Homemade Pasta & Sauce

Made from Scratch with Lots of LOVE!

If you've never eaten homemade pasta, you're missing out! While the thought of making your own dough may seem daunting, it's actually pretty simple and definitely worth the extra effort for a light and delicious meal. With very few ingredients, you can recreate a dish you would be served in Italy. What's even better is your kids will love helping! My daughter and I cook together all the time and she had an absolute blast rolling out the dough and seeing it all come to life. She was so proud of herself and hasn't stopped talking about making our family dinner. Here's the secret to a pasta that won't leave you feeling heavy and sluggish. Simple, fresh and clean ingredients make this recipe one for the books!

Mangia!

Ingredients:

For the Sauce: 

1 can San Marzano tomatoes

2 TBSP EVOO

A handful of fresh basil

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 TBSP minced garlic

1 tsp each salt, pepper and sugar

                 For the Dough:

                      4 Eggs

                2 1/2 cups flour

              1 TBSP olive oil

                    1 tsp salt

Directions: SAUCE

1) Heat 2 TBSP EVOO in a deep pot

2) Add chopped onion and garlic, saute until translucent (2-3 minutes)

3) Add the San Marzano tomatoes (crush/break them up with your hands as you add them to the pot- if you like a chunkier sauce, leave them bigger) Make sure to add all the extra juice left in the can, as well.

4) Fill tomato can up 1/4 way with water to clean the sides, add to pot.

5) Mix in chopped basil, salt, pepper and sugar. Simmer on low (covered).

Directions: Pasta

1) Spoon 2 1/2 cups of flour onto the counter and create a well.

2) In the well, crack the eggs and whisk

3) Add EVOO and salt to the egg mixture in the middle

4) Slowly start incorporating flour into the egg mixture, using a fork.

5) Add extra flour to your hands if its sticking and kneed the dough for a  minute or two until it all comes together and forms a ball.

Using the Pasta Maker Machine

I purchased my machine off Amazon a while back and it's held up amazingly well! It's an old fashioned hand crank and it makes the perfect noodle!

 Linked Here

(If you don't have a machine, you can use a rolling pin and pizza cutter to create your noodles)

6) Start by dividing your ball of dough into 4 equal

 pieces.

7) Flatted one of the sections out with your hands and start by running it through your pasta machine, starting at level ZERO (this is the largest opening). 

8) Continue to run it through the machine increasing by one level at a time. This will allow the pasta to flatten and stretch gradually. I do this until I reach level 4, as this is the thickness I like the best.

9) Continue this same process with all 4 sections until they are all flattened out. Dust with a small amount of additional flour if there are any sticky spots.

10) Switch your machine to the fettuccine mode. You are going to place your long strips of pasta dough through and it will cut them into the perfect sized fettuccine noodle!

11) Once they are all cut, I lay them out on a lightly floured surface and let them "dry" a bit.

12) When you are ready to cook, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add a teaspoon of EVOO to prevent sticking then add the noodles. They cook FAST, so make sure to keep an eye and check often. They should be done cooking in about 4 minutes.

13) Top with your homemade tomato sauce, fresh basil, parmesan cheese and a drizzle of EVOO!

Mangia!

XOXO, Alyssa