Create FreshPasta from Scratch
Discover the art of fresh pasta making with traditional techniques, premium equipment, and authentic Italian ingredients.
The Magic of Fresh Pasta
Fresh pasta transforms a simple meal into something extraordinary. The silky texture, the way it clings to sauce, the tender bite that dried pasta simply cannot replicate—these qualities explain why Italian nonnas have been making pasta by hand for generations. Once you experience truly fresh pasta, dried pasta from a box becomes a pale substitute.
The beauty of pasta making lies in its simplicity. At its most basic, pasta dough requires only flour and eggs—ingredients you likely have in your kitchen right now. From this simple foundation, you can create dozens of shapes, from delicate angel hair to robust pappardelle, from stuffed ravioli to hand-rolled orecchiette. Each shape suits different sauces and occasions, and learning to make them connects you to centuries of Italian culinary tradition.
Flour choice dramatically affects your pasta. Italian Tipo 00 flour, milled to an extremely fine texture, produces silky, tender pasta ideal for delicate shapes and filled pastas. Semolina flour, ground from durum wheat, creates pasta with more bite and texture, perfect for holding chunky sauces. Many pasta makers blend these flours to achieve specific characteristics, and experimenting with ratios is part of the creative process.
At Kitchen Kneads, we understand that great pasta starts with great ingredients and the right tools. Our selection of Italian flours includes premium Tipo 00 and semolina varieties, carefully sourced for authentic results. We also carry pasta machines ranging from traditional hand-cranked models to electric options, along with specialty tools for creating regional pasta shapes.
Fresh Pasta Toolkit
Machines, specialty flours, and traditional tools for handmade pasta
Types of Fresh Pasta
Master different pasta styles with our guides and tools
Italian cuisine features hundreds of pasta shapes, each designed to complement specific sauces and preparations. Fresh egg pasta from Northern Italy differs significantly from the semolina-based pastas of the South. Understanding these regional traditions helps you choose the right pasta for each dish and develop authentic technique.
Fresh Egg Pasta
Silky noodles perfect for rich sauces
Semolina Pasta
Traditional Southern Italian style
Filled Pasta
Ravioli, tortellini, and agnolotti
Hand-Shaped Pasta
Orecchiette, cavatelli, and more
Essential Pasta Making Tips
Success in pasta making comes from understanding a few key principles. Italian grandmothers may work intuitively, but they learned through years of practice. These tips distill that experience into actionable guidance that will improve your pasta from the very first batch.
Quality Flour
Tipo 00 flour creates silky pasta while semolina adds structure—many recipes blend both for ideal texture
Rest the Dough
Resting relaxes gluten, making dough easier to roll and less likely to spring back during shaping
Proper Thickness
For most pasta, roll thin enough to see your hand through the sheet—this ensures even cooking
Cook Immediately
Fresh pasta cooks in two to four minutes and should go directly into well-salted boiling water
Continuing the Tradition
Pasta making is more than cooking—it is a connection to tradition, family, and community. In Italy, making pasta together is a social activity, with knowledge passing from generation to generation through shared kitchen time. Children learn to feel when dough has been kneaded enough, how to roll sheets of even thickness, and which shapes pair with which sauces.
This tradition adapts beautifully to modern kitchens. While hand-cranked pasta machines have been standard for decades, newer electric models make the process even more accessible. Attachments for stand mixers can roll and cut pasta with precision, while dedicated pasta extruders produce shapes like rigatoni and penne that are difficult to make by hand.
Learning pasta making opens doors to exploring Italian regional cuisine. Each area of Italy has signature pasta shapes and preparations. Emilia-Romagna is famous for rich egg pastas like tagliatelle and tortellini. Liguria contributes trofie, twisted pieces perfect for pesto. Puglia offers orecchiette, little ears shaped by hand. As you develop skills, you can explore these traditions and make them part of your own cooking repertoire.
Whether you are making weeknight fettuccine or elaborate ravioli for a special occasion, fresh pasta elevates the meal. The investment in learning pays dividends every time you sit down to a plate of silky noodles dressed in simple sauce, knowing that you created something beautiful from flour and eggs.
Start Making Fresh Pasta Today
Experience the satisfaction of creating restaurant-quality pasta in your own kitchen.