Recipes › Pasta › Homemade Tagliatelle Recipe

Homemade Tagliatelle Recipe

Recipe by Pedro M. A. Neves

Homemade tagliatelle is a classic Italian egg pasta that showcases the simplicity and elegance of traditional Emilia-Romagna cooking. With just flour, eggs, and salt, you can create silky ribbons of fresh pasta that cook in minutes and pair beautifully with rich ragù, butter sage, or simple tomato sauces. Making tagliatelle by hand connects you to centuries of Italian culinary tradition.

Ingredients

• 300g (2⅜ cups) all-purpose flour or tipo 00 flour
• 3 large eggs
• 5ml (1 teaspoon) salt
• 15ml (1 tablespoon) olive oil
• Extra flour for dusting

Instructions

1. Mound the flour on a clean work surface and create a well in the center with your fingers. Crack the eggs into the well and add salt and olive oil.

2. Using a fork, beat the eggs together gently, then begin incorporating flour from the inner walls of the well, drawing it in gradually to create a shaggy dough.

3. Once the mixture becomes too thick to work with a fork, use your hands to bring all the flour together into a rough ball, scraping the work surface as needed.

4. Knead the dough for 8-10 minutes until smooth, elastic, and no longer sticky. Add flour only if extremely wet, or wet your hands slightly if too dry. The dough should be firm and silky.

5. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and rest at room temperature for at least 20 minutes to relax the gluten.

6. Divide the dough into 4 portions. Working with one portion at a time, flatten it with your palm, then roll with a rolling pin from the center outward, rotating the dough frequently to achieve an even thickness of approximately 1-2mm. The sheet should be thin enough to see your hand through it.

7. Dust the rolled sheet lightly with flour and let it rest for 2-3 minutes until slightly firmed but still pliable. Roll it loosely into a cylinder.

8. Using a sharp knife, cut the rolled pasta into ribbons approximately 8mm wide. Unroll immediately and nest the tagliatelle loosely on a floured tray or baking sheet.

9. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the tagliatelle and stir gently with a fork to prevent sticking.

10. Cook for 2-4 minutes, depending on thickness, until the pasta floats and is tender but still firm to the bite (al dente). Drain gently and toss immediately with your chosen sauce.

Substitutions

• For egg-free pasta: substitute 3 eggs with 180ml warm water mixed with 15ml olive oil; adjust flour quantity as needed for dough consistency
• For whole wheat version: replace 100g all-purpose flour with 100g whole wheat flour for nuttier flavor and more fiber
• For spinach tagliatelle: blanch and squeeze 150g fresh spinach, puree, and mix into eggs before incorporating flour, reducing water content in wet mixture
• For gluten-free: use a blend of 150g rice flour, 100g tapioca starch, and 50g cornstarch, adding 10ml xanthan gum for elasticity

Tips

• Fresh homemade tagliatelle cooks much faster than dried pasta—watch carefully during the final minute to avoid overcooking
• If you don't have a rolling pin, use a clean wine bottle or smooth glass to flatten the dough; work patiently as hand-rolled pasta may be rustic and thicker than machine-rolled
• Store uncooked tagliatelle loosely nested on a tray, uncovered at room temperature for up to 4 hours, or freeze on the tray for up to 3 months—no thawing needed when cooking frozen pasta
• Match sauce weight to pasta: 1kg fresh tagliatelle typically needs 300-400g sauce for proper coating without drowning

Tagliatelle is the soul of Emilia-Romagna cuisine, particularly Bologna, where it is traditionally served with ragù Bolognese and the ratio of width (8mm) and thickness is considered part of the region's culinary identity. The dish has been documented since at least the 15th century in Italian cookbooks, making it one of Europe's oldest recorded fresh pasta preparations.

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