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Love homemade pasta but don’t want to mix and knead it by hand? No problem. With 4 simple ingredients that you probably have on hand, you can make Food Processor Pasta Dough in 5 minutes flat.
Food processors are the most versatile of kitchen appliances. From making muffin batter to homemade gyro meat, there are literally endless uses for it. You might not know, though, that you can use yours to mix and knead homemade Italian pasta dough, saving you lots of time and keeping your pasta-making endeavors nearly mess-free.
Ingredients You Need to Make Food Processor Pasta Dough
- Flour: All-purpose flour. (see FAQ)
- Salt: Kosher salt or half the amount of fine sea salt.
- Eggs: Large eggs
- Olive Oil: Ideally good, extra-virgin olive oil
Once you have your homemade pasta, the rest is easy and fast. Where dried pasta typically takes 10 minutes or more to boil, fresh pasta cooks in 2-3 minutes. And layered into lasagna, there’s no need to pre-boil the noodles at all (as in my favorite Lasagna with Cottage Cheese recipe).
Don’t want to use your fresh pasta right away? No problem.
How to Freeze Fresh Pasta
Spread freshly cut pasta onto a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper that you’ve dusted with flour. Freeze for 15-30 minutes to dry out the noodles so they won’t stick together. Transfer to freezer-safe storage bags or containers and enjoy within 1 month. Cook fresh pasta in 2-3 minutes, frozen pasta (no need to thaw first) for 3-5 minutes.
You can also freeze a ball of fresh pasta dough for 1 month. Thaw the dough in the refrigerator overnight before rolling and cutting it.
How to Dry Fresh Pasta
Toss fresh noodles with a little flour and arrange in a single layer on a lightly floured surface or clean kitchen towel. Alternatively, you can hang noodles on a drying rack. Let stand at room temperature for 12 to 24 hours, depending on the humidity and temperature of your kitchen. (A fan set to low speed directed at the noodles will speed this process.) You know your pasta is properly dried when it breaks when twisted. If it bends, it needs to continue drying. Dried fresh pasta will last 2 months or more when stored at room temperature in an airtight container.
FAQ
What is the dough blade on a food processor?
Most food processors come with a plastic ‘dough blade’. Despite the name, it does not work as well for dough making as the standard metal blade, also called the ‘S blade’.
Can you pre-make pasta dough?
Yes. You can refrigerate fresh pasta dough for up to 1 day or freeze for up to 1 month.
Can I use all-purpose flour for pasta?
Yes, and I recommend that you do. Many pasta recipes call for semolina flour, but all-purpose flour creates a more pleasing texture and offers a more reliable result. I find that semolina flour, though popular, can make sticky, gummy pasta dough.
Do you put olive oil in pasta dough?
Yes. A little bit of olive oil along with the eggs gives fresh pasta a silky texture.
When you realize freshly made pasta dough is just 5 minutes away, I hope your mind starts to rush to all of the ways you’d love to use it. Together with a manual pasta machine (here is the one I use), you can make delicate fresh pasta sheets that you can cut into any shape you like. Make pastas like spaghetti and linguine with the machine’s cutting attachments or cut homemade lasagna noodles or wide noodles like pappardelle by hand. Or, for a more rustic feel, roll and cut your dough completely by hand. Your options are limitless.
Use With
- Bolognese Sauce
- Ragu Sauce
- Lamb Ragu
- Checca Sauce
- Classic Basil Pesto or Almond Pesto
How to Make Food Processor Pasta Dough
Step 1: Pulse flour and salt together in food processor bowl.
Step 2: Add egg and oil and pulse until the dough just starts to come together. Then process until the dough forms a ball and breaks apart a total of 3 times (about 1 minute). This will both make and knead the dough.Shape dough into a smooth ball; cover and let stand at room temperature 30-60 minutes before rolling and cutting.
Recipe Video
Food Processor Pasta Dough
4.80 from 10 votes
By: Marissa Stevens
Prep: 5 minutes mins
Total: 5 minutes mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Calories: 208
Servings: 6 people
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With 4 simple ingredients, you can make homemade pasta dough in your food processor in 5 minutes flat.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
Add flour and salt to the bowl of a food processor; pulse a few times to combine.
In a medium bowl, mix eggs and olive oil with a fork until just combined. Pour over flour mixture in food processor. Pulse several times until no dry flour remains. Process for about 1 minute, or until dough has gathered into a rough ball then broken into small, bead-like fragments and gathered into a ball once or twice more. (This will both mix and knead the pasta dough.) If the dough gets stuck at any time, turn off the food processor and nudge the dough slightly and continue to process.
Remove the pasta dough from the food processor and shape with your hands into a smooth ball and cover with plastic wrap. Let rest for 30-60 minutes at room temperature. Roll out immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 day (recipe note).
Notes
- Plan to use your fresh pasta dough within 1 day as the eggs will begin to oxidize and change color if refrigerated for longer. The same goes for fresh pasta noodles – you’ll want to use or freeze within 1 day and use within 1 month.
- I recommend a medium-sized food processor for this recipe, 10 to 13 cup. The one pictured is an 11-cup processor.
Nutrition
Calories: 208kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 93mg | Sodium: 424mg | Potassium: 79mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.2g | Vitamin A: 135IU | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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