Homemade Pasta Without A Machine

Can you make pasta without a machine? This might be the question in your mind. Our answer is a big YES! Aaand it’s not as hard as you think. 

Why We Like This Recipe

• It only uses a few ingredients. All you need is flour, semolina flour, and eggs. These ingredients are easy to find and very affordable, arguably saving you money in the long run.
• It is a very easy homemade pasta recipe to make. This recipe doesn’t require any extra steps. All you have to do is mix, rest, roll, and shape, then finally cook the pasta.
• To make this homemade pasta, no machine is needed! All you need is a rolling pin and your hands! 
• The recipe is very versatile. It can be used to make virtually any type and shape of pasta you want.
• We store some of the fresh pasta we make and it’s a great option when we need a quick meal.

About The Ingredients

The following ingredients are for a basic pasta dough recipe. No matter if you use a pasta maker or not, make your perfect homemade pasta with these basic ingredients.

Flour: Can you make pasta with plain flour? Yes, you can! The most common type of flour people use at home is all purpose flour. It is easy to get your hands on, very affordable and has enough protein to help develop nice gluten strands.

If you don’t know what flour to use for pasta making, you can just go with plain flour. Also, you can look for "00" flour if you want to make it like a pro. This Italian milled flour is known to be the best flour for pasta making. 00 flour is very refined and creates a silky pasta with a still al dente texture.

We use a mixture of two different flours in this recipe: plain flour and semolina flour. And the result is always great.

Semolina Flour: Semolina flour helps add some heartiness and a rougher texture to your pasta. This will essentially help sauces cling to the pasta much better. It also has a fantastic gluten content which is essential for making your own pasta.

Eggs: Always use large eggs to make a fresh pasta dough recipe. They help enrich diy pasta, give it a beautiful color, and most importantly, help make the dough soft and elastic. It is the binding ingredient that helps hold together the flours while you knead the dough to develop the gluten.

How To Make

This recipe explains perfectly how to make pasta without a pasta machine. It is so easy that even your kids will be able to make it! You can use this homemade pasta dough to create virtually any pasta shape and even use it in a wide variety of delicious dishes!

First, combine the ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and semolina. Make a hole in the center of the flours and break the eggs directly into it.

Then, using a fork or the tips of your fingers, combine the ingredients until a dough forms. You can use your food processor for this step.

Second, knead and rest the dough: Knead the dough on a lightly floured clean work surface for roughly 5 minutes or until you get a smooth dough ball. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and allow it to rest in the refrigerator.

Third, divide and roll the dough. Remove the dough from the fridge and cut it into 4 pieces. Grab a piece of dough and cover the rest with a kitchen towel.

Lightly flour the surface so that rolling the pasta dough is easier. Roll it out and try to give it an oval or rectangular shape. Make sure to roll the dough into a thin pasta sheet that is also even in thickness.

Fourth, shape the dough. Sprinkle a little flour, or preferably, semolina flour over the dough and cut it into 4 or 5 long strips. Use a very sharp knife or a pizza cutter. Grab one strip and roll it up before cutting it into thin strips. Repeat with the remaining strips. You can even make various pasta shapes without a machine.

Sprinkle some more semolina flour over the freshly cut pasta and gently separate the strips with your fingers. Sprinkle a bit of flour on a baking sheet and place them in portions on it. Then let them dry for about 15 minutes on the floured baking sheet before cooking. They keep their shape better this way.

How To Cook

Cooking freshly made pasta is extremely easy and will take much less time compared to store-bought dry pasta.

Boil the water: Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Make sure to season the water with some salt. We also like to add some olive oil to the water to help prevent the strips from clumping together while they cook.

Cook the pasta: Add the pasta strips to a pot and allow them to cook for roughly 3 minutes. The thinner the strips, the less time it will take for them to cook. Thick pasta will take longer to fully cook.

Drain the pasta and use it immediately to make delicious pasta recipes like parmesan pasta or sun-dried tomato pasta. 

How To Store

After learning how to make pasta without a pasta maker, it is time to learn how to store it.  

You can dry uncooked fresh pasta: Place the pasta in a single layer on a baking sheet and leave it uncovered in a dry area for 12-24 hours. It should be completely dry and crispy after this time. Turning the pasta nests or shapes over every few hours will help them dry evenly. If it is still bending when you twist, keep drying. Then, store in airtight containers at room temperature for several months.

You can freeze your freshly made uncooked pasta: Place the pasta strips on a baking sheet for 15 minutes so they dry out slightly – this will help prevent them from sticking too much. Then, place the dried pasta into airtight containers or bags and store them in the freezer for up to a month. You don’t need to defrost when you are ready to cook. Just throw them into the boiling water.

Store in the refrigerator: If you simply want to keep it a few days, place the uncooked fresh pasta strips inside an airtight container and keep it inside the fridge for a couple of days.

If you have already cooked the pasta, we wouldn’t recommend freezing it. Rather place it in an airtight container inside the fridge and use it within a couple of days.