Pasta dough recipe

Pasta dough

Created by The Tesco Recipes team

Fancy making your own pasta? It's not as tricky as it looks, you just a little patience and some elbow grease! This recipe is based on classic northern Italian pasta, which contains just two ingredients – flour and eggs, while southern Italy favours just flour and water. If possible, use 00 flour for making pasta – though plain works well if you can’t find it. The name refers to the Italian grading system: 00 flour is very finely milled, with a texture similar to cornflour.

See method
  • Serves 4
  • Takes 15 mins, plus at least 30 mins resting
  • 440 calories / serving

Ingredients

  • 400g plain flour or 00 pasta flour, plus extra for dusting
  • 4 eggs

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Each serving contains

Energy
1860kJ 440.0kcal
22%
Fat
7g
medium10%
Saturates
2g
low10%
Salt
0.2g
low4%
Sugars
1g
low1%

of the Reference intake

Carbohydrate 75.4gProtein 17.6gFibre 4.1g

Method

  1. Put the flour in a mixing bowl, make a well in the centre and crack in the eggs. Use a fork to mix to a shaggy dough. Add 2 tsp water and use your hands to bring the dough together in the bowl, kneading to a firm ball.
  2. Tip onto a clean surface and knead for 10 mins (or 8-10 mins if using a dough hook) or until smooth and elastic, adding a little more flour only if it sticks; the dough will feel quite stiff as you knead. Cover with a tea towel or upturned bowl for 30 mins to 2 hrs before rolling and shaping.
  3. Now you can cut your rested pasta dough into whatever shape you want - try our Beetroot and ricotta ravioli, served with this Sage and brown butter sauce with toasted hazelnuts.
  • Tip: Salt is added to the cooking water rather than the dough, and it should be added generously – about 1-2 tsp fine salt per litre of water for homemade pasta. Salt is important for flavour but also texture: it firms up the pasta, helping to prevent it becoming sticky. Add salt once the water’s already boiling, as this will help the salt dissolve better.
  • Freezing and defrosting guidelines

    Freeze uncooked dough. In order to enjoy optimum flavour and quality, frozen items are best used within 3 months of their freezing date. For more tips on freezing and defrosting food, read our article Love Your Freezer.

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