Homemade Egg Noodle Pasta

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Making fresh homemade pasta is easier than you think. And with this homemade egg noodle pasta recipe, your pasta dishes will showcase the same richness and chewiness that you’ve come to expect, from your favorite Italian restaurant.

Have you ever had really good pasta noodles? I mean the kind that actually outshines the sauce of the dish.

You might be surprised to know, that the quality of the noodles in your pasta dish really makes an impact on the overall experience of the dish itself. That’s why when you go to high end Italian restaurants, the majority of them make their egg pasta dough by hand.

The type of flour, the amount of eggs, how well you knead it, and of course, how long you cook the pasta – all come together to form the perfect, al dente bite, that carries and compliments the flavors of the sauce in the dish.

Once you try this homemade egg noodle pasta recipe – you’ll never go back to store bought pasta again.

What makes the best homemade pasta dough?

There are 4 things you need to get right, to have the best homemade pasta dough.

1. The right type of flour
2. The right ratio of eggs
3. The right amount of kneading (for gluten formation)
4. The right cooking time (for that perfect al dente bite)

The Right Type of Flour

The best flour to use for pasta is Italian “00” flour. 00 flour is more refined and more finely ground than normal all-purpose flour, which mean you’ll have less of the tiny bran or germ particles mixed in with your wheat grain. It’s essentially the purest form of flour you can get. This type of flour allows your dough to build up a good amount of gluten (which gives you that springy, chewy characteristic to fine al dente pasta), while allowing it to be soft enough to avoid a rubbery texture.

The Right Ratio of Eggs

You want to make sure your dough is not to wet and not too dry. The rule of thumb I always follow is to add about 1.5 eggs to every one cup of flour (round down when necessary).

The Right Amount of Kneading (for Gluten Formation)

This is important. You want to knead your dough enough to build up a good network of gluten that will give you that springy, vibrant feeling that fresh, well-cooked pasta has. If you have a mixer, it’s an easy job, but if you don’t – you’ll definitely have to put some elbow grease into it.

The Right Cooking Time (for that Perfect Al Dente Bite)

The right amount of time to boil your pasta will vary, on many factors – the size of your pot, the temperature of your stove and your location (elevation makes a difference). But in my home, I’ve found that 6 minutes is the perfect amount of boiling time for that springy al dente texture.

How Do You Shape pasta?

The simplest way to shape your pasta is to roll up the flat sheets and cut them into spaghetti or fettucine strips. If you’d like to get creative, check out this article from Delish, that outlines 30 different shapes of pasta, that you can try experimenting with, once you have your dough prepared.

The Ingredients For Egg Noodle Pasta

Scroll down to the recipe card for exact measurements and directions.

• Homemade Italian Pasta Dough
  • 3 cups of “00” Italian Flour or All Purpose Flour
  • 0.5 teaspoon Fine Salt
  • 4 Eggs
  • 2 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil

The Equipment Needed

• Kitchen Aid Mixer
• Pasta Roller Attachment

Craft Your Homemade Egg Noodle Pasta Dough

Start by creating a mound with your 00 flour. Then with 2 fingers, create a well within the middle of your flour mound, keeping in mind the amount of room you need to fit in your 3 eggs. Also pay attention to the height of your well “walls” – you want to make sure the eggs don’t spill over once you crack them in.

Crack in your eggs, your extra virgin olive oil and your fine salt.

With a fork, whisk your egg mixture well and slowly start to incorporate the flour in the walls around the edge of the mixture. Work carefully so that your well doesn’t break and spill all of your egg mixture.

Once you’ve incorporated enough flour into your egg mixture and it turns into a jam-like consistency, you can remove your fork, and start mixing everything by hand. Be sure to mix thoroughly and utilize all of the flour.

Kneading Your Homemade Egg Noodle Pasta Dough

When your mixture starts to form a dough and the stickiness of the dough goes away – start to knead the dough, by flattening it out on the table and folding it onto itself. Knead for about 5-10 minutes until the dough becomes elastic and smooth. You’ll know it’s done when you press down on the surface and it springs back into shape. (If this doesn’t happen – keep kneading.)

Once your dough is formed, set aside for about 10 minutes to rest.

On a flat surface, lay down a dusting of flour and bring out your dough and section into thirds.

Take one of the thirds and roughly hand-flatten the dough.

Take out your KitchenAid mixer and insert the pasta roller attachment. Starting at the widest setting, feed your pasta dough into the roller about 2-3 times until it becomes uniformly flat.

Then change the pasta roller setting to a medium thickness and repeat.

Finally, change the pasta roller setting to the thinnest setting and repeat. (If the sheets become too long to handle, feel free to cut in half.)

You should now have a thin flat sheet(s) of homemade egg pasta dough.

Apply a generous dusting of flour to both sides of the sheet, roll them up, and cut into thin strips for fettucine noodles. Then spread them on a paper towel or hang them on a pasta rack (optional), to dry until ready to use. (If you aren’t going to be using them the same day you made them – then form balls or “nests” with the pasta noodles and freeze for up to 3 months.)

Cooking Your Homemade Egg Noodle Pasta

Simply take a pot and fill it with more water than the amount of pasta noodles you wish to cook. Lightly season with salt and bring to a boil.

Once the water is boiling, add in your pasta noodles, and boil for approximately 4-6 minutes.

(Actual cook time varies based on the size of your pot, heat of your stove and elevation of your location, so make sure you experiment with timing to get to the perfect texture you want.)

And there you go – you have fresh homemade egg noodles that’ll pair perfectly with any type of pasta dish.

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