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If you've only tried making gnocchi or cavatelli on your gnocchi board, you've only scratched the surface of what this little ridged board can do. The same board, the same basic dough, and a few small changes in technique open up a whole range of shapes — from beginner-friendly to a bit more advanced. Here are five more to add to your rotation. Ingredients Semolina pasta dough Tools Gnocchi board Dough scraper Wooden dowel or brass ferretti (for caserecce and garganelli) Capu

If you've spent any time in the Homemade Pasta Studio shop, you've probably noticed a pattern: almost everything we sell is made from brass, wood, or both. That's not an aesthetic choice — it's a functional one. Once you understand why these two materials dominate traditional pasta tools, it's hard to go back to anything else. Here's what makes them worth the investment, and how to keep your tools working beautifully for years. What you'll learn Why brass outperforms other me

If you or someone you're cooking for needs to remove gluten from their diet, you've probably already got a good sense of the ingredients involved. Gluten is the protein in wheat responsible for pasta dough's chewy, flexible texture — it's also the reason we rest pasta dough, since resting lets gluten strands develop. Take gluten out of the equation, and you need a few adjustments to get a workable dough. Here's what changes, and how to handle it. Ingredients Your preferred gl

One of my most-loved pasta creations is this poppyseed rigatoni — it's a joy for the eyes, but also for taste and texture. The process itself isn't complicated, but the payoff is huge: poppy seeds are tiny, yet scattered through pasta dough they make a real visual and textural impact, giving every bite a subtle crunch. Here's the full method, from dough to shape. Ingredients 200g semolina flour 100g water 2 tablespoons poppy seeds Tools Dough scraper Large wooden working boar

Beetroot gives pasta dough one of the most striking colors you can achieve naturally — a deep, velvety red that holds up beautifully once cooked. It's a variation on the veggie purée coloring method, using roasted beetroot in place of some of your dough's liquid. Ingredients 200g beetroot 400g fine flour (00 preferred) 50g semolina flour 200g eggs (roughly 4 eggs) A splash of water, for blending Tools Oven Food processor or blender Large wooden working board Kitchen scale Roa

This filling pairs naturally with beetroot pasta dough for a beetroot-on-beetroot dish that's as dramatic on the plate as it is delicious — but it also works well tucked inside a plain egg dough if you want the color to come through just once, in the filling rather than the pasta itself. Ingredients 200g feta 50ml milk 50g roasted beetroot purée (see our beetroot dough guide for the roasting method) Salt and pepper, to taste Tools Blender or food processor Piping bag Whip the

Fettuccine translates to "thin ribbons," and while they're believed to have originated in Rome, you'll find them served everywhere from a rich ragu to a lighter, creamier sauce. They're a great next step once you're comfortable sheeting pasta dough, since the cutting itself is handled by your pasta machine's attachment. Ingredients Egg pasta dough, sheeted Tools Pasta machine with fettuccine attachment Large wooden working board Brass pasta cutter or sharp kitchen knife Extra

In English we usually call this bowtie pasta, but its Italian name actually translates to "butterfly." Farfalle is thought to have originated in Lombardy and Emilia Romagna, reportedly invented by housewives making use of leftover pasta dough scraps — and its folds happen to be excellent at holding onto sauce. Ingredients Egg pasta dough, sheeted Tools Adjustable brass cutter (or a single-blade/fluted brass cutter, or a sharp kitchen knife) Large wooden working board Dry kitc

One of the simplest, most impressive ways to create patterned pasta dough is to let your creativity run freely, using thin strands of colored dough to decorate a plain sheet. There's no strict method here — it's one of the more playful techniques in this whole series. Ingredients Plain egg pasta dough, sheeted (your "canvas") A contrasting colored dough (see our color methods guide), sheeted Tools Pasta machine with spaghetti attachment Large wooden working board Rolling pin

Laminating herbs into pasta dough is one of my favorite ways to add a decorative accent — visually it's stunning, and it adds a very subtle herby flavor too. The technique is simple, but a little precision goes a long way toward a clean result. Ingredients 2 sheets plain egg pasta dough A generous handful of soft herb leaves (basil, chervil, sage, or oregano — avoid harder herbs like rosemary or thyme, which can tear through the dough) Tools Pasta machine Large wooden working

Foglie d'ulivo is an Apulian pasta shape named for the olive leaves it resembles — which is also why it's traditionally made with a vibrant green dough. The technique is similar to orecchiette, but I find it a bit more forgiving to learn, which makes it a nice stepping stone if orecchiette has felt tricky. Ingredients Spinach semolina dough (100g dough per portion) Tools Kitchen knife (a butter knife works well) Large wooden working board Dry kitchen towel Roll and portion Qu

Agnolotti del plin come from Piemonte, and their name is a play on the local dialect word for "pinch" — which is exactly the technique that gives this filled pasta its distinctive rolled shape. Ingredients Egg pasta dough, sheeted to setting 5 Your filling of choice Tools Pasta machine Large wooden working board Brass pasta cutter or sharp kitchen knife Pipe a line of filling Lay your sheeted dough on your working board and pipe a long, even line of filling parallel to one lo

Ravioli all'uovo is my absolute showstopper — the kind of dish I make when I want to genuinely impress someone. There's something special about cutting into a raviolo and watching a silky egg yolk run out, merging with the filling and sauce. It looks far more difficult than it actually is, and this guide walks through the whole process. Ingredients Egg pasta dough, sheeted to setting 5 Simple ricotta filling 1 egg yolk per person, separated Tools Food processor Piping bag Bra

Pasta di zucca are one of my favorite ways to bring a little seasonal warmth to filled pasta: a roasted pumpkin filling. Here's the full recipe: Ingredients 1 Hokkaido pumpkin, sliced Olive oil, salt, and pepper 200g ricotta cheese A large handful of grated parmesan Tools Food processor or blender Baking tray Piping bag Roast the pumpkin Slice your Hokkaido pumpkin, coat the slices with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and roast at 180°C for about 25 minutes, or until a knife sl

If you've followed a few different pasta dough recipes on this site, you may have noticed the ratios aren't all the same — and that's not an inconsistency, it's intentional. The amount of liquid in your dough (its "hydration") changes depending on what you're making, and getting it right is one of the biggest factors in whether a shape turns out the way it should. Here's what hydration actually means, and how it shifts across the different types of pasta we cover. What hydrat

If you've got a pasta machine tucked away in a cupboard somewhere, you're not alone — it's one of the most commonly owned, least commonly used kitchen tools out there. If that's you, today's the day to bring it back out. A pasta machine is the one genuinely essential tool for anything beyond hand-shaped pasta: once you want delicate strands like tagliatelle, or filled shapes like ravioli, you need dough sheeted thin and evenly, and that's exactly what this tool is built for.

If you've ever compared a pasta edge cut with a kitchen knife to one cut with a proper brass pasta cutter, you'll know immediately why these tools are worth having. Cheaper cutters tend to leave a blurred, uneven edge — brass, paired with a wooden handle, gives a clean, precise line every time, and a fluted wheel adds a decorative ridge that's genuinely difficult to replicate by hand. This one tool covers more ground than almost anything else in your kit, from simple ribbons

Extruded pasta — think spaghetti, bucatini, rigatoni made the industrial way — works on a different principle than hand-shaped or filled pasta, and it starts with a very different dough. Here's the short version of what makes it distinct. Ingredients Semolina flour Water (around 40% of your flour weight — see below) The key difference: low hydration Most pasta dough is worked at 50% hydration or higher, giving you a smooth, elastic dough you can knead and roll by hand. Extrus

The most reliable way to get vivid, consistent color in pasta dough — using pantry staples like cocoa, turmeric, and beetroot powder.

Work color into your pasta dough with blended vegetables instead of powder — a natural approach that adds a touch of extra nutrition too.