Comfort food doesn’t get much easier than homemade pasta. It’s so much simpler (and quicker) than most people think. And you don’t need fancy equipment either. Although I have a pasta machine, which I bought for my hubby a few years ago as a gift, using an ordinary rolling pin works just as well.
I was recently lucky enough to receive quite a few large tubs of pesto from my favourite pesto brand, Pesto Princess, and I have been loving trying out different flavoured pasta doughs using this simple added extra. It gives such amazing flavour and colour to the dough, but also means you don’t need additional sauces to create great flavour. Homemade pasta is super convenient too as it lasts in the fridge for quite a few days and in the freezer for a couple of months, so meal prepping is super easy.
The other bonus about homemade pasta is that it only takes around 3 or 4 minutes to cook (depending on the shape and thickness you make). Great for a quick lunch or dinner if you’ve made some in advance.
Homemade Sundried Tomato Pesto Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 Cups 00 or All-purpose Flour, and more for dusting
- 1 tsp Salt
- 2 Large Eggs
- 1½ Tbsp Olive Oil
- ¼ Cup Sundried Tomato Pesto
Instructions
- In a large bowl or on a clean and flat surface of your counter top, pile the flour and create a well in the middle of the flour. Add the salt, then add the eggs, olive oil and pesto into the well you created in the middle of the flour. Very gently start whisking the wet ingredients into the flour with a fork and bring the edges of the flour over the top of the eggs
- Once the mixture starts to come together start folding the dough over onto itself. If the mixture is too tacky at this point sprinkle additional flour over the top and incorporate. If it very dry for some reason, add a teaspoon of water and work it in, then check again. Knead the dough for a few minutes. You want a smooth, firm ball. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and rest for 15 minutes
- Cut your pasta dough into 4 even pieces. Working with one quarter of the dough, wrap the rest with plastic wrap. Sprinkle your pasta machine and pasta dough with a dusting of flour
- Flatten dough with your palm and roll out pasta starting at the widest setting on your pasta machine, mine is 1. Rolling the dough is a process, you need to make several passes, throughout each thickness setting for the best results. I start with the biggest setting, run it through once or twice there, then gradually adjust the settings to be thinner and thinner until I have the perfect sheet. Work your way up on the settings slowly, careful not to tear the dough. Between each pass, I fold the strip into thirds. This helps square up the edges and keeps things even. Work your way up to a thinner setting, I like mine at a 6 or 7 for. It's your preference on how thin or thick you want your dough
- If you do not have a pasta machine, just ignore the above step and roll the dough to your desired thickness on a lightly floured surface with a rolling pin. You want the dough to be nice and thin, but not so thin that it tears. Still work in pieces to make it easier to cut into strips
- For this recipe I decided to make Pappardelle pasta, a broader pasta strip, which I cut by hand. You can cut it freehand or use a ruler if you wish to be more accurate. Homemade Pappardelle is usually around 2cm – 3cm in width. You can also feel free to make any pasta shape or cut your dough through the fettuccine/tagliatelle setting with your pasta machine. Once cut into strips, place pasta on a floured board. Gently toss the pasta in the flour to prevent sticking and set aside
- Cook pasta in salted boiling water for 2 – 3 minutes. Drain well and drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper (I served mine with some roasted garlic and vine tomatoes, a dollop of the sundried tomato pesto mixed through and topped with some freshly chopped basil and finely grated Parmesan). Prepare to your preference though and enjoy!
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