This is a versatile recipe that you can use to make lasagna sheets, ravioli, pierogi, tortellini, manicotti or just plain spaghetti or linguini. You can change it up by replacing some of the water with fresh juices (spinach, carrot, beet) or by adding fresh herbs to the dough. This particular recipe is designed for a manual pasta machine and if you enjoy it, I cannot recommend enough treating yourself to the kitchen aid attachment – it cuts the work in half. Don’t panic as you run it through the first few times. It takes a little love (and wheat starch) to get the consistency right. If you are running the pasta through an extruder versus a manual pasta machine, add an extra ¼ to ½ cup wheat starch.
Cook for Love’s Fresh Pasta
This is a versatile recipe that you can use to make lasagna sheets, ravioli, pierogi, tortellini, manicotti or just plain spaghetti or linguini. You can change it up by replacing some of the water with fresh juices (spinach, carrot, beet) or by adding fresh herbs to the dough. This particular recipe is designed for a manual pasta machine and if you enjoy it, I cannot recommend enough treating yourself to the kitchen aid attachment – it cuts the work in half. Don’t panic as you run it through the first few times. It takes a little love (and wheat starch) to get the consistency right. If you are running the pasta through an extruder versus a manual pasta machine, add an extra ¼ to ½ cup wheat starch.
Nutrition
Ingredients
Method
- Pulse flour, starch, xanthan gum, Metamucil, salt and konjac in bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade to evenly distribute.
- Combine egg yolk, olive oil and water in a measuring cup. With food processor running, pour in the liquids until the dough form, about 30 seconds. The dough will be very wet and sticky. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for at least 30 minutes, up to an hour.
- Process dough again and a rough ball should form. This dough will still be a little sticky (If dough resembles small pebbles, add water, ½ teaspoon at a time; if dough sticks completely to your hands, add starch, 1 tablespoon at a time, and process until dough forms a rough ball.)
- Turn dough ball and small bits out onto a dry work surface; knead until dough is smooth, 10 to 12 turns. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside.
- Cut about ¼ of dough from ball and flatten into a disk; rewrap remaining dough. Run dough through widest setting of a manual pasta machine. Bring ends of dough towards the middle and press down to seal. Dust with wheat starch. Run dough, open end first, through the widest setting again. Fold, seal, dust with wheat starch and roll through again. Dust with wheat starch. Without folding, run pasta through widest setting about two more times, dusting with wheat starch as needed, until dough is smooth. If at any point dough is super sticky, lightly dust with wheat starch. Continue to run dough through machine; narrow the setting each time, until you reach the number 3 or 4 setting on your pasta machine.
Notes
Reader Q&A:
Q: I need to consider carbohydrates, our grandson with PKU has also been diagnosed with T1D. A: That must be very difficult. Not sure how you would work around the carbs in fresh pasta, because even if you add more fiber, with all of the starch you are likely to still get a pretty intense sugar spike. You could certainly substitute pasta in general with spiraled veggies like zucchini but not sure how to go about making fresh pasta. Feel free to private message me at [email removed] and we can try to brainstorm it together. Brenda
Q: Are the PHE counts on this recipe for the pasta before cooking? I make this for my great granddaughter and freeze it for when she needs pasta. I don’t cook it prior to freezing. When they cook it I think they portion it out after cooking. It absorbs a lot of water during cooking and weighs much more. Was going to make lasagna for her and not sure what weight to use for the pasta A: The weights are before cooking.
Q: Where can you find Konjac Powder? Is there a kind you recommend over others? A: I get it on Amazon. I recommend one that is in a container with a lid as the bags never close right and the powder is a pain to clean up! I have Herbal’s Secrets brand.
Brenda
Q: What brand konjac powder do you use and where do you buy it? I see multiple entries on Amazon but most say gum, not sure if it’s the same thing. A: Amazon. Herbal Secret’s but any brand is probably the same. Glucomannan (from Konjac Root) should be the only ingredient.
Q: I can’t buy konjac powder or metamucil in Egypt, can I substitute them with psyllium husk? Also can I use Tapioca starch instead of wheat starch? Thank you for the great recipe! A: You can easily substitute psyllium for Metamucil, but just use 1/2 the amount listed. Konjac is a pretty unique binder so I am not sure that would work, but it is worth giving it a shot! Tapioca has different baking characteristics than wheat starch. If you cannot get wheat starch and there are any low protein mixes available, shoot me an email ([email removed]) with the ingredient list. Chances are they are primarily wheat starch and would be a better substitute with minor changes in the recipes).
Q: Have you ever tried this with egg replacer? My PKU was just diagnosed with an egg allergy. (I know ?) A: Ugh — so hard. There are a few parents on CFL’s Facebook page that are in the same situation, so they might have more experienced advice for this recipe (and others). I would think if you add an extra teaspoon of konjac it would be fine. — Brenda
Q: I need to consider carbohydrates, our grandson with PKU has also been diagnosed with T1D. A: That must be very difficult. Not sure how you would work around the carbs in fresh pasta, because even if you add more fiber, with all of the starch you are likely to still get a pretty intense sugar spike. You could certainly substitute pasta in general with spiraled veggies like zucchini but not sure how to go about making fresh pasta. Feel free to private message me at [email removed] and we can try to brainstorm it together. Brenda
Q: Are the PHE counts on this recipe for the pasta before cooking? I make this for my great granddaughter and freeze it for when she needs pasta. I don’t cook it prior to freezing. When they cook it I think they portion it out after cooking. It absorbs a lot of water during cooking and weighs much more. Was going to make lasagna for her and not sure what weight to use for the pasta A: The weights are before cooking.
Q: Where can you find Konjac Powder? Is there a kind you recommend over others? A: I get it on Amazon. I recommend one that is in a container with a lid as the bags never close right and the powder is a pain to clean up! I have Herbal’s Secrets brand.
Brenda
Q: What brand konjac powder do you use and where do you buy it? I see multiple entries on Amazon but most say gum, not sure if it’s the same thing. A: Amazon. Herbal Secret’s but any brand is probably the same. Glucomannan (from Konjac Root) should be the only ingredient.
Q: I can’t buy konjac powder or metamucil in Egypt, can I substitute them with psyllium husk? Also can I use Tapioca starch instead of wheat starch? Thank you for the great recipe! A: You can easily substitute psyllium for Metamucil, but just use 1/2 the amount listed. Konjac is a pretty unique binder so I am not sure that would work, but it is worth giving it a shot! Tapioca has different baking characteristics than wheat starch. If you cannot get wheat starch and there are any low protein mixes available, shoot me an email ([email removed]) with the ingredient list. Chances are they are primarily wheat starch and would be a better substitute with minor changes in the recipes).
Q: Have you ever tried this with egg replacer? My PKU was just diagnosed with an egg allergy. (I know ?) A: Ugh — so hard. There are a few parents on CFL’s Facebook page that are in the same situation, so they might have more experienced advice for this recipe (and others). I would think if you add an extra teaspoon of konjac it would be fine. — Brenda
