How to Make Fettuccine with Your Pasta Machine

Cathrin Simon
2 days ago
2 min read

Updated: 9 hours ago

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 semolina powder
Pasta drying rack (optional)

Prep your sheets

Sheet as much of your dough as you want to turn into fettuccine. Cut the sheets to a consistent length using your brass cutter or a sharp knife — any leftover trimmings can be balled up and re-sheeted.

Switch to the attachment

Swap your pasta machine's handle over to the fettuccine attachment. Lightly dust your sheet with semolina before feeding it through, which helps prevent sticking.

Cut and catch

Feed the sheet through the attachment, catching the cut strands with your other hand as they come through.

Dry or nest

If you want to dry your fettuccine fully, hang the strands over a drying rack, making sure they don't touch each other. If you'd rather not dry them, you can twirl portions into little nests by lifting from the center and twisting onto your working top or into your hand — or simply boil them fresh right away.

Storage matters

However you plan to use your fettuccine, store it in a way that keeps the strands from sticking together — a drying rack, or simply laying the pasta out evenly spaced on a dry kitchen towel or a semolina-dusted board. This advice holds for any long-cut pasta shape, not just fettuccine.

Serving suggestions

Fettuccine is a classic for a reason — it holds up well to a hearty ragu, or goes just as well in a simpler direction with a classic marinara or a creamy cacio e pepe.