We all know that fresh pasta tastes so much better than any dried pasta. But how many of us have actually tried to make it at home?

It might seem daunting, but pasta really isn’t so hard to make. Today we’ll show you how to make it from scratch.

Recipe – Makes enough fresh pasta for 6 people

You will need:

6 large eggs

600g ‘00’ flour

Method – making the dough:

1. Put the flour onto a board or in a bowl.
2. Make a well in the center of the flour and crack the eggs into it.
3. Beat the eggs with a fork until they are smooth.
4. Using your hands, incorporate a little of the flour into the eggs at a time, until everything is mixed together.
5. Combine the dough until you have one smooth lump.
6. Knead the dough to develop the gluten. Stop when the pasta feels smooth and silky.
7. Cover the dough fully and rest it in the fridge for at half an hour.

Method – rolling the dough:

You can simply use a rolling pin to roll pieces of the dough until they are lovely and thin.

If you have a pasta machine, the best thing to do is follow the instructions that it comes with as some have different mechanisms. In general, though, this will be your basic method.

1. Dust your work surface with some ‘00’ flour. Take a handful of pasta dough, press it flat and roll it through your machine on the widest setting.
2. Move the pasta machine down a setting and roll the dough through again.
3. Fold the pasta in half. Repeat steps 1 and 2 five or six times, folding each time.
4. Once the pasta is very smooth, roll it through all of the settings on the machine from widest down to narrowest.
5. If you are making tagliatelle or lasagne, rolling it until it is just slightly thicker than a playing card. For stuffed pasta including ravioli and tortellini, make it thin enough that you can clearly see your hand through it.
6. Cut or shape your pasta before it dries. Use a clean, damp cloth to stop it from drying out if you need to.

Shaping and cutting fresh pasta:

For lasagne or tagliatelle, you will simply need a sharp knife to cut the pasta to the desired shape. Your pasta machine may have attachments to cut the pasta. If you are shaping the pasta we recommend finding video instructions that will show you the quickest method. Get the family involved to get the pasta ready before it dries!

To cook your pasta:

1. Add pasta to a large pot of boiling salted water.
2. It will take 1 to 3 minutes, so watch the pot closely.
3. Test the pasta to ensure that it is just slightly al dente before serving.

We hope that you’ve enjoyed learning how to make pasta from scratch. Do you have any tips for first-time pasta makers? Let us know in the comments!