Naturally Colored Fettuccine Recipe | Sur La Table (2024)

By Ashley Cuoco

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Serves

Serves 4-6 (1 pound) per variety

Ingredients

  • Beet Pasta:
  • 6 ounces semolina flour, plus more for dusting
  • 4 ounces all-purpose flour
  • 1 large egg
  • 5 large egg yolks
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 medium cooked beet, peeled

  • Tomato Pasta:
  • 6 ounces semolina flour, plus more for dusting
  • 4 ounces all-purpose flour
  • 1 large egg
  • 5 large egg yolks
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 4 tablespoons tomato paste

  • Saffron Pasta:
  • 2 teaspoons saffron threads
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric
  • 6 ounces semolina flour, plus more for dusting
  • 4 ounces all-purpose flour
  • 1 large egg
  • 5 large egg yolks
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

  • Spinach Pasta:
  • 6 ounces semolina flour, plus more for dusting
  • 4 ounces all-purpose flour
  • 1 large egg
  • 5 large egg yolks
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 4 tablespoons frozen chopped spinach, defrosted

Procedure

To make the beet pasta: Puree beet in a food processor or blender until smooth.

Pour flours directly onto a large work surface. Use your fingers to combine them and make a well in the center. Add whole egg, egg yoks, salt and beet puree. Use your hands or a fork to beat the center well, gradually incorporating flour until the dough begins to hold together in a mass. If dough feels too dry, add water by the teaspoon until it comes together.

Sprinkle a handful of semolina onto your work surface. Knead the dough, flouring as necessary until dough feels firm and elastic, about 3 minutes. If dough feels too wet, continue to add flour and knead until no longer sticky to the touch.

Press dough into a disc and wrap in plastic—let rest at room temperature 30 minutes.

Generously flour work surface with semolina. Use a bench scraper to divide disc into 4 equal portions. Remove one quarter and wrap the others in plastic.

Set pasta rolling machine or attachment to widest setting (setting 1). Use a rolling pin to flatten the first quarter of dough into a rough rectangular shape, about ¼" thick. Dust in semolina and pass once dough through the roller. Fold dough like a letter and rotate 90 degrees. Flatten again with a rolling pin and pass once more through the widest setting. Dust with semolina and pass through the next narrowest setting (setting 2). Continue to dust and pass through the next narrowest setting until you reach setting 4 or 5, ideal thickness for fettuccine. When the sheet of dough becomes too long for your work surface, divide it in two for more manageable sizes.

Switch to a fettuccine roller. Dust sheets well with semolina and pass through on low speed. Catch strands in the center as they exit the roller; swirl well in semolina to keep from sticking. Using a circular motion, gently twist the strands together to form a loose nest. Continue this rolling and cutting process with the remaining quarters of dough.

At this stage, nests are ready to be cooked in boiling, salted water (2-3 minutes). Alternatively, nests can be frozen on a sheet pan until firm and transferred to an air-tight bag for storage. When cooking from frozen, add an additional minute or so of cook time.

To make the tomato pasta: Beginning with step 2 above, follow the same instructions adding tomato paste (in place of the beet puree) to well with whole egg, egg yolks and salt. Continue on through step 8.

To make the saffron pasta: In a small bowl, add saffron threads and 3 tablespoons warm water. Stir and let soak about 5 minutes.

Beginning with step 2 above, follow the same instructions adding saffron threads and water (in place of the beet puree) to well with whole egg, egg yolks and salt. Continue on through step 8.

To make the spinach pasta: Puree spinach in a food processor or blender until smooth. Using a paper towel or cheese cloth, gently squeeze out a bit of the excess water (not all of it).

Beginning with step 2 above, follow the same instructions adding spinach puree (in place of the beet puree) to well with whole egg, egg yolks and salt. Continue on through step 8.

By Ashley Cuoco

Serves

Serves 4-6 (1 pound) per variety

Ingredients

  • Beet Pasta:
  • 6 ounces semolina flour, plus more for dusting
  • 4 ounces all-purpose flour
  • 1 large egg
  • 5 large egg yolks
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 medium cooked beet, peeled

  • Tomato Pasta:
  • 6 ounces semolina flour, plus more for dusting
  • 4 ounces all-purpose flour
  • 1 large egg
  • 5 large egg yolks
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 4 tablespoons tomato paste

  • Saffron Pasta:
  • 2 teaspoons saffron threads
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric
  • 6 ounces semolina flour, plus more for dusting
  • 4 ounces all-purpose flour
  • 1 large egg
  • 5 large egg yolks
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

  • Spinach Pasta:
  • 6 ounces semolina flour, plus more for dusting
  • 4 ounces all-purpose flour
  • 1 large egg
  • 5 large egg yolks
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 4 tablespoons frozen chopped spinach, defrosted

Procedure

To make the beet pasta: Puree beet in a food processor or blender until smooth.

Pour flours directly onto a large work surface. Use your fingers to combine them and make a well in the center. Add whole egg, egg yoks, salt and beet puree. Use your hands or a fork to beat the center well, gradually incorporating flour until the dough begins to hold together in a mass. If dough feels too dry, add water by the teaspoon until it comes together.

Sprinkle a handful of semolina onto your work surface. Knead the dough, flouring as necessary until dough feels firm and elastic, about 3 minutes. If dough feels too wet, continue to add flour and knead until no longer sticky to the touch.

Press dough into a disc and wrap in plastic—let rest at room temperature 30 minutes.

Generously flour work surface with semolina. Use a bench scraper to divide disc into 4 equal portions. Remove one quarter and wrap the others in plastic.

Set pasta rolling machine or attachment to widest setting (setting 1). Use a rolling pin to flatten the first quarter of dough into a rough rectangular shape, about ¼" thick. Dust in semolina and pass once dough through the roller. Fold dough like a letter and rotate 90 degrees. Flatten again with a rolling pin and pass once more through the widest setting. Dust with semolina and pass through the next narrowest setting (setting 2). Continue to dust and pass through the next narrowest setting until you reach setting 4 or 5, ideal thickness for fettuccine. When the sheet of dough becomes too long for your work surface, divide it in two for more manageable sizes.

Switch to a fettuccine roller. Dust sheets well with semolina and pass through on low speed. Catch strands in the center as they exit the roller; swirl well in semolina to keep from sticking. Using a circular motion, gently twist the strands together to form a loose nest. Continue this rolling and cutting process with the remaining quarters of dough.

At this stage, nests are ready to be cooked in boiling, salted water (2-3 minutes). Alternatively, nests can be frozen on a sheet pan until firm and transferred to an air-tight bag for storage. When cooking from frozen, add an additional minute or so of cook time.

To make the tomato pasta: Beginning with step 2 above, follow the same instructions adding tomato paste (in place of the beet puree) to well with whole egg, egg yolks and salt. Continue on through step 8.

To make the saffron pasta: In a small bowl, add saffron threads and 3 tablespoons warm water. Stir and let soak about 5 minutes.

Beginning with step 2 above, follow the same instructions adding saffron threads and water (in place of the beet puree) to well with whole egg, egg yolks and salt. Continue on through step 8.

To make the spinach pasta: Puree spinach in a food processor or blender until smooth. Using a paper towel or cheese cloth, gently squeeze out a bit of the excess water (not all of it).

Beginning with step 2 above, follow the same instructions adding spinach puree (in place of the beet puree) to well with whole egg, egg yolks and salt. Continue on through step 8.

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Naturally Colored Fettuccine Recipe | Sur La Table (2024)

FAQs

Can you dye cooked pasta? ›

When the pasta is done, drain it in a strainer and immediately run cold water over it to halt the cooking. Transfer the pasta, portioning it as you go, into the bags of food coloring. Seal the bags, and mix the pasta and food coloring until well-combined. Let each bag sit for at least a minute.

What makes pasta colored? ›

Most pastas are the color of their basic ingredients, flour and eggs or water. A common exception is green pasta, which has spinach incorporated into the dough.

How is colored pasta made? ›

Pasta Coloring Basics

A bright pink dough colored with beets, a deep dark black dough colored with squid ink, a green dough made with spinach, and a golden orange dough that gets its hue from tomato paste.

Do you need vinegar to dye pasta? ›

Dying pasta is easy to do and the clean up is quick and simple. While some recipes for dying pasta use rubbing alcohol I've used vinegar and other kid-safe ingredients, so if small children put it in their months they'll be okay. (But they'll probably get a yucky vinegar taste!)

What can you dye pasta with? ›

Alternative taste-safe method to dye pasta

If you have a little one who is still mouthing everything and you're concerned about using paint, the alternative is to colour your pasta using food colouring. The colours may not be quite as vibrant but you can relax knowing it is completely taste-safe!

Can I dye pasta without vinegar? ›

Directions: We dye our pasta exactly like we dye rice, no alcohol or vinegar is needed. Just coloring and pasta. For this batch I added one box of pasta to a ziploc bag at a time.

How do you color cooked pasta for play? ›

Place your spaghetti into ziplock bags – you'll need one bag per colour. Make sure you're wearing gloves and then add a few drops of food colouring to each bag – seal it tight!

How do you color cooked pasta with paint? ›

How To
  1. Begin by placing 1 ½ -2 cups of dried pasta in a plastic bag.
  2. Add two squirts of hand sanitizer and a dash of paint. ...
  3. Mix it around and let it sit for 10 minutes in the bag.
  4. Spread out paper towels or parchment paper on a tray and place the pasta on the tray.
  5. Spread the pasta out so it has space to dry.

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