Fresh Pasta Recipe: How to Make Pasta From Scratch

Fresh pasta looks like restaurant cooking, but the basic dough needs only flour, eggs, your hands and 5–10 minutes of kneading. Start with 100g of flour and one large egg per person. Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, let it rest for at least 30 minutes, then roll it thin and cut it into tagliatelle, fettuccine, lasagne sheets or whatever shape you want. Jamie Oliver and many other Italian-cooking sources use the same 100g-to-one-egg starting point.

There is one Italian twist to know before you start: not all fresh pasta in Italy is egg pasta. Egg and soft-wheat dough belongs mainly to northern and central Italy. In southern Italy, Campania included, you also find handmade pasta made from durum-wheat semolina and water. Keep that in mind if you are learning to cook in Naples and not only reproducing supermarket “fresh pasta” at home.

If you would like to learn this by hand in Naples, the class below teaches fresh fettuccine and ravioli. Check its dates here, since class times change through the year:

If you haven’t picked a class yet, our guide to cooking classes in Naples compares the options.

Fresh pasta at a glance

Other experiences you might enjoy in Naples

Add a pizza-making class, a street food tour of Spaccanapoli, or a day trip to Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast.

The basic fresh pasta recipe

This is a dependable beginner recipe for fresh egg pasta, pasta fresca all’uovo.

Ingredients

The easiest ratio to remember

1 large egg for every 100g of flour.

• 100g flour + 1 egg ≈ 1 portion
• 200g flour + 2 eggs ≈ 2 portions
• 400g flour + 4 eggs ≈ 4 portions

Treat this as a starting formula, not a law. Eggs vary in weight, flour absorbs moisture differently, and a humid or dry kitchen changes how the dough behaves. Experienced pasta makers go by texture and stop adding flour once the dough feels right. The James Beard Foundation’s fresh-pasta guidance makes the same point: the amount of flour you need depends on the eggs, the flour and the conditions. Our pasta dough recipe scales the ratio for up to six people and explains what each ingredient does.

How to make fresh pasta from scratch

Step 1: Make a flour well

Pour the flour onto a clean worktop or a large wooden board. Use your fingers to make a wide crater in the centre, like a small volcano with walls sturdy enough to hold the eggs, and crack the eggs into the middle.

A bowl works just as well if the flour volcano makes you nervous: put the flour in, make a well, add the eggs, mix with a fork, then tip the shaggy dough onto a board for kneading. The pasta will not know the difference.

Step 2: Beat the eggs

Beat the eggs gently with a fork inside the well. Once the yolks and whites are combined, draw small amounts of flour from the inside wall into the egg. Don’t collapse the whole mound into the eggs at once; working gradually gives you much better control over the final consistency.

Step 3: Bring the dough together

As the mixture thickens, switch from the fork to your hands. Push loose flour toward the wet centre and press everything together. At first it can look as if something has gone badly wrong: dry flour, sticky pieces and crumbs that look nothing like silky pasta dough. Keep going. Within a few minutes the rough pieces usually form a single mass. You don’t have to force in every last gram of flour; if the dough already feels firm and cohesive, leave the rest.

Step 4: Knead the pasta dough

Knead for about 5–10 minutes. Push the dough away from you with the heel of your hand, fold it back, give it a quarter turn and repeat. It starts rough, stiff and slightly sticky, and you stop when it is smooth, firm and elastic, with no cracked or shaggy surface. Pasta dough stays noticeably firmer than bread dough. Our pasta dough guide describes the feel at each stage and the thumb test that tells you it is ready.

Step 5: Let the dough rest

Don’t skip this part. Wrap the dough tightly, or put it under an upturned bowl so the surface cannot dry out, and leave it for at least 30 minutes; 30–60 minutes is better. Resting lets moisture spread through the flour and relaxes the gluten, so the dough rolls out instead of springing back like a rubber band.

Step 6: Divide the dough

Don’t roll the whole ball at once. Cut it into about four pieces and keep the ones you aren’t working with covered. Exposed dough grows a dry skin surprisingly quickly, and a dried surface cracks, seals badly on filled pasta, gives rough edges and makes brittle sheets. Keep the spare pieces wrapped and the sheets stay smooth.

Step 7: Roll the pasta

You have two options.

Using a pasta machine

Flatten one piece enough to fit through the widest setting and pass it through. Fold the sheet and pass it through the widest setting again, a few times, until you have a smooth rectangle. Folding during these first passes strengthens the dough, evens its shape and removes rough patches. Once the sheet is smooth, stop folding.

Then reduce the roller setting one step at a time. Jumping straight from the thickest to the thinnest setting tears the sheet. For tagliatelle or fettuccine you want a thin sheet that is still strong enough to handle; filled pasta such as ravioli usually needs to be thinner still.

Rolling pasta without a machine

You can make very good fresh pasta with nothing more than a rolling pin, as generations of Italian cooks did. Chef Luciano Monosilio has described the essentials of handmade pasta as a rolling pin and a knife. Flatten the dough with your hands first, then roll outward from the centre, turning it often, until you have a thin, even sheet.

It takes more effort than a machine, and very thin, even sheets of egg pasta take practice. For semolina dough that you shape by hand, you rarely need a machine at all. Rolling by hand teaches you something useful too: what properly developed pasta dough feels like.

How thin should fresh pasta be?

Touch tells you more than numbers here. For ribbon pasta, roll until you can see the shadow of your fingers through the sheet but it doesn’t tear when you lift it.

This is also why a pasta-making class in Naples can teach you more than twenty recipe videos. A teacher can touch your dough and say straight away: too wet, too dry, rest it longer, roll it thinner. That judgement is hard to learn from measurements alone.

How to cut fresh pasta

Ribbons are the easiest first shape. Dust the sheet lightly with flour or fine semolina; semolina is the better choice because it stops the strands sticking without being absorbed into the dough. Let the sheet dry for a few minutes, just until it no longer feels tacky, then roll or fold it loosely without pressing it down and slice it with a sharp knife.

The width decides the pasta:

Don’t chase factory-perfect strands. Slight irregularity is part of the appeal of handmade pasta.

00 flour vs semolina: which flour should you use?

For a first batch of egg pasta, use Tipo 00, the finely milled soft-wheat flour that Jamie Oliver’s basic egg pasta uses for tagliatelle, pappardelle, lasagne and ravioli. Plain or all-purpose flour also works if you can’t find 00. Durum-wheat semolina gives pasta more bite and matters most in southern Italian shapes, where it is usually mixed with water instead of eggs. The two flours are not interchangeable in every tradition, and different flours suit different pasta. Our pasta dough recipe compares 00, plain flour and semolina side by side, with the shapes each one suits.

Fresh pasta in Naples is not just egg pasta

A common misconception is that authentic fresh Italian pasta is always flour and eggs. Italy has several pasta traditions. Egg pasta is most closely tied to regions such as Emilia-Romagna, while across southern Italy you find many handmade doughs based mainly on durum-wheat semolina and water.

That matters on a Naples food trip. Campania has a huge pasta culture of its own, and it is not a southern copy of Bologna’s egg pasta. One local example is scialatielli, short, thick handmade ribbons from the Amalfi Coast, now listed as a traditional Campanian product. The Campania regional government describes the original as a hand-worked dough of flour, milk, egg, basil, olive oil, pecorino and seasoning, cut into strips and traditionally served with seafood and tomatoes. Modern versions vary a lot, and many are made with semolina and water.

So when you book a pasta class in Naples, check which pasta it teaches. “Pasta making” can mean very different things.

Egg pasta vs semolina-and-water pasta

Egg pasta is smooth, silky and yellow, and suits sheets and ribbons such as tagliatelle, ravioli and tortellini. Semolina-and-water pasta is firmer, pale gold and more rustic, and suits hand-shaped pasta such as cavatelli and orecchiette. Neither is more “authentic”; they are two branches of Italian pasta-making. The full comparison table, with the shapes that use each dough, is in our pasta dough guide.

Should pasta dough contain olive oil?

It can, but it doesn’t have to. Some recipes add olive oil, salt or water; others use only flour and eggs. For your first attempts, flour and eggs are the cleanest place to start, because you learn how the dough itself behaves. The pasta dough guide covers salt and oil in more detail.

Fixing dry, sticky or tearing dough

The common beginner problems all have quick fixes. Dough that is too dry usually needs a little more kneading, then lightly wet fingertips in place of a splash of water. Sticky dough needs only a light dusting of flour. Dough that tears in the rollers goes back to a thicker setting, folded, and through again. Dough that keeps springing back needs another 10–20 minutes of rest under cover. The causes and fixes for each, plus a troubleshooting table, are in our pasta dough guide.

Do you need a pasta machine?

No, and that is one of the nicest surprises of a pasta-making class. A machine makes long, evenly thin sheets easier, but pasta existed long before countertop rollers. A basic home setup is simple:

• a large wooden board or clean worktop
• a fork
• a rolling pin
• a sharp knife
• a kitchen scale
• a pasta machine, if you want one

If you buy one piece of specialist equipment, a pasta machine is useful, but you don’t need one to learn the craft.

How long does fresh pasta take to cook?

Much less time than dried pasta. Thin fresh egg pasta usually cooks in about 2–4 minutes, and thicker shapes take longer. Don’t rely on the timer alone: taste it. You want pasta cooked through but still with a little structure, and it keeps cooking briefly when you toss it through hot sauce.

Fresh pasta vs dried pasta: is fresh always better?

No. Fresh and dried pasta are different products for different dishes. Good dried pasta made from durum wheat is the right, and often the more traditional, choice for many Italian recipes.

Naples and its surroundings are central to Italy’s dried-pasta tradition. Nearby Gragnano is famous for durum-wheat pasta, including paccheri, ziti, candele and spaghetti. Fresh egg pasta suits sauces that complement its delicate texture, while dried durum pasta gives a firmer al dente bite that works better with others. Fresh does not automatically mean better; choosing the right pasta for the dish matters more.

What sauces work best with fresh pasta?

Delicate fresh egg pasta doesn’t always need a heavy sauce, because part of the pleasure is the texture of the pasta itself. Good combinations include:

• butter and sage
• slow-cooked ragù
• mushroom sauces
• light tomato sauces
• seafood
• pesto
• olive oil, cheese and herbs

Broad ribbons can take richer sauces, and thin ribbons usually suit lighter ones. Filled pasta often needs even less, because much of the flavour is already inside. The sauce should complement the shape, not drown it.

How much fresh pasta do you need per person?

The 100g flour + 1 egg per person formula is generous and easy to remember. Use the full amount when pasta is the main meal. For an Italian-style lunch or dinner of several courses, you may want less: Italians often serve pasta as the primo, the first substantial course, not the whole dinner. Filled pasta changes the sums again, because the filling adds a good deal of weight.

Can you make fresh pasta ahead?

Yes, though fresh pasta is at its best soon after you make it. To prepare a few hours ahead, dust the shaped pasta lightly so it doesn’t stick and keep it chilled. Unshaped dough keeps in the fridge if you wrap it very well; use it the same day or the next for the best texture. For anything longer, freezing is easier than keeping soft pasta in the fridge for days. Egg dough is perishable, so don’t leave it at room temperature for long.

Can you freeze homemade pasta?

Yes. Freezing works especially well for tagliatelle nests, ravioli, tortellini and other filled pasta. Spread the pieces or nests on a tray so they don’t touch, freeze until firm, then move them to a freezer bag or container. Freezing them separately first is the important part; otherwise your pasta becomes one large frozen lump. Many frozen shapes cook straight from the freezer without thawing.

You can freeze the raw dough too: wrap it tightly, seal it, freeze it, then thaw it slowly in the fridge before rolling. Most home cooks find it easier to shape the dough first and freeze the pasta.

Can you make fresh pasta without eggs?

Yes, and if you are exploring southern Italian cooking, you should. Basic semolina pasta is durum-wheat semolina and warm water, with the amount of water depending on the flour and the shape. It makes a firmer dough that suits shapes formed with fingers, knives, boards or small traditional tools. Learning both egg dough and semolina dough teaches you far more about Italian pasta than mastering only one. Quantities for the semolina dough are in our pasta dough recipe.

The most important thing a recipe can’t teach you

Written measurements get you close, but with fresh pasta your hands become the measuring tool. You learn to notice how the dough changes as you knead, how much resistance feels right, when it needs five more minutes of rest, how thin a sheet can go before it weakens, and how much flour you really need.

That is why pasta is so rewarding to learn in a cooking class. A good instructor isn’t only handing you a recipe; they are showing you what the recipe is supposed to feel like. Once you know that, making it at home is much easier.

Making pasta in Naples: what a cooking class adds

Pasta classes in Naples usually mix hands-on cooking with explanations of Italian ingredients and the local food culture. Depending on the class, you may make:

• fresh pasta dough
• one or more pasta shapes
• tomato sauce
• ravioli or other filled pasta
• tiramisu
• Neapolitan pizza alongside pasta

Our pick for a pasta-only class: the Naples: Pasta Making Class with Starter and Drink, where you make fettuccine and ravioli with two classic sauces in groups of up to 12 (4.9/5 from more than 1,300 reviews). If you want dessert as well, the Naples: Pasta and Tiramisu Cooking Class with Local Chef adds tiramisu (4.9/5 from about 200 reviews). For pizza and tiramisu in one session, there is the Naples: Neapolitan Pizza and Tiramisu Cooking Class (4.9/5, 1,700+ reviews).

On the day, a good class looks like this: you start at your own station with a pile of flour, break your own eggs into the well, and knead while the chef walks round correcting hand positions. While the dough rests you usually start the sauce or the dessert. Then you roll, cut or fill your pasta, cook it, toss it in its sauce and eat what you made at a shared table. When booking, ask “what will I make myself?” and not just “does the class include pasta?”. Look for a class where you personally:

• mix the dough
• knead it
• judge when it has rested enough
• use a rolling pin or pasta machine
• shape or cut the pasta
• cook it
• finish it in its sauce

A class where the dough is ready-made before you arrive teaches you much less than one where you do each of those steps yourself.

Fresh pasta recipe: quick reference

Fresh pasta FAQs

What are the ingredients in fresh pasta?

Classic fresh egg pasta can be just flour and eggs. Other Italian fresh pasta doughs use durum-wheat semolina and water, and some regional recipes add other ingredients.

What is the best flour for fresh pasta?

For beginner egg pasta, Tipo 00 soft-wheat flour is an excellent choice. For many southern Italian handmade shapes, fine durum-wheat semolina, often sold as semola rimacinata, is the better fit.

What is the pasta dough ratio?

The easy starting point is 100g flour to 1 large egg per person. Egg sizes and flour absorption vary, so make the final adjustment by how the dough feels.

How long should you knead pasta dough?

About 5–10 minutes by hand. The finished dough should be smooth, firm and elastic, not rough or crumbly.

How long should fresh pasta dough rest?

At least 30 minutes. A rest of 30–60 minutes gives the flour time to hydrate and relaxes the gluten, which makes rolling much easier.

Does fresh pasta need to dry before cooking?

Not completely. Freshly cut ribbons benefit from a little surface drying so they don’t stick together, but they don’t need to go hard like dried pasta before you cook them.

How long does homemade pasta take to cook?

Thin fresh pasta usually cooks in about 2–4 minutes. Thicker handmade shapes take longer, so tasting is more reliable than one cooking time.

Is homemade pasta worth making?

If you expect it to replace every box of dried spaghetti in your cupboard, probably not. If you want to understand pasta, try different shapes, make ravioli or silky ribbons, or recreate what you learned in Italy, yes. The process is half the pleasure.

What to learn first

If you’ve never made pasta, don’t start with tortellini or decorative ravioli. Master one dough. Notice how it feels after 2 minutes of kneading, after 10 minutes, after 30 minutes of rest and after several passes through the rollers. Then cut it into tagliatelle. You can make something beautiful with very little equipment, and most mistakes are recoverable. Once you have that dough in your hands, ravioli, lasagne sheets, pappardelle and dozens of other fresh pasta dishes stop looking intimidating.

Fresh pasta in five steps

Making fresh pasta from scratch is simpler than its reputation. Start with 100g Tipo 00 flour and one large egg per person, knead for 5–10 minutes, rest for 30–60 minutes, roll it thin, cut it and cook it briefly. The hard part is learning the feel of good dough, which Italian cooks pick up through repetition more than precise scales.

That is the best reason to take a pasta-making class in Naples. You go to watch how Italian cooks work the dough, feel the right texture yourself, learn why one shape suits one sauce better than another, and come home able to make it without checking the instructions.

Related reading

• Pasta Dough Recipe: Ingredients, Flour, Eggs & Ratios Explained
• Cooking classes in Naples: pizza, pasta, tiramisu and more
• Naples cooking class for beginners
• What to expect at a Naples cooking class