Several years back, I was captivated by Mark Bittman making pasta from scratch in his New York Times video. I didn’t know you could make pasta from scratch. The pasta was only available in boxes of dried sticks. I was blown away.
After years of trying to make it myself, I eventually gave in and tried it with pumpkins. It’s for the fall. It also made my noodles a pretty color. This 4-ingredient spaghetti only requires:
Flour eggs, pumpkin puree
Salt
Water
You can then choose your sauce and toppings and boil the noodles for about 1-2 minutes.
I kept my simple with parmesan and basil pesto. My recipe for Spicy Pumpkin Mac ‘n’ Cheese is also available in our 1-Cup Water eBook.
What’s another benefit of this recipe? No need for a crank or pasta maker. You can make pasta with a rolling pin, a pizza cutter, or a knife.
Fresh, fluffy noodles! According to Mr. Bittman, there is nothing like freshly made pasta. I agree 100%.
You don’t have to worry if you’re not a pumpkin lover, as the flavor will be more subtle, and it will add color. For super flavorful pasta, you can substitute pesto instead of pumpkin. Or leave it out and add one extra yolk and whole egg to the original recipe.
This pesto pasta was delicious. It was also tasty with tomato sauce. Although I haven’t tried it with my pumpkin-cheese sauce, I am sure it would be tasty. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 2 cups of unbleached, all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- One large egg
- Two egg yolks
- 3 Tbsp Pumpkin Puree
- Water
Instructions
- Add flour and sea salt to a processor and pulse. Add the pumpkin puree, whole egg, and egg yolks. Pulse the mixture until it is well combined. Pour in the water and continue to drizzle until you have a dough (see image).
- Cover with plastic wrap and transfer to a surface that has been lightly floured. Sprinkle a small amount of flour on top. Allow to rest for 30 minutes.
- Bring a large pot to a rolling boil, and add generous amounts of salt.
- Roll out the pasta in a loose rectangle. Sprinkle only enough flour to prevent it from sticking. More flour will result in a blander, less tender pasta. The pasta will also want to stick to your rolling pin. Use one hand to hold the pasta down and the other to roll.
- Cut the dough into whatever shape you like once it is almost paper thin. If you prefer, you can leave the dough in one solid sheet. I used a pizza cutter to cut mine into fettuccini-sized strips.
- Cover with plastic wrap and wait until you are ready to cook. Stir the pasta into boiling water to ensure it doesn’t stick. Cooking should take only 1-2 minutes.
- Drain and transfer the pasta to a serving plate. Add pesto, parmesan, and your favorite tomato sauce. Or try this easy Pumpkin Mac-n-Cheese Sauce.
