This homemade pappardelle is the recipe that will change the way you think about pasta forever. Wide, silky ribbons of fresh egg dough, made with five pantry ingredients and a rolling pin (or pasta machine, if you have one) - the kind of pasta Italian grandmothers have been rolling out on floured wooden boards for centuries.
New to homemade pasta? Pair this with our classic Bolognese Sauce and try our Butternut Squash Gnocchi next - both show off exactly why fresh pasta is worth the effort.
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Jump To
- What Is Pappardelle?
- Why You'll Love This Pappardelle Recipe
- Ingredients for Homemade Pappardelle
- Tools You'll Need
- How to Make Pappardelle by Hand (Traditional Method)
- How to Make Pappardelle with a Pasta Machine
- Tips for Perfect Pappardelle Dough
- Common Mistakes to Avoid
- How to Cook Fresh Pappardelle
- The Best Sauces for Pappardelle
- Pappardelle vs. Fettuccine vs. Tagliatelle
- How to Store, Dry, and Freeze Pappardelle
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Homemade Pasta Recipes to Try
- Homemade Pappardelle (Fresh Italian Pasta Recipe)
If you've been dreaming of making fresh pasta at home but felt intimidated, pappardelle is the place to start. It's forgiving. It doesn't need fancy equipment. And the reward - tender ribbons drinking up a rich meat ragù - is the kind of meal that turns an ordinary Sunday into something worth remembering.
Are you afraid to make your own pasta? Have you been dreaming of making your own pasta? If you want to start with your first pasta recipe, homemade pappardelle could be the recipe for you!
What Is Pappardelle?
Pappardelle (pronounced pah-pahr-DELL-eh) are wide, flat ribbons of fresh egg pasta that originated in Tuscany in central Italy. The name comes from the Italian verb pappare - "to gobble up" - which is exactly what you'll do once these hit the plate.
Traditionally cut about ½ inch wide and made from a simple dough of eggs, flour, olive oil, and salt, pappardelle are designed to carry rich, hearty sauces: wild boar ragù, Bolognese, beef short rib, mushroom cream, or any slow-simmered meat sauce. The wide surface area is what makes them special - every ribbon grabs the sauce and pulls it into every bite.
Why You'll Love This Pappardelle Recipe
- No pasta machine required - a rolling pin and a sharp knife work perfectly
- Only 5 ingredients - flour, eggs, olive oil, salt, and time
- Beginner-friendly - pappardelle is the easiest fresh pasta to master because the cut doesn't have to be precise
- Versatile dough - the same dough makes fettuccine, tagliatelle, garganelli, or maltagliati
- Freezer-friendly - make a big batch and stash for weeknight dinners
- Dinner-party magic - nothing impresses like hand-cut pasta
Ingredients for Homemade Pappardelle
Here's everything you need (full printable recipe below):
- All-purpose flour - 2 cups
- 00 flour - 2 cups (or substitute all-purpose for the whole amount)
- Large eggs - 4 whole eggs, at room temperature
- Extra-virgin olive oil - 1 tablespoon
- Kosher salt - ¾ teaspoon
Why 00 Flour?
00 flour is finely milled Italian flour with less gluten than all-purpose. It gives pappardelle that signature silky, tender texture. If you can find it, use half 00 and half all-purpose. If not, all-purpose alone works beautifully - this is how Italian grandmothers have been doing it forever.
Tools You'll Need
You can make pappardelle two ways - here's what each requires:
By hand (traditional):
- Large wooden board or clean countertop
- Rolling pin (a long thin Italian mattarello is ideal, but any will do)
- Sharp knife or pastry wheel
- Bench scraper
- A clean kitchen towel
With a pasta machine:
- Hand-crank or stand-mixer pasta attachment
- Bench scraper
- Parchment-lined sheet trays
How to Make Pappardelle by Hand (Traditional Method)
- Make a flour well. Pour flour and salt onto a clean work surface, mound it, and dig a wide well in the middle with your fingers.
- Add the eggs and oil. Crack eggs into the well, add the olive oil, and beat gently with a fork, slowly pulling flour in from the inner wall.
- Bring the dough together. Once the eggs have absorbed most of the flour, use your hands to gather everything into a shaggy ball.
- Knead for 8-10 minutes. Push the dough away with the heel of your hand, fold it back, turn a quarter turn, repeat. The dough should become smooth, supple, and silky.
- Rest the dough. Wrap tightly in plastic and rest for at least 30 minutes at room temperature (or overnight in the fridge). This relaxes the gluten.
- Cut into 2 portions. Keep the portion you're not working with covered so it doesn't dry out.
- Roll it out. On a lightly floured surface, roll one piece into a large thin rectangle - as thin as you can get it without tearing (about 1/16 inch). You should almost be able to see your hand through it.
- Flour and fold. Dust the rolled sheet lightly with flour and loosely roll it up like a jelly roll.
- Cut the pappardelle. Slice the roll into ribbons about ½ inch wide with a sharp knife.
- Unfurl the nests. Gently lift and separate the ribbons, tossing with a little extra flour so they don't stick, and arrange in loose nests on a floured sheet tray.
- Repeat with remaining dough.
How to Make Pappardelle with a Pasta Machine
- Make and rest the dough (steps 1-5 above).
- Cut into 4 pieces. Keep unused pieces covered.
- Flatten the first piece into a 3-inch-wide rectangle.
- Widest setting first. Run through the widest setting, fold into thirds like a letter, and pass through 4 more times on the same setting.
- Narrow gradually. Move to the next setting, pass 5 times, and keep stepping down until the sheet is about 1/16 inch thick (usually setting 5 or 6 on most machines).
- Cut to length. Cut the long sheet into 14-16 inch pieces and lay on parchment.
- Fold and cut pappardelle. Fold each sheet loosely in thirds or quarters and cut crosswise into ½-inch ribbons with a sharp knife.
- Unfurl and nest. Separate and form into loose nests on a flour-dusted tray. Cover with a towel until ready to cook.
Tips for Perfect Pappardelle Dough
- Weigh if you can. Humidity and flour type affect the dough - a kitchen scale is the most reliable way to get consistent results.
- Room-temperature eggs. Cold eggs seize the dough and make it harder to knead.
- Knead longer than you think. A proper pappardelle dough is smooth, elastic, and ever-so-slightly tacky - never sticky, never dry.
- Let it rest. This step is not optional. Rested dough rolls out twice as easily.
- Work with one piece at a time. Pasta dough dries out fast - keep the rest covered.
- Use plenty of flour on the board when rolling, but dust off any excess before cooking - too much flour clouds your pasta water.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Skipping the rest → tough, elastic dough that fights you when rolling
- Rolling too thick → heavy, gummy pasta instead of silky ribbons
- Not enough flour on the board → sticking, tearing, tangled mess
- Over-flouring when nesting → pasta won't absorb sauce properly
- Crowding the pot → boil in plenty of salted water, pappardelle needs room to dance
- Overcooking → fresh pasta cooks in 3-4 minutes. Any longer and you'll have mush.
How to Cook Fresh Pappardelle
- Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a rolling boil (1.5 tablespoons of coarse salt per pound of pasta).
- Drop the pappardelle in gently, stirring right away so the ribbons don't stick.
- Boil for 3-4 minutes - taste a ribbon at 3 minutes. It should be al dente with a pleasant bite.
- Reserve ½ cup of pasta water before draining.
- Toss immediately with your sauce and a splash of pasta water.
- Serve hot, with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano if the sauce calls for it.
The Best Sauces for Pappardelle
Because pappardelle are wide and hearty, they're built for rich, slow-cooked sauces that cling:
- Classic Bolognese Sauce - the traditional pairing
- Wild boar ragù (pappardelle al cinghiale) - Tuscan tradition
- Beef short rib ragù - deeply savory and luxurious
- Mushroom cream sauce - earthy, elegant, vegetarian-friendly
- Brown butter and sage - simple, nutty, perfect with Parmigiano
- Lamb ragù - for Easter or Sunday lunch
Pappardelle vs. Fettuccine vs. Tagliatelle
All three are fresh egg pasta ribbons - but the widths and traditions differ:
- Pappardelle - ½ inch wide, from Tuscany, pairs with rich meat ragù
- Tagliatelle - ¼ inch wide, from Emilia-Romagna, classic with Bolognese
- Fettuccine - ¼ inch wide, from Rome, famous with butter-and-cheese sauces (Alfredo)
This same dough recipe makes all three - just change how thick and wide you cut.
How to Store, Dry, and Freeze Pappardelle
- Same day: Let nests rest uncovered at room temperature until you're ready to cook (up to 2 hours).
- Refrigerator: Store nests on a floured tray, covered loosely, up to 24 hours.
- Dry: Hang ribbons over a pasta drying rack (or clean broom handle!) until completely brittle - 12-24 hours. Store dried pappardelle in an airtight jar for up to 2 weeks.
- Freeze: Arrange nests on a parchment-lined tray and freeze until solid, then transfer to a zip-top bag. Cook directly from frozen - just add 1-2 minutes to cooking time. Best within 3 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Pappardelle comes from the Italian verb pappare, meaning "to gobble up." The name perfectly describes how quickly a plate disappears.
Traditional pappardelle are about ½ inch (1.5 cm) wide. Fettuccine and tagliatelle are narrower - about ¼ inch.
Absolutely. A rolling pin and a sharp knife are all you need. Italian nonne have been doing it this way for centuries.
No - all-purpose flour works beautifully. 00 flour gives a silkier texture if you can find it, but it's not essential.
Fresh pappardelle cook in 3-4 minutes in well-salted boiling water. Frozen pappardelle take an extra 1-2 minutes.
Yes. Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Bring to room temperature before rolling.
Traditional pappardelle is egg pasta (pasta all'uovo) - eggs give it richness and that signature golden color.
ich, slow-cooked meat ragù is the classic pairing. Bolognese, wild boar, beef short rib, and lamb ragù are all traditional.
More Homemade Pasta Recipes to Try
- Classic Bolognese Sauce
- Butternut Squash Gnocchi
- Easy Skillet Lasagna
- Spaghetti alla Carbonara
- Pasta all'Amatriciana
- Pasta with Ricotta and Peas
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Homemade Pappardelle (Fresh Italian Pasta Recipe)
Equipment
- Large wooden board
- Parchment-lined sheet tray
Ingredients
- 2 cups 240 g all-purpose flour
- 2 cups 240 g 00 flour (or substitute all-purpose for the whole amount)
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil plus more as needed
- Extra flour for dusting
- Coarse salt for the pasta water
Instructions
- How to Make Pappardelle by Hand (Traditional Method)
- Make a flour well. Pour flour and salt onto a clean work surface, mound it, and dig a wide well in the middle with your fingers.
- Add the eggs and oil. Crack eggs into the well, add the olive oil, and beat gently with a fork, slowly pulling flour in from the inner wall.
- Bring the dough together. Once the eggs have absorbed most of the flour, use your hands to gather everything into a shaggy ball.
- Knead for 8-10 minutes. Push the dough away with the heel of your hand, fold it back, turn a quarter turn, repeat. The dough should become smooth, supple, and silky.
- Rest the dough. Wrap tightly in plastic and rest for at least 30 minutes at room temperature (or overnight in the fridge). This relaxes the gluten.
- Cut into 2 portions. Keep the portion you're not working with covered so it doesn't dry out.
- Roll it out. On a lightly floured surface, roll one piece into a large thin rectangle - as thin as you can get it without tearing (about 1/16 inch). You should almost be able to see your hand through it.
- Flour and fold. Dust the rolled sheet lightly with flour and loosely roll it up like a jelly roll.
- Cut the pappardelle. Slice the roll into ribbons about ½ inch wide with a sharp knife.
- Unfurl the nests. Gently lift and separate the ribbons, tossing with a little extra flour so they don't stick, and arrange in loose nests on a floured sheet tray.
- Repeat with remaining dough.
Nutrition Disclaimer
Please keep in mind that the nutritional information presented below is an approximation and may vary depending on the exact ingredients used.
Notes
- Flour substitution: If you can't find 00 flour, use 4 cups all-purpose flour total. The texture is slightly less silky but still excellent.
- Make ahead: The dough can be made up to 24 hours in advance. Wrap tightly and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before rolling.
- Drying: To dry pappardelle, drape ribbons over a pasta rack (or a clean broom handle between two chairs) for 12-24 hours, until completely brittle. Store in an airtight jar up to 2 weeks.
