This herb laminated pasta dough is a show-stopper — elegant, delicious, and infused with herby flavour. I love to serve it up simply, cutting the pasta sheets into pappardelle or fettuccine and then tossing the cooked noodles with lots of olive oil, lemon juice, freshly grated parmesan, chili flakes, and cracked black pepper. This recipe is the perfect project to take on with friends and family who can help with preparing and placing the herbs, which can be a little finicky, but is so worth it.
Related: How to Make the Best Homemade Pasta
ingredients
directions
Whisk together flours and salt. Pour dry ingredients onto a clean work surface and make a wide well in the center. Add beaten eggs and use a fork to slowly incorporate flour, a little bit at a time. The mixture should look thick and custardy, like scrambled eggs.
Once most of the flour has been incorporated, use a bench scraper in a chopping motion to fold the rest of it in. You can also use your hands for this, it might just be a little messier.
When you have a shaggy dough mixture, use your hands to squish and knead the dough together. Keep kneading until a ball of dough forms. If the dough seems dry, add a splash of water. If it feels too sticky, dust it with a little extra all-purpose flour. If you find the dough becoming too tough to knead, cover it and allow it to rest for 10 minutes, then continue.
Once you have a smooth ball of dough, wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and rest for 30 minutes (up to 1 hour) at room temperature.
Prepare your pasta station: Set up your pasta machine or stand mixer pasta roller attachment. Dust a large, clean baking sheet with semolina. Dampen a clean kitchen towel and set aside.
Divide dough into 4 equal pieces. Take one portion of dough and flatten it into an oval with your hand or a rolling pin until it’s thin enough to fit the widest setting of your pasta roller. Roll it through once. Tuck both rounded ends towards the center to make a rectangle. Roll through again on the widest setting.
Keep rolling the pasta dough through on a smaller and smaller setting until you reach #6.
Lay the pasta sheet out on a floured work surface and cut it in half. Cover one of the halves in the damp kitchen towel and set aside. Spray or brush the other half lightly with water. Working quickly, gently press herb leaves close together onto the pasta sheet. Cover with the other half, pressing as you go to reduce air bubbles. Use a knife or bench scraper to trim the sides and ends. Dust with flour and roll through on setting #5 and then again on #6. If any air bubbles appear, use a toothpick to pop them and smooth out with your fingers.
Cut into your desired shape and place pasta onto a flour-dusted baking sheet.
