Homemade Lasagna Noodles

I try and use fresh pasta sheets for any type of lasagna I may make just because I think fresh egg pasta sheets always taste better in a lasagna than dried ones do. Here in Umbria we are lucky enough to be able to buy great quality fresh pasta sheets that are very inexpensive in almost every grocery store, so I do not always make my own when I’m in Italy.

Back in North America however, I find it difficult to find fresh pasta for lasagna so I always make my own when I’m there. Making pasta from scratch is really quite easy, and once you get the hang of it you’ll find you can create fresh pasta quite quickly. I tend to use just all-purpose flour for my lasagna noodles, but I know many folks who like to use half semolina and half all-purpose. Feel free to experiment to see what you like best.

Buon Appetito!
Deborah Mele 

Homemade Lasagna Noodles

Homemade Lasagna Noodles

Yield: Pasta For 1 13 X 9 Inch Lasagna
Prep Time: 45 minutes

Fresh egg pasta always tastes best used in any lasagna dish and it is quite easy to make yourself at home.

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 Cups All-purpose Flour
  • 
2 Large Eggs
  • 
3 Large Egg Yolks
  • Pinch of Salt

Instructions

  1. To make the pasta, mound your flour on a large pastry board, or the counter with the salt, and make a well in the center.
  2. Break the eggs, and yolks into this well, and start to scramble each egg with a fork as it is being added.
  3. Start to incorporate the eggs and flour by slowly bringing more flour in from the inside edges of the well.
  4. Continue mixing the flour with the eggs until they are no longer runny.
  5. Using your hands now, bring the outside edges in, forming a large mass on your board.
  6. Use only the amount of flour needed to form a soft ball.
  7. Begin to knead the ball of dough as you would bread, pushing it down with the heel of your hand.
  8. Continue kneading until the dough is smooth and satiny, for about 5 to 7 minutes.
  9. Wrap the prepared dough in plastic wrap, and let it sit for about 30 minutes.
  10. Use a pasta roller or roll by hand to make long sheets of pasta 1/8 inch thick. (I use my Kitchen Aide table mixer with the pasta attachment and roll my pasta to the third last position or to number 4 on the dial.)
  11. After rolling, cut into 12 inch long strips, and precook in boiling water for 30 seconds, then place in ice water.
  12. Dry and set aside on clean kitchen towels.

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92 Comments

  1. Great recipe. I’m going to give it a try this weekend. Thanks for sharing it with all your readers. You keep writing and we’ll keep reading.

  2. Wow, I’ve never made pasta with that egg to flour ration, suspect it is awesome…..perhaps I’lll give this recipe a chance!! Hmm I’ve got some truffle butter…might be perfect!!

  3. I came across your recipe from Pinterest. I am wanting to make homemade noodles for lasagna, because we have NEVER had fresh pasta & I think it would be a special treat to at least try. Once parboiled & dried is this pasta ready to go for layering in lasagna? I was considering making a crockpot lasagna since I work (I bring my crockpot with me). Just thought I’d ask if you think these fresh noodles will hold up to crockpot cooking?

  4. Quick Question..I am stocking up the freezer in preparation for the birth of our first baby. If i make these homemade noodles…then do I par-boil them – let them dry – assemble the lasagna and freeze? I am just not sure how homemade noodles differ from store bought. Will is work this way? Thanks so much!!!

    1. Kristen, I would assemble the entire lasagna dish, not try and freeze the noodles on their own. When you want to prepare the lasagna, simply remove it from the freezer and thaw completely (it may take all day) then bake when needed.

      1. Thanks so much! Do I still need to par boil the noodles and let dry before assembling the lasagna? Thanks so much!!!

      2. Kristen, just complete all the steps up until the point the lasagna goes into the oven. Instead, wrap well and freeze until needed.

  5. Thank you so much!!! I am excited about this! Can you do the noodles the day before and store them in the fridge? Or is it best to do it the day of! Grazie Mille!

  6. This was a wonderful base for our Christmas lasagne! My husband and I just moved to TX – no specialty stores to be found within 45+ minutes of us, and my mother in law has an Italian specialty store down the street from her so she is lucky enough to never *have* to make fresh noodles and was therefore recipe-less when we decided to make it (and apparently after only being with my husband for 6 years I still think the dried box noodles in my lasagne is cheating…even at 9+ months pregnant, I am stubborn enough to make my own). Anyway, yes! It was super-simple and fantastic and wonderful! Thank you for sharing!

  7. I had some incredible lasagna yesterday in Ventimaglia, Italy. The pasta was like nothing I’ ve ever had before. It was absolutely silky. It dawned on me that they must have used fresh pasta. What a difference!

  8. Tried it and could not get the noodles to stay the right length (they kept shrinking on me after I would stop rolling the pasta) or achieve the correct consistency/texture . I followed the directions verbatim and wound up with a nearly unworkable mass of egg and flour (which I ended up tossing out).

    Maybe if I had the fancy pasta maker it might have worked, but I don’t (and don’t feel I should have to have one).

    1. Mike, you do not need a fancy pasta maker. I’ll try and do a video or step by step photos for making pasta by hand soon. Your pasta should be smooth before you start rolling, and you need to let the pasta rest 30 minutes before you start as well. If you keep the dough lightly floured, and keep turning it 1/4 turn as you roll it really is quite easy. Once you get it down once, it is a snap to do it!

    2. I have found that eggs purchased from a grocery store are totally different than farm fresh eggs. When I make fresh pasta with grocery store eggs, I have to use more egg yolks. In fact I’ve gone as high as six egg yolks besides the two eggs. I also let my pasta rest for four hours wrapped in saran wrap right on the counter before rolling out. It is always soft and pliable when I roll it out. Hope you try it again. Make sure the dough is just to the point of not being tacky before you let it rest. Satiny is a good word to describe the texture, just like the recipe says.

  9. Tried it, wasn’t a perfect experience, but will definitely continue to practice and improve my handmade noodle making abilities. The lasagna was delish with garden fresh, thinly sliced zucchinis and homemade tomato sauce. Yum, now to make more homemade mozzarella!! A new rolling pin is on my acquire list, or maybe a kitchen aide for Christmas? Thanks for this beautiful and simple post.

    1. Okay so I always build my lasagna with unbaked pasta. So I need to boil ice dry then shall I build it and then  cook it in the morning? Or is there something else to do with them overnight and build in the morning?

  10. Can I make the noodles and assemble the lasagna without parboiling the noodles. I want to freeze it for a week before cooking it for Thanksgiving? It would be a veggie lasagna.

    1. Gail, I always parboil my noodles before assembling, even when I freeze my lasagna. I do not cook them completely, but just to soften them. Also, if freezing, addextra sauce as the noodles seem to suck up more sauce once frozen.

  11. I have the kitchen aid stand mixer. I followed the recipe that came with my pasta roller attachment (a Christmas present) my first attempt at pasta was using semolina flour. My muscles hurt for 3 days it was so hard to knead. This time I used AP flour. Recipe was 4 eggs, 3 1/2 cups flour, 1 tbs water and 1/2 tsp salt. Found it to be kind of dry after the allotted time it said in the recipe. Like pebbles for pie crust. I sprinkled a tad more water and it looked more satiny. Removed from bowl and then dusted a little flour and kneaded it for a few minutes. Geesh it is NOT like kneading bread dough for sure! Am I doing something wrong? Or is that supposed to be harder? It’s now wrapped in saran wrap resting. And will roll it thru the attachment roller. Any tips ?

    1. Pasta dough is firmer than bread dough, but shouldn’t be hard or dry. Usually, when making fresh pasta, you would use 2 1/4 cups flour to 3 whole eggs. This recipe uses a similar ratio, but uses additional egg yolks. Are you using large or medium eggs? I always use large eggs. Also, the resting period is very important as the pasta dough will relax as it rests.

  12. tryed this recipe the other day and it was awesome . I did find it made way more than I needed and I had it set on 6 on my kitchen aid . Did I go to thin ?

  13. I cannot find a recipe I found on your sight back in 2007 I think. It was the most wonderful seafood lasagna and it had shrimp, salmon and something else with both red and white sauce. can you help?

      1. I would love this recipe! Would you be able to please email it to me, also? I would greatly appreciate it.

  14. I know making the pasta fresh is best, but I have extremely limited time. Can these noodles be rolled out, dried, then stored for a few days before parboiling to use? Or would you parboil then refrigerate for a few days?

    1. I have never had a lot of luck making lasagna noodles ahead of time and storing them. Instead, I prepare the entire lasagna when I have the time to do so, then either refrigerate it overnight or freeze it.

  15. Made the bowl pasta worked beautifully.  The lasagna is in the oven. Hoping for the best!  Thank you for the recipe! 

  16. I want to make this recipe today for dinner tomorrow.
    After assembling the lasagna today do I bake it today or can I refrigerate it unbaked and bake tomorrow?
    Thank you

  17. I made these sheets completely by hand, such an easy process, great texture for hand rolling. No troubles at all so if you don’t have a pasta machine or a mixer, don’t panic. Great recipe for any one to do!

  18. Thank you for sharing your cooking knowledge. Your recipes are simple to read and straight forward. This weekend I was in the mood for homemade pasta lasagna using about 25% semolina, set to 7 on my hand cranked Italian pasta machine. After almost assembling the lasagna my wife said “ we forgot to cook the pasta sheets “.  There is a lot to be said about home made pasta. With all the moisture from the ricotta and marinara sauce, we just covered the lasagna with foil for most of the cooking time and the gang loved it. 
    Capt George 

  19. These noodles were amazing. I add a little herbs and garlic powder to my dry ingredients for extra flavor but these noodles turned out better than any other homemade pasta I’ve ever had. Thank you so much for the recipe.

  20. Your seafood lasagna recipe from 2007 has become a Chrustmas Eve tradition in our home. I do not see it on your website. Since my copy of the recipe has become so dog eared, i was hoping you could email the recipe to me so that I can reprint the recipe and also share since people often ask for the recipe,

    Thaank you in advance!

      1. Hello,  
         I can’t wait to try your homemade lasagna noodle recipe. Would you please send me your recipe for the seafood lasagna.

        Elaine

      2. Lasagne Pesce al Forno ~ Fresh pasta layers blanket two different sauces which are topped with mixed seafood and sauteed spinach in this colorful and delicious recipe. A great recipe for entertaining!

        : Serves 6 to 8
        by Deborah Mele

        I find that seafood lasagne too often tastes a little bland. This recipe which adds layers of spinach sauteed with garlic in between the seafood layers certainly is anything but bland. Although a little time consuming, as well as expensive, this dish is perfect for any special event. The presentation is also very pretty, using the colors of the Italian flag, but it is the combination of flavors of all the ingredients that will bring you rave reviews!

        Tomato Sauce:

        2 (28)oz. Can Tomatoes (I use Pomi strained or chopped tomatoes)

        3 Cloves Garlic Minced

        1 Small Onion, Finely Chopped

        2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

        5 Tablespoons Chopped Fresh Basil

        Pinch of Red Pepper Flakes

        1 Recipe Bechamel Sauce

        Pasta Dough:

        4 Cups Unbleached Flour

        5 Extra Large Eggs

        Pinch of Salt

        For The Spinach Layer:

        1 Pound Fresh Spinach, Washed And Dried

        1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

        1 Clove Garlic, Finely Chopped

        Salt & Pepper

        For The Seafood Layer:

        1 Pound Shrimps, Cleaned And Deveined

        1 Pound Scallops, Washed And Dried

        1 (6oz) Salmon Steak Or Fillet

        2 Tablespoons Butter

        2 Tablespoons Oil

        Extra:

        2 Tablespoons Butter To Grease The Lasagne Pan

        1/2 Cup Romano Cheese, Grated

        1 Cup Freshly Grated Mozzarella or Fontina Cheese

        Salt & Pepper

        To make the pasta, follow the directions in Making Pasta at Home Part One and Part Two. After rolling, cut into 12 inch long strips. Precook in boiling water for 30 seconds, then place in ice water. Dry and set aside on clean kitchen towels.

        To make the sauce, cook the onion in the oil the onion until it is tender. Add the garlic and stir well, cooking an additional minute. Finally add the tomatoes, basil and seasonings. Bring everything to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for about 30 minutes until thickened. Set aside 4 Cups.

        To make the spinach, coarsely chop the spinach and microwave until wilted. Mix the oil and garlic into the spinach, and season with salt and pepper. Set aside

        Coarsely chop the shrimp and scallops, and cut the salmon into 1 inch pieces. Heat 1 tablespoon of butter, and one of oil in a heavy skillet. First add the shrimps, season with salt and pepper, and cook just until pink. Remove from the pan. In the same pan, heat the remaining oil and butter, and cook the scallops, and then the salmon in the same manner. Set aside

        To assemble the lasagne, first drizzle some tomato sauce along the bottom of the lasagne pan. Place a layer of lasagne noodles in the baking pan to cover, and then spread a thin layer of bechamel. Dot this with the shrimp. Cover this layer with more noodles, and then add a layer of tomato sauce, spinach, and romano cheese. Add the next layer of noodles and more bechamel and then the scallops. Finish the layers in this manner using up all of the seafood and spinach. Once the final layer is in place, cover lightly with either the bechamel or tomato sauce, and sprinkle with some romano and mozzarella cheese.

        Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F. for 45 minutes until bubbly and golden brown. Let sit 10 minutes before serving

        Note: This is one lasagne I find does not freeze well, so prepare it the day you plan on serving it. If you prefer, rather than cooking all of the lasagne sheets ahead of assembling, you can cook each layer as you progress.

        Buon Appetito!
        Deborah Mele 2002

  21. How long do u cook a lasagna in the oven for if u preboil the noodles. Also if I freeze the lasagne how long is it good in the freezer. Please and thanks. 

    1. Sandra, you do not really preboil the noodles, but simply drop them in boiling water for 30 seconds or so and then drop them into an ice water bath. I still cook the lasagna the regular time, about 20 minutes covered, and 20 to 30 minutes uncovered.

  22. Yesterday I tried your recipe for the first time in my lasagna. Though I didn’t do it perfectly my first try, it still turned out great! I’m sure I will get it next time! Thank you for sharing your recipe.

  23. Tried this, the dough was initially far too crumbly and dry so I worked 2 more eggs (one at a time) into the dough and it ended up perfect. Either my eggs were too small, or I messed up by trying to incorporate the full 2.5 C flour into the dough instead of leaving some aside for rolling.

  24. I made this hand rolled recipe as my first ever handmade pasta and it was such a delicious success. I made a vegetable lasagna with homemade tomato and scape pesto sauce, mushrooms, zucchini, spinach, and roasted garlic. The texture of the pasta was perfect, soft yet firm, sticky enough to hold the sauce but not paste like. I made the pasta the night before, let it sit for four hours then floured the sheets and put them in the fridge over night under a damp cloth. Rerolled it paper thin the next morning and baked it for an hour or so. It was perfect. Thanks so much for a delicious meal 🙂

  25. Any chance you can use Tipo 00 flour in lieu of the all purpose? 
    Also, do you offer your recipes using grams? I thought most all European recipes were given in metric. I weigh all of my ingredients. 
    Thanks 

    1. Jeanette, most of my blog followers are in North America but I hope to start adding metric measurements as well. You could use 00, I just prefer all-purpose for lasagna noodles.

  26. Hello,
    I’ve made lasagna for years and homemade noodles with a manual rolling pasta maker but never done my lasagna noodles fresh until today. Your recipe turned out great. I have an atlas pasta maker and found #6 setting nice and thin but not tearing. The par-boiling and drying worked well. I guess I should have done more layers as I have almost enough for another batch. I hate to not use them, but you say they don’t store. Any other recipes to use up the sheets? I don’t think I have room to freeze a whole lasagna in my freezer.

      1. I made these Saturday night. I left the par-boiled extra noodles on layers of tea towels and inside a plastic bag to keep from drying out and made lasagna rollups Sunday afternoon. They weren’t too delicate to roll. It was for a new mom. I can’t wait to try them for our family

  27. I’m trying to make these noodle the recipe sounds amazing but how do I dry them and store them? Do I have to use the noodles right after there made?

    1. Anna, the point in making fresh pasta is to use it soon after it is made. You can easily buy dried pasta at any grocery store. If you want to store the pasta for a day or two, you can try dusting it in cornmeal and placing the sheets between plastic. The pasta sheets should be stored in the refrigerator. The pasta is best used as soon as you make it.

  28. I’m going to try making this recipe tomorrow and I’m super nervous!  I’ve never made pasta before although I’ve watched my grandmothers many, many times. I would like several layers of pasta in my lasagna since I am not planning on using ricotta cheese filling, which would add height.  Should I double this recipe for a 9 x 13 pan of lasagna? I’m worried I won’t have enough pasta layers. Thank you! 

  29. Great job on explaining how to make lasagna noodles at home. The pasta sheets you can buy at grocery stores are always inferior to fresh ones, which are very hard to find. So being able to make them yourself would be a blessing. Which means this guide is vital to anyone who wants to enjoy true lasagna.

  30. I’ve made noodles for my lasagna but not one specifically made for lasagna.  The seafood lasagna sounds great; I would appreciate getting the recipe.  Thank you for both the noodle and the lasagna recipes.

  31. Thank you for sharing this recipe. I followed your recipe but used 1/2 semolina flour and 1/2 “00” flour.

    Right now, my pasta dough is wrapped in saran wrap resting on the counter. I am excited to see how it turns out!

    When the instructions stated, “Use only the amount of flour needed to form a soft ball,” I ended up with some left over flour. So, I added one whole egg to the left over flour and made another smaller ball. Perhaps I misinterpreted what the instructions meant.
    The first ball of dough was a bit dry and I had to keep adding sprinkles of water as I worked the dough. I’ve made pie dough before, but this is my first time making home made pasta. I plan on just rolling this out on the counter and following the rest of your recipe instructions on boiling for 30 seconds followed by the cold bath. Here’s hoping it turns out okay! I picked up a box of Lasagna noodles just in case! Thank you.

  32. Seafood Lasagna?? never heard of it, But it sounds Fab! would love recipe!! Also when using fresh noodles, do you bake lasagna a shorter period of time? What temp and how long do you recommend for regular lasagna? ( not the seafood kind)

    1. I bake the lasagna according to the specific directions in my lasagna recipes which would be the same for dried, boiled noodles or no boil noodles.

  33. I just had to pop back on here and tell you that I used your recipe to make lasagna last night. I’ve been making lasagna for over 30 years, but this was literally THE BEST lasagna I have ever made or eaten! Thank you so much for posting this recipe. I had never made homemade pasta before, and it was easy and delicious!

    As a side note, I noticed your last name and it brought to mind my neighbor when I was a child. Her name was Amelia Mele. She was a sweet Italian lady and she took the time to try to teach me to knit. I’m sure she would be happy to know that, even though I’ve never knitted more than a scarf, I DID learn how to make fresh pasta!

  34. Dear Ms Deborah
    Thank you very much for the very nice recipe, my children love lasagne, but the ready made noodles is very expensive in supermarkets here in Egypt. Is it possible to make this recipe without eggs (use another cheaper substitute) since eggs are also expensive and since the ingredients on ready made lasagne noodles say flour and water only??
    My regards and best wishes to you and to your family from Ismailia, Egypt
    gibsharaf

  35. WOW! Incredibly easy and tasty recipe. First time using my Kitchen Aid pasta maker. What a treat! Thank you.

  36. Hi, trying out your recipe for the first time but using my Kitchen Aid for mixing (don’t have the pasta attachment). My dough did not come together the way you described using the 2 large eggs and 3 large yolks, scrambled before adding to the well. I ended up needing to add water a little bit at a time until it finally all came together into dough instead of crumbles, maybe a couple tablespoons or so. Then I needed to sprinkle in more flour as it was kneaded in the mixer to get it smooth and finished kneading by hand to get it satin smooth. It’s resting now, so here’s hoping it turns out. I’m using AP flour, and large eggs. Is it possible I needed one more yolk, or one more whole egg?

    1. Some eggs are smaller than others. Large eggs weigh about 2 ounces each egg in the shell. Since I use fresh eggs from y chickens and they come in different sizes, I always weigh my eggs and adjust as needed. You can add an extra yolk as needed though, or a little water is fine too.

  37. This was my first time making homemade pasta. This recipe was excellent and it turned out perfectly the first time out! Thank you for posting this!!

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