How to Make Farfalle (Bowtie Pasta)

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 kitchen towel

• Extra semolina powder

Cut your sheet into lanes

Set your adjustable brass cutter to 7cm apart and cut your sheeted dough into lanes at that width — this makes efficient use of most of your dough sheet.

Cut into rectangles

Decrease the cutter's spacing to 4cm, and use it to cut your lanes into individual rectangles. If you don't have an adjustable cutter, a single-blade brass cutter works too, and one with fluted edges gives you the classic decorative side finish.

Clear the trimmings

Remove any excess dough from around your rectangles and scrunch it up — you can re-sheet and reuse it later.

Shape the bowtie

Take one rectangle and place it in front of you. Position your fingers at the center of both long edges, then pull them together and press firmly in the very center. That firm center press matters — it keeps the pinched middle roughly the same thickness as the rest of the pasta, so it cooks evenly rather than staying doughy in the middle.

Store as you go

Place each finished farfalle on a dry kitchen towel without letting them overlap, and continue through your remaining rectangles.

Serving suggestions

Farfalle's folds make it especially good at clinging to sauce — a simple marinara or a pesto both work beautifully and let the shape do the work.

Shop Pasta Tools →

Want to practice this hands-on? Join our Filled Pasta Workshop →