How to cook fresh pasta
After all the work to make homemade pasta, make sure you cook it correctly.
For all the time and effort it takes to make pasta from scratch, cooking fresh pasta is actually faster — and easier — than boiling the box of noodles in your pantry.
The techniques for cooking fresh and dried pasta are similar (in a large pot of boiling water, seasoned generously with salt), but the amount of time it takes each to cook differs: Where the average box of dried pasta suggests around 10 minutes of cooking, fresh pasta typically only needs between two and five minutes.
Here are three factors I consider when cooking fresh pasta
1) Form: How the pasta is shaped impacts its cook time. Flatter, thinner ribbons like tagliatelle will take less time to tenderize (about two minutes) than chubbier pieces like cavatelli (about three to five minutes). Stuffed pastas generally require two and a half to four minutes at a gentle boil. (Gentler cooking helps prevent stuffed pastas from bursting and cheese-based fillings from curdling.)
2) Freshness: Although I don’t recommend fully drying fresh pasta (more on that below), it’s totally fine to store certain shapes on the countertop or in the refrigerator for a few hours, or in the freezer for up to a few months, before boiling. Of course, the longer the pasta dries, the longer it’ll take to cook; similarly, refrigerated and frozen pastas will require more time in the water, too.
3) Sauce: If you’re using a cooked sauce — meat sauces, cream sauces, and most tomato and vegetable sauces — you should finish cooking your pasta, whether fresh or dried, in the sauce to allow the pasta to fully absorb its flavor. For fresh pasta, I recommend removing the pasta from the boiling water a few moments prior to doneness to account for that extra minute or so in the sauce. There are, of course, exceptions: Pastas paired with uncooked sauces (like pestos and raw tomato sauces) or that are going to be used for pasta salads, as well as gnocchi and stuffed pastas, should be cooked through before saucing.
My best advice for determining doneness? Always taste-test your pasta as it cooks. Fresh pasta should be tender (not mushy; not “al dente”), with a pleasant chew — and, most importantly, it should be cooked to your liking.
Should I dry fresh pasta or cook it right away?
It would be reasonable to assume that because boxes of dried pasta line an entire aisle at the market that fresh pasta can — and should — be stored the same way. But fresh pasta tastes best when it’s, well, fresh. Fully dried fresh pasta is often tough and brittle. It’s the moisture inherent in fresh pasta that gives it its signature texture, and without it, the pasta loses its tenderness and chew.
Of course, not all of us have the luxury of cooking fresh pasta immediately after it’s made. I’m sure I’m not the only one who saves labor-intensive cooking projects like fresh pasta for when I have extra time, like a weekend afternoon — long before it’s time to sit down for dinner.
The good news is that most fresh pastas keep for a few hours, either at room temperature or uncovered in the refrigerator. Shapes that fall into the former category are what I like to call “hand-formed” pastas (like cavatelli and orecchiette) and “short-cut” pastas (small unstuffed egg pastas like farfalle and garganelli). These should be arranged in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet, dusted in coarse semolina flour to prevent sticking; I recommend drying for no more than four to five hours. Stuffed pastas like ravioli can be stored, also in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet, uncovered in the refrigerator for up to about three hours. (Check occasionally to make sure they’re not getting sticky or soggy — if they are, you can blanch and freeze them.) For long, ribbon-shaped noodles, on the other hand, I recommend cooking immediately, or freezing if you plan to eat later (more on that below).
For those in search of a longer-term storage solution, opt for the freezer. Freezing fresh pasta locks in its color and texture: Cook a batch of freshly made fettuccine alongside one frozen the week before and you’ll be hard-pressed to tell the difference. To do so, arrange your fresh pasta on a parchment-lined baking sheet in a single layer and place it, uncovered, into the freezer until the pieces are set, about 25 minutes. Then, shake off any excess flour, transfer it to a freezer bag, and return it to the freezer for up to three months. (The sooner you cook it, the fresher it’ll taste.) Cook the pasta straight from frozen — no need to thaw — and add about one minute to its typical cook time.
How do I prevent my homemade pasta from sticking together before cooking?
One of the most common challenges when making fresh pasta occurs with the simplest shapes: long ribbons. If you haven’t yet been plagued by a mass of garbled, stuck-together fettuccine, I commend you on already being a pasta-making pro. I, however, have had my fair share of frustrations with sticky noodles, and so I have two tips for you:
- After rolling the pasta sheet through your machine, let it dry for five to 10 minutes per side, then dust it generously with flour before cutting into ribbons.
- Cook or freeze the pasta shortly after cutting to avoid clumping or, on the flip side, dry and brittle noodles.
Ultimately, pasta is a simple food and cooking it should be simple, too. And with these tips in mind, you’ll be well on your way to enjoying fresh pasta any night of the week.
Cover photo (Golden Durum Pasta) by Raymond Prado.
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