I find it meditative to make fresh pasta at home, as the process of kneading, rolling and shaping each piece allows me to slow down and focus. In this post I show you how to make bow tie pasta step by step, from making the dough to shaping each piece.
Farfalle means “butterflies” in Italian, and the name fits perfectly. This pasta has a tight middle and wavy edges, like little wings. It’s also called bow tie pasta because of its shape. Making homemade farfalle is simpler than it looks, you just need to know how! You don’t need special tools to make this recipe, just a knife and your hands, or a wavy dough cutter like I used.
I hope you like the process as much as the results. Happy cooking!
Homemade Farfalle from Scratch
Farfalle with Spinach, Mushrooms and Caramelised Onions
Adjust servings here:
Equipment
- Rolling Pin or wine bottle
- pasta cutter (zigzag)
Ingredients
PASTA DOUGH
- 200 grams flour
- 2 eggs
- ½ tsp olive oil
- ¼ tsp salt
SAUCE / OTHER INGREDIENTS
- a bit olive oil
- 225 grams mushrooms
- 100 grams spinach
- 1 red onion
- 60 ml cooking cream or single cream
- 1 clove garlic
- 4 tbsp Parmesan cheese
- a bit pepper
- a bit salt
Instructions
PASTA DOUGH
- Sieve the flour and place it in a bowl or on a clean countertop. Make a small well in the center of the flour.
- Crack the eggs into the well, add olive oil and salt and use a fork to beat the eggs, add the flour gradually.
- Knead the dough by hand for 10-15 minutes until all ingredients are well mixed. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rest for 15 minutes.
- Roll the dough flat with a rolling pin or wine bottle to create a thin sheet. Cut long strips approximately 5 cm (2 inches) wide. Then cut the strips into small rectangles, about 6 cm (2.5 inches) wide. Use a pasta zigzag-cutter or make small waves with a knife.
- Press the dough into bow-tie shapes using your fingers. Lift the edge of both long sides using your index fingers. Make a fold in the center and press the edges together. Watch the recipe video at 2:29 for the exact technique. Place the bow ties on a wooden chopping board or a non-stick surface
- Add bow ties to a wooden chop board or a non sticky surface.
SAUCE / other ingredients
- Slice the red onion into half-moons. Heat a frying pan on high heat, add olive oil and fry the onions until they are dark brown. Reduce the heat to low and let the onions cook for 20 minutes.
- Heat a pot of water to boil. Slice the garlic and add it to the frying pan.
- Slice the mushrooms and add them to the frying pan, increase the heat to medium. Add pepper and olive oil if needed.
- Add the spinach to the frying pan and cook until it is soft.
- Add salt to the pot of boiling water. Cook the bow-tie pasta for 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add cooking cream and Parmesan cheese to the frying pan, stir to combine. Save a cup of pasta water.
- Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bow-tie pasta to the frying pan and gently toss everything together. Add a bit of pasta water until the mixture is creamy.
- Add a little bit of pasta water until the mixture is creamy.
- Serve the pasta on a plate with Parmesan cheese.
Enjoy!
