Kelsey's Homemade Pasta How-To

You don't have to be an Italian grandmother to cook like one -- Kelsey's step-by-step instructions for homemade pasta make it easy.

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Homemade Fettuccine With Yellow Squash and Parmesan Sauce

Fresh pasta can seem intimidating, but it's much easier than you think. Turn four ingredients — flour, salt, oil and eggs — into homemade pasta. Kelsey shows you how.

Get the Recipe: Fettuccine with Yellow Squash and Parmesan-Lemon Cream Sauce

Step 1: Blanch and Puree Spinach

If you want to make flavored pasta, like these spinach fettuccine, add the flavorings to the egg yolks before you make the dough. Kelsey adds 3 tablespoons of cooked, pureed and strained spinach for this bright-green pasta.

Step 2: Make The Dough

Make a well in the center of the flour, then add the egg yolks. Gradually incorporate the flour with a bench scraper until dough starts to take shape. Then, knead the dough until it's smooth and elastic (like pizza dough), about 8 to 10 minutes.

Step 3: Give It a Rest

Form dough into a round and let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes at room temperature or up to 24 hours in the fridge. Then, divide the dough into 4 sections and keep the dough you're not using covered.

Step 4: Make the Pasta

Flatten one of the dough pieces into an oval disk, then put it through your pasta machine's widest setting. Adjust the pasta machine settings to become thinner, passing the dough through a few times on each setting. Change to the fettuccine cutter on your mixer, or fold into thirds and cut into even planks with a knife. Store the pasta on a floured baking sheet until ready to cook.

Step 5: Boil and Salt

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Just before it boils, add a hefty amount of salt to flavor your pasta. It should be as salty as seawater.

Step 6: Cook the Pasta

The best part about fresh pasta: It takes only a fraction of the cooking time of dried pasta. Drop it in the boiling water and it will be ready in less than a minute!