta is smooth with no lumps and then roll out to the thickness you require.
To cook
- Cook the pasta sheets or ribbon pasta in a large pan of boiling salted water for about 3 minutes or until al dente. The cooking time may vary slightly with the thickness of the pasta.
- If you are using the pasta for a stuffed pasta dish such as ravioli, prepare your stuffed pasta using uncooked pasta, and then cook the pasta once stuffed.
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