The Easiest Fresh Pasta Recipe Calls For Just 3 Ingredients

Making pasta from scratch can be intimidating, but homemade fresh pasta is at such another level that it's worth skipping boxed pasta sometimes and giving it a try. One pasta that's simple enough for a novice has only three ingredients and is made without a pasta machine or other equipment. Cookbook author, recipe developer, and TikTok creator Danny Freeman spoke to Food Republic about making pici pasta, a shape he says is easy for beginners.

Freeman says, "Pici is a rustic, hand-rolled pasta that looks like a plump spaghetti ... Because you roll it with your hands rather than making it flat with a rolling pin, it has an uneven, three-dimensional shape that gives it a really nice bite and chew when cooked." Pici comes from Italy's Tuscany region — home to a Renaissance-era steak dish we still eat the same way — and is made with just flour, water, and olive oil. Some newer recipes have eggs, and Freeman says they will add some flavor but explains, "Pici is generally made without eggs so that the dough is easier to roll by hand and has a softer texture."

He suggests using double-zero (00) flour if you can find it, the darling of Italian pizzerias, with the tip that it's sometimes marked pasta or pizza flour. "Double-zero flour made specifically for pasta is more finely ground than all-purpose flour and has a soft texture, making the dough easier to roll," he says. Pici made with all-purpose flour will be a little less soft.

Use a flour-to-water ratio of about two to one with a couple of tablespoons of oil for the pici. Pour the water and oil in a well in the center of the flour and gradually pull the flour from the sides with a fork until you have a rough dough. Gather and knead it for about five minutes until it's soft and smooth. Wrap the dough in plastic and let it rest for at least 30 minutes, which Danny Freeman says is needed "to create the perfect pici." He advises, "If you try to roll the dough and it is very tough, cover it and let it rest for another 15 minutes before trying again."

Flatten the rested dough with your hands and cut small strips. Freeman shares how to roll them: "You can either roll a piece of dough between your hands to create a long noodle or roll it on a flat surface; use a wooden surface like a cutting board because the friction will make rolling easier." Roll the strips to less than the width of a pencil, remembering that they're meant to be rustically irregular. The fresh pasta will only need two to three minutes in salted boiling water to cook.

Traditional pici sauces include cacio e pepe (Anthony Bourdain's favorite comforting classic pasta), game ragùs like wild boar and duck, con le briciole, which is breadcrumbs toasted with garlic and chili pepper, and all'aglione, a garlicky tomato sauce. Aglione is a large Tuscan garlic with a milder flavor.