I hadn’t tasted homemade pasta until one night when my husband, who is Italian to the marrow, brought home chicken parmesan his mom made. Springy, fresh spaghetti noodles perfectly saturated with tomato sauce and woven into twisted, savory heaps on our plates made a sumptuous bed for pan seared chicken. I was in love.
Ever since that evening, making fresh pasta has been something I’ve been wanting to try. I knew immediately what to say when Jay asked me what I wanted for Christmas this year – every kind of pasta shaper imaginable.
I love the feeling of connectedness I get from preparing my own food. Measuring the flour, cracking the eggs, and kneading the pasta dough until my arms are sore and I’m covered head to toe in flour helps me channel my own Italian roots. And I think there’s a something to be said about the appreciation you gain from making a meal completely from scratch.
Of course, boxed pasta is good. And since it’s so good, you may wonder what the advantage of making it at home is. But preparing pasta at home couldn’t be any easier. All you need for most recipes is flour and eggs. The recipe I used for this fettuccine called for salt and olive oil, but a lot of times those can be omitted.
And there’s no need for fancy tools. You can make orecchiette using just your hands. Or a cavatelli paddle is an affordable option if you think you want to try making pasta without committing to a pricier roller.
I used a KitchenAid attachment to roll and form my fettuccine. It took a couple tries to get the dough to go through the roller right, but once I got the hang of it I was able to get it to the right width and consistency.
Since the pasta is the star of this dish, I made a simple tomato sauce to go with it. It’s based on the classic Marcella Hazan recipe that calls for whole, peeled tomatoes left to simmer in their juices until they break down and form a rich sauce. I add fresh basil, oregano, and the rind from a chunk of parmesan and it’s the perfect compliment to my fettuccine.
You can skip the homemade pasta and use dried pasta with this sauce, too.
Fresh Fettuccine with Easy Tomato Sauce
For the Pasta
- 3 Cups Flour
- 2 Eggs
- 1/2 Cup Water
- 1/4 Cup Olive Oil
- 1 Tsp Salt
For the Sauce
- 1 28 Oz Can or 2 15 Oz Cans Whole Peeled Tomatoes
- Handful of Fresh Basil
- Parmesan Rind
- 1 Tbsp Oregano
- 1/4 Cup Olive Oil
Get started on the pasta by making a mound of flour on your counter and creating a well in the center. Crack the two eggs inside and break the yolks with a fork. Whisk the eggs with the fork and pour in the water, olive oil, and salt. Continue to whisk the mixture incorporating the flour around the edges. When the mixture gets too thick for the fork, incorporate everything with your hands. Start to knead the mixture and continue to knead for about 10 minutes. Wrap the dough tightly in saran wrap and place in the fridge for an hour.
While the dough is resting, the sauce can get started by pouring the tomatoes into a heavy pot and adding the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and turn to low. Let simmer for about an hour uncovered then remove the rinds. Use a spoon or potato masher to break up the tomatoes and combine the ingredients.
Remove the pasta dough from the refrigerator and cut into quarters. Use a pasta roller to roll one quarter of the dough flat. I used a KitchenAid attachment and started at 1 before gradually working my way up to 5, running the dough through 4-5 times overall. Lightly coat the flat dough with flour and cut the sheet in half. Run each piece through the fettuccine cutter. Dust with flour again and place on a wire rack. Repeat these steps with the rest of the dough balls.
We used 3/4 of our dough and coiled the other fettuccine noodles into a nest, covered them with saran wrap, and popped them in the fridge for the next day. You can also freeze the dough balls before rolling them out for later use.
Bring a pot of water to a boil and place your fettuccine into the pot. Let cook for 2-3 minutes, then remove. Top with tomato sauce, parmesan, and basil and enjoy!
