Authentic, Tender Gluten-Free Pasta (Easy Recipe)

If you thought making easy and homemade gluten-free pasta wasn't possible, think again. These soft, and tender noodles taste identical to the authentic ones my Italian family has been making for generations. Only 4 simple ingredients stand in your way of finally enjoying from-scratch pasta made with this easy step-by-step method. I'll show you how to make everything from fettuccine to lasagna sheets.

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 10

Total Time 40

Servings

Author Melissa Erdelac

Ingredients

2 cups (292 g) gluten-free all purpose flour Cup4Cup gluten-free flour highly recommended - see post for notes on other brands
½ cup + 2 tablespoons (58 g) almond flour
¾ teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions

Food Processor: Place the dry ingredients in a food processor and process to combine. Add the eggs and oil. Process until a dough forms and holds together in small clumps. The dough should form a ball when pressed together and be very slightly sticky.
By Hand: In a large bowl whisk together the dry ingredients. Make a well in the middle and whisk the eggs and oil together in the center. Use the fork to work in the dry ingredients into the flour. If necessary, use your hands to knead all the dry ingredients in uniformly. The dough should form a ball when pressed together and be very slightly sticky.
Note: With either method, the dough largely depends on the egg size. If the dough is too wet and sticky, add a little more flour. If it is too dry and doesn't clump together into a soft dough, add a touch of water.
2 cups gluten-free all purpose flour, ½ cup + 2 tablespoons almond flour , ¾ teaspoon salt, 4 large eggs, 1 tablespoon olive oil
Divide the dough into 4 sections and wrap each with plastic wrap.
Set up the pasta rolling machine, a work surface to lightly flour and shape the dough, and two baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
Take off about one-third of a ball, leaving other part wrapped. Lightly sprinkle a work surface with gluten-free flour. Flatten the section into a smushed, flat oval. Pat each side with a little flour. Run it through the widest setting 1 on the machine. It will come out slightly sticky and ragged at the edges.
Fold the top and bottom edges in into thirds, meeting in the middle like a letter. If needed, pat a little flour on each side. Turn 90 degrees so the longer edge is run through the machine at widest setting again. Fold it into thirds a final time, turn it 90 degrees so it's back to the narrow side being run through at the widest setting.
Now you have a smooth sheet to thin out with the next settings. If the sheet gets sticky at all, move it to your work surface and lightly pat each side with flour. For my machine I run it through setting 2 one to two times, than setting 3 one time before I cut it into wide noodles or spaghetti.
Once a sheet has been cut into pasta either shape the section into a nest and transfer it to the baking sheet or separate and lay out on the sheet. NOTE: If you plan on freezing the pasta, I don't recommend shaping into a nest. Cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap while the rest of the dough is rolled and cut.
Transfer the securely covered baking sheets to the refrigerator up to 24 hours. To cook, bring unsalted water to a boil. Add the pasta and once it returns to boiling, cook for about 2-3 minutes.
To freeze pasta for longer storage, transfer the covered baking sheets to the freezer and once frozen, gently transfer the pasta to a ziplock freezer bag or airtight container. Freeze up to 2 months. When ready to enjoy, bring unsalted water to a boil. Add the pasta and once it returns to boiling, cook for 2-3 minutes.
Makes 4 generous dinner sized portions or 6-8 smaller portions.

Notes

Tips on Achieving Perfect Dough

The size of the eggs and GF flour brand makes a big difference in how the dough comes together, so you may have to make some slight adjustments using the tips below.

Once everything is mixed together in a food processor it should be clumpy, not one giant ball, but broken apart in smaller clumps.
Whether mixing by hand, or with a food processor, after mixing, squeeze and press the dough together. It should clump together and be the slightest bit sticky.
If you start rolling and it breaks apart, it needs a little more moisture. You could mix it again with a dash of water, or just wet your hands and knead it into the dough balls before you run it through the machine.
If the dough is too sticky to run through the machine, lightly flour each side. If that doesn't work, you may have to mix a little more flour into the dough.

Storing and Make-Ahead Tips

I tried drying the pasta and I don't recommend it. I found the dried and boiled pasta to have a chewier texture. It wasn't nearly as good as fresh pasta.

But, the recipe is still make-ahead friendly! Either store the plastic wrap covered sheets in the fridge up to 1 day before cooking or freeze for longer storage.

To freeze, I don't recommend shaping the cut pasta into nests because the noodles were harder to separate when cooking. Just lay out on the baking sheet and transfer to the freezer. Once solid, move the noodles to a ziplock freezer bag, laying flat to freeze. Freeze up to 2 months.

Nutrition