This homemade pappardelle pasta recipe yields a silky and luxurious texture with just a bit of chew. With my easy step-by-step guide, you'll be on your way to delicious homemade pasta in no time.
I don't think I love a single pasta shape more than pappardelle! Its beautiful, wide ribbons pair well with many different sauces, from delicate cream sauces to hearty ragùs. I mean, just look at the color and texture of those gorgeous little nests!
Today, I will show you how to make these with my favorite homemade pasta dough. Pair with your favorite sauce, like my slow-braised lamb ragù, garlic parmesan sauce, mushroom pappardelle, lobster pasta, or a simple alfredo sauce without cream.
Quick Facts
- According to the Encyclopedia of Pasta1, pappardelle is very popular across Northern and Central Italy, in areas like Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany.
- It was initially made with just wheat flour and water (and sometimes even 'cruschello,' or oat flakes, a by-product of milling oats). Nowadays, the dough also includes eggs.
- Traditionally, it's paired with hearty meat sauces with wild boar, pigeon, or hare. My lamb ragù is inspired by the Tuscan boar ragù we enjoyed in Florence.
Shape and Size
Pappardelle are long noodles, usually about 2 - 3 centimeters wide (or about ¾ inch - 1 ¼ inches). I prefer a 1-inch width, but you can adjust it as you like.
Ingredient Notes
I've perfected this egg dough based on research and recipe tests, including testing for the award-winning cookbook Pasta Every Day (which is wonderful, by the way)!
Eggs: The base dough uses whole eggs, but I'm also including an adaptation with additional yolks for a more decadent finish; feel free to choose your preferred version.
Olive Oil: Olive oil is an optional ingredient in pasta dough, but it makes the dough more pliable and easier to work with.
Flour: You'll need 00 flour (Antimo Caputo is great) for the dough, plus semolina flour for dusting and coating the strands. Can't find 00? All-purpose flour will work just fine.
TIP: Struggling with the egg shortage? Try my semolina pasta dough, which you can use for a whole host of pasta shapes!
For a full list of ingredients and their quantities, please refer to the recipe card. For more delicious homemade pasta recipes, try my pici pasta, orecchiette recipe, ricotta gnocchi, or potato gnocchi.
How to Make This Recipe
TIP: If this is your first time making pasta, I highly recommend checking out my Kitchenaid pasta recipe (it works for a manual pasta machine as well), which has even more step-by-step instructions, photos, and tips for your success!
Step 1 - Make the Dough: In a large bowl, make a wide well with flour. Add the eggs, olive oil, and salt to the well (Image 1). With a fork, slowly begin incorporating the flour into the well until a thick paste forms (Image 2).
Transfer to a clean work surface and use a bench scraper or sharp knife to begin cutting, chopping, and folding the pasty mixture into the dry parts (Image 3). Begin squeezing the dough together, and start kneading until a shaggy dough forms (Image 4).
Step 2 - Knead and Rest: Continue kneading until a smooth dough forms, about 5 - 8 minutes (Image 5). Wrap in plastic wrap and allow to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes before rolling out (Image 6).
Step 3 - Roll Out: Divide the dough ball into 4 equal portions and set aside the remaining portions, keeping them covered while you work with one piece of dough at a time. With a rolling pin, roll out dough until about ⅓-inch thick, then feed through the machine on the widest setting.
Fold it in thirds, like an envelope, to form a clean rectangular shape, then feed through the machine again. Continue feeding on narrower settings until it reaches your desired thickness. Trim and cut the pasta sheet into 2 to 3 sheets; this will make it more manageable to work with (Image 7).
Thickness: I recommend setting '6' on a Kitchenaid or '5' on a Marcato Atlas.
Step 4 - Cut: Dust each sheet of pasta with semolina flour. Fold the sheet on itself in 2-inch increments (Image 8), then cut into 1-inch strands.
Step 5 - Unroll and nest: Unroll each strand, dust with more semolina flour, and roll into a loose nest. Transfer to a floured baking sheet and repeat with the remaining dough.
Step 6 - Cook: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and cook until soft but still slightly chewy.
Variations
For a rich, eggier consistency: Replace the 4 large eggs with 3 large eggs and 2 - 3 egg yolks, depending on weight.
For a more al dente texture: Use the egg yolk variation and replace 25% of the 00 flour with semola rimacinata.
Expert Tips
Adjust your dough as needed. Dough not coming together? Sometimes, the humidity can alter the hydration. In the winter months, it can feel drier. To mitigate this, wrap the dough and allow to rest for 5 minutes before trying again (this allows the dough to continue to hydrate, making it easier to work with).
If it still feels way too dry, coat your hands with a little water and continue kneading. Still too dry? Add a bit more egg. Too wet? Add a little extra flour.
Trim the pasta sheets. Ever wondered how restaurants serve perfectly even, rectangular strands of pasta? They trim it! I like to trim each sheet after rolling and before cutting.
Generously coat the pasta with semolina. There is nothing worse than a ruined, sticky batch of pasta! Make sure to generously coat each strand before rolling up into a loose nest to prevent sticking.
Recipe FAQs
I have a full guide on how to store fresh pasta, but you can store the pasta at room temperature for up to 2 hours. In the fridge, you can keep it in an airtight container for up to 1 day; make sure it's generously dusted with semolina flour to prevent sticking. For longer storage, freeze pasta on a parchment-lined sheet for 1 hour. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze for up to 1 month. Cook directly from frozen.
Pappardelle is typically about 2 to 3 cm wide and 1 to 1 ½ mm thick.
You don't need a pasta maker, but it makes the process significantly easier. For a fully handmade tutorial, try Evan Funke's recipe.
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Happy eating! Love, KarishmaHomemade Pappardelle Pasta Recipe
Equipment
- Bench Scraper, or a Sharp Knife
Ingredients
1 batch pasta dough (recipe follows):
- 360 grams 00 flour
- 208 grams large eggs, see notes for an egg yolk variation
- 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- Semolina flour, for dusting
Instructions
Make the Dough:
- Form the well: To a large bowl, add 360 grams 00 flour. Using your fist, create a wide well in the center of the flour. Pour 208 grams large eggs, 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, and ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt into the well. Using a fork, whisk the eggs until homogenous.
- Knead: Slowly begin mixing some of the surrounding flour into the well. Begin incorporating more and more of the flour into the well, whisking with the fork until the liquid in the well starts thickening. Once it becomes thick and pasty, pour everything onto a clean work surface. Using a bench scraper (or a sharp knife), begin cutting the pasty bits into smaller pieces, then mixing them into the dry bits. Knead until it comes together into a shaggy mass. If it’s feeling quite dry (which can happen in the winter), you can wrap the dough in plastic wrap and allow it to rest for 15 minutes to hydrate better. If after 15 minutes the dough still feels dry, knead in a teaspoon of water at a time as needed.Once the dough has come together into a solid mass, wash and dry your hands. Discard any unincorporated dry bits from the work surface with a bench scraper.Knead aggressively, digging the heel of one hand into the dough and stretching it, then folding the dough over itself. Rotate 45 degrees and repeat digging, stretching, folding, and rotating for 5 - 7 minutes.
- Rest the dough: At this point, it should feel quite smooth and slightly tacky but not sticky — with no dry bits remaining.Wrap dough tightly in plastic wrap. Rest for at least 30 minutes (up to 2 hours) at room temperature before rolling out.
- Divide rested dough into 4 equal pieces. Roll out one piece at a time, leaving the rest in plastic wrap. Roll out a section of dough until it’s about ⅓-inch thick.
- Roll out the dough: Feed the dough through the widest setting twice. The dough will likely form an oval shape.To create a uniform rectangle, fold the top third of the dough down and the bottom third up, slightly overlapping, like a letter fold.Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out to ¼-inch thickness. Feed, once again, through the widest setting. It may not be a uniform rectangle yet, so if needed, you can fold it into the envelope shape once more and feed through the widest setting.Feed the dough through the next setting ('2') twice, then repeat this process at each subsequent setting, rolling twice per setting, until you reach your desired thinness. I recommend setting '5' for a Marcato Atlas and setting '6' for a Kitchenaid.
- Cut: Cut the sheet crosswise into 3 equal pieces to make shorter noodles. Generously dust with semolina flour to prevent sticking. Loosely fold the sheet of pasta over itself lengthwise (the long way) in 2 ½-inch increments.Use a sharp knife to cut widthwise (the short way) into ¾-inch to 1-inch pieces.
- Unfurl the pasta, then dust semolina flour to prevent sticking. Loosely twirl it into a nest and store on a semolina-dusted baking sheet covered with a kitchen towel. Repeat rolling out and cutting the remaining dough.
- Cook the pasta: Cook fresh pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente. Fresh pasta cooks very quickly, so it may be done in as little as 1 minute depending on the shape. Sauce and serve!
Notes
- Room Temperature: Arrange freshly cut pasta on a baking sheet dusted with semolina and let it rest for up to 2 hours. Cover with a damp kitchen towel if it begins to dry out.
- Refrigerator: Store fresh pasta in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Layer it with semolina-dusted parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- Freezer: For longer storage, spread the pasta in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze for 1 hour. Then, transfer it to an airtight container or freezer bag and store for up to 1 month. Cook straight from frozen.
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
References
3 - Evan Funke
Karishma
Owner's Review: I've made pappardelle countless times with my homemade pasta dough recipe (and the egg yolk variation) and they're both so good! This is my absolute favorite way to hand-cut pasta, and I think it's the easiest too.