Homemade Tagliatelle

You (yes, you!) can make delicious, fresh, homemade tagliatelle with the right tips, tricks, and a pasta machine by your side. Follow our beginner-friendly recipe for perfect homemade pasta.

By
Karishma Pradhan
Karishma Pradhan
Karishma Pradhan
Karishma is the founder of Home Cooking Collective (HCC) as well as a freelance food writer, recipe developer, and photographer.
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Published April 14, 2023
Karishma Pradhan
Bundles of Homemade Tagliatelle on a Semolina Dusted Baking Sheet

Simply Recipes / Karishma Pradhan

I was in middle school the first time I tried fresh pasta at a local culinary school offering classes for teenagers. At the end of each class, we served and tasted each other's dishes. One day, a group served us fresh tagliatelle; it was so luxurious and velvety, served with a simple cream sauce that underscored its delicate flavor. 

Years later, I still recall that first bite of soft, delicious twirls of pasta. It’s that memory which inspires me to lug out my pasta attachment and devote a relaxing Saturday to the wonderful act of making fresh tagliatelle. 

What is Tagliatelle?

Tagliatelle, pronounced "tah-lyah-TELL-eh," is a thin cut of long pasta consumed in different variations across Italy. According to legend, a court chef in Bologna first created the shape inspired by Italian noblewoman Lucrezia Borgia's blond hair. In the Encyclopedia of Pasta, the author notes that it's much more plausible the cut had already been prepared elsewhere in Italy but concedes that Bologna most likely perfected the shape. 

For pasta to qualify as tagliatelle, the uncooked pasta strips should be translucent, measuring 6.7mm to 7mm in width (about 1/4 inch). It is traditionally made with a ratio of 100 grams of flour to one egg, but a more useful ratio is that the hydration level should be 57% (that is, there should be 57g liquid to 100g flour). 

Tagliatelle is wider than fettuccine but significantly thinner than pappardelle. Both tagliatelle and pappardelle are commonly served with hearty ragus. 

Unrolled Tagliatelle Bundles on a Semolina Dusted Baking Sheet

Simply Recipes / Karishma Pradhan

How to Make Homemade Tagliatelle

Making homemade tagliatelle involves a few steps, but once you get the hang of things, it can be a rather relaxing process.

  1. Make the dough: Fresh pasta is traditionally made using the well method. Here, we place the eggs and olive oil into the center of the flour before mixing and then kneading the shaggy mass into a soft, smooth dough. 
  2. Rest the dough: Rest the dough for at least 30 minutes to give the gluten time to relax, hydrate the flour, and smooth out the surface even further. 
  3. Roll out the dough: Divide the dough into sections and feed each section into your pasta machine until it forms a thin sheet. 
  4. Cut the dough: Cut each sheet into thin strips of tagliatelle. Note that some pasta machines come with a fettuccine cutter, but since the pasta sheets for tagliatelle are rolled a bit thinner and tagliatelle's noodles are cut wider than fettucine, I prefer to cut it by hand. Form bundles of strips into a nest, then cook the nests in boiling water until al dente. That's it!

How to Cook Tagliatelle

Store-bought dried tagliatelle is often sold in nests. To cook it, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then carefully add the nests to the water. Cook until al dente according to package instructions, then drain and serve with your choice of sauce. 

Fresh pasta is much more delicate than dried varieties and needs less cooking time. You will still want to cook it in boiling salted water, but it may only need to boil for 1 to 3 minutes until soft, cooked through, but still slightly al dente (depending on the thickness). 

Close Up of a Bundle of Homemade Tagliatelle

Simply Recipes / Karishma Pradhan

How to Make Tagliatelle Without a Pasta Machine

While this recipe focuses on making tagliatelle with a pasta machine, you can make it without one. You will need a good rolling pin and a bit of muscle, but it's a really rewarding process to roll out the dough by hand. Once the dough has been rolled out into a thin sheet, you stack and cut it like you would with the pasta machine. 

Check out our guide to making pasta by hand for more detailed instructions for rolling out the dough.

Tips and Tricks

  • Don't waste any egg. Use every bit of egg possible for the perfect egg ratio to flour! I'll even scoop out the leftover egg white stuck to the shell. 
  • Make a wide well. A strong and wide well will protect your eggs from spilling out of the well much more than a tall, narrow one.
  • Keep a mister handy. Depending on the humidity, your dough may dry out slightly while kneading. A mister adds just enough moisture to keep your dough soft and supple. 
  • Flour properly. Pasta tends to stick to itself. Believe me, I learned this the hard way once. Generously dust your tagliatelle before cutting it and wrapping it into nests. And make sure to dust any baking sheet or container you're storing the tagliatelle in.
  • Reset your pasta machine. Another lesson learned the hard way. Always remember to reset the pasta machine to the widest setting when rolling out a new section of dough. 

How to Serve Tagliatelle

Fresh pasta is so special on its own that I tend to serve it with a simple sauce. Sometimes, I'll just toss it in a cream sauce that I've reduced on the stove with a bit of garlic, salt, and pepper. 

The following sauces pair nicely with this pasta shape. Replace the pasta called for with tagliatelle:

Bowl of Cooked Homemade Tagliatelle With Beef and Peas

Simply Recipes / Karishma Pradhan

Homemade Tagliatelle

Prep Time 80 mins
Cook Time 3 mins
Rest Time 30 mins
Total Time 113 mins
Servings 4 to 5 servings

Ingredients

  • 3 cups (360g) Italian 00 flour

  • 4 large eggs (208g excluding shell weight)

  • 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

  • 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

  • Water, as needed

  • Semolina flour, for dusting

Method

  1. Make the egg well: 

    On a large wooden cutting board or work surface, measure the flour into a mound. Roll your fist in a circular motion in the center of the pile to form a large, wide well to hold the eggs. Carefully pour the eggs, olive oil, and salt into the crater and whisk with a fork until blended. 

    Tip

    Creating a wide crater for the eggs is essential to prevent the liquid from spilling out.

    On a Counter, a Mound of Flour With an Egg Well for Homemade Tagliatelle

    Simply Recipes / Karishma Pradhan
  2. Bring the dough together: 

    Slowly begin incorporating and whisking flour from the center into the liquid in a circular motion with your fork. Continue mixing the flour and egg until the mixture is thick, like a purée. 

    Using a bench scraper or a spoon, begin scraping the unincorporated flour from the outside edges into the wet mixture. Once the dough looks like a shaggy mass with lots of wet and dry spots, begin kneading with your hands. 

    Fork Used to Break Down Eggs and Slowly Mix With Flour for Homemade Tagliatelle Recipe

    Simply Recipes / Karishma Pradhan
    Bench Scrape Used to Fold Dough Together

    Simply Recipes / Karishma Pradhan
    Hand Used to Knead Tagliatelle Dough

    Simply Recipes / Karishma Pradhan
  3. Knead the dough: 

    Knead until the mass forms a rough dough, 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape and discard any unincorporated floury bits from your work surface, and wash and dry your hands. Continue kneading until the dough feels soft, smooth, and non-sticky, 6 to 7 minutes. It's okay if the dough has a few textured areas, but it should be mostly smooth with no dry spots.

    Tip

    If the dough feels quite dry and is struggling to come together into a cohesive mass, add a teaspoon of water at a time to bring it together. If the dough begins to dry out slightly as you knead it (this is normal!), spray it lightly with a mister or wet your hands. If the dough feels slightly sticky, try kneading it for 1 to 2 minutes to see if that fixes the hydration. If not, dust the work surface with 1/2 teaspoon of flour and knead that into the dough.

    Homemade Tagliatelle Dough on the Counter

    Simply Recipes / Karishma Pradhan
    Hands Kneading the Dough

    Simply Recipes / Karishma Pradhan
    Homemade Tagliatelle Dough Formed Into a Ball

    Simply Recipes / Karishma Pradhan
  4. Rest the dough:

    Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and rest for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours at room temperature (alternatively, chill the wrapped dough in the fridge for up to 24 hours, then bring to room temperature before rolling out).

    Rested Tagliatelle Dough

    Simply Recipes / Karishma Pradhan
  5. Roll out the dough:

    Dust a large baking sheet with semolina flour and set aside. 

    With a knife or bench scraper, divide the dough into 4 equal sections. Work with one section at a time, wrapping the remaining sections in plastic wrap to prevent them from drying out. 

    Use a rolling pin to roll out the dough to 1/4-inch thick. Next, turn your pasta machine on and run it through the widest setting twice (don't worry about the rounded edges, we'll fix this soon). 

    Rotate the dough 90 degrees and fold it into the shape of an envelope. Roll out the dough slightly to seal the edges and form a rectangle. Run the dough through the widest setting once more, then feed the dough through the second widest setting twice. 

    Repeat, feeding the dough through an incrementally higher setting twice until it forms a thin, translucent sheet about 1/16-inch thick (I recommend KitchenAid setting 5 for chewier pasta; for more delicate, softer pasta, I run the sheet through setting 6 once).

    Homemade Tagliatelle Dough Cut Into Quarters and Covered With Plastic Wrap. One Quarter Removed From Plastic Wrap, Ready to Use

    Simply Recipes / Karishma Pradhan
    Tagliatelle Dough Flattened on the Counter

    Simply Recipes / Karishma Pradhan
    Dough Run Through a Pasta Maker Attachment on a Kitchen Aid

    Simply Recipes / Karishma Pradhan
    Dough Folded Like an Envelope

    Simply Recipes / Karishma Pradhan
  6. Cut the pasta:

    Lightly dust the sheet with a bit of semolina flour. With the short end facing you, loosely fold the dough into an accordion in 4-inch segments. Using a sharp knife, cut the stack into 1/4-inch strips. Unroll each strip into a full strand (or, if you've dusted it with enough semolina flour, you can loosely shake the strips, and they will unroll together). Dust with a bit more flour, then wrap and twirl 8 to 10 strips of tagliatelle into a nest and transfer them to the baking sheet.

    Tagliatelle Dough Cut Into Strips Using a Knife After Flattened Dough Was Carefully Folded on Itself

    Simply Recipes / Karishma Pradhan
    Rolled Strips of Tagliatelle

    Simply Recipes / Karishma Pradhan
  7. Repeat:

    Reset your pasta machine to the widest setting. Repeat, rolling out the remaining sections of dough through the pasta roller and cutting them into tagliatelle.

  8. Cook or store:

    Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Gently drop each nest into the pasta water. Once all of the nests have been added, stir the pot, and cook until al dente, 1 to 4 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the pasta to a saucepan with your desired sauce and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

    Store uncooked pasta nests in an airtight container lined with semolina-dusted parchment paper in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Try to use a wide container so that the nests rest in one even layer to prevent squishing. 

    For longer-term storage, generously dust each nest with semolina flour. Allow to dry for 5 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and dust with more flour. Loosely arrange each nest on the baking sheet (make sure they're not touching), and freeze for 1 hour. Transfer the frozen nests to an airtight container and freeze for up to 1 month. Cook from frozen (frozen pasta may take an extra couple of minutes to cook through).

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    Four Bundles of Homemade Tagliatelle on a Semolina Dusted Baking Sheet

    Simply Recipes / Karishma Pradhan
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
348 Calories
7g Fat
56g Carbs
14g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 5
Amount per serving
Calories 348
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 7g 9%
Saturated Fat 2g 8%
Cholesterol 149mg 50%
Sodium 89mg 4%
Total Carbohydrate 56g 20%
Dietary Fiber 2g 7%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 14g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 35mg 3%
Iron 2mg 9%
Potassium 135mg 3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.