Homemade Pasta with Sage Butter

Recipe by MaryJane Robbins
9 Reviews 4.9 out of 5 stars

Homemade pasta seems to strike fear into the hearts of many bakers and cooks. However, with just a few ingredients and tools, you can turn out tender noodles full of flavor, just waiting for your favorite toppings and sauces. Start with fresh ingredients, leave a little time to rest your dough, and soon you can delight your family and friends with the tastiest pasta dish this side of your favorite restaurant.

Prep
1 hr
Total
1 hr 50 mins
Yield
4 to 6 servings
Homemade Pasta with Sage Butter

Instructions

Prevent your screen from going dark as you follow along.

  1. On the counter or in a bowl, create a well with the flour. Sprinkle the salt over the flour. (For instructions on how to make the dough in a food processor, see "tips," below.)

  2. Crack the eggs directly into the well. Scramble them with your fingers or a fork.

  3. Draw flour from the sides of the well into the center, mixing well with the eggs. Draw flour evenly from all sides.

  4. Working quickly, draw flour until a soft, loose dough forms.

  5. Continue to knead the dough, for 8 to 10 minutes until a firm, but not dry dough forms. Wrap in plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes.

  6. While the dough rests, bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil and prepare the sauce. (Fresh pasta cooks quickly, so it's important to have the sauce ready as soon as it's done cooking.) In a large saucepan, melt the butter for the sauce. Add the whole fresh sage leaves and cook, stirring occasionally, until the butter is golden brown and the sage leaves are crisp. Remove the sage leaves from the butter and set aside for garnishing the plate. Add the minced sage; it will sizzle a bit. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.

  7. After the dough has rested, divide into 4 even pieces. Set aside and cover 3 pieces while you work with the 4th. Lightly dredge your working piece in flour.

  8. Roll the dough through a pasta machine once on the largest setting. Fold the dough in thirds like a letter (this helps it become a rectangular shape) before rolling it a second time on the largest setting.

  9. Adjust the pasta machine to the next increment and pass the dough through. Continue adjusting the setting and rolling the dough through the machine until you’ve used setting #7 on a standard pasta roller (0.8 mm thick).

  10. Generously dust the pasta sheets with flour, cut to your desired length, and run each sheet through the cutting blades of the pasta machine.

  11. Gently separate the noodles, and loosely pile the pasta while you roll the rest of the sheets. After all the sheets are cut, add the pasta to the salted boiling water. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

  12. Drain the pasta, leaving a couple of tablespoons of the cooking water in the pot. Stir in the sizzled sage butter and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the hot pasta to the sauce and toss to coat. Serve immediately. Refrigerate any leftovers.

Tips from our Bakers

  • Be sure to use all of the bits of egg dough that stick to your fingers.
  • For a more authentic pasta, you can use half All Purpose and half durum or semolina flour.

  • To make this pasta dough using the food processor: Add the flour and salt to the bowl of a food processor and mix for 15 seconds to combine. Crack the eggs into a small separate bowl or liquid measuring cup. With the food processor running, add the eggs one at a time, allowing each one to fully incorporate before adding the next. Pulse the processor until the mixture is mostly in large clumps with some loose bits. Transfer the mixture to a clean work surface. Knead by hand for about 2 minutes to incorporate all the loose bits and form a smooth dough. Wrap in plastic and then proceed with the recipe.

Baker’s Resources