Naturally Colored Fettuccine Recipe | Sur La Table (2024)

By Ashley Cuoco

Images

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

How to add color to pasta? ›

Cook pasta al dente according to package instructions. While pasta is cooking, combine about 2 tablespoons of water and 20 drops of food coloring in a large zip-top pastic bag. Repeat with however many additional colors you would like. (We used six colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple.)

How do you dye pasta blue naturally? ›

To make a blue food dye, slice up red cabbage leaves and boil for 10-15 minutes. Strain out the cabbage, reduce the liquid until it is thick and syrupy (the cooking liquid from a whole cabbage will reduce to about a quarter of a cup. Now you have an intensely purple syrup.

How to make sensory coloured pasta? ›

Measure about two cups of your dried pasta, and add it to a resealable plastic bag. Add 1/8 cup of white vinegar to a disposable cup and add 20-30 drops of food coloring. Stir it together and then give it a test! Dip a piece of pasta into the cup to test the color saturation.

How do you dye food black naturally? ›

Ingredients for Making Natural Black Food Coloring

Black cocoa powder, a Dutch processed cocoa powder that's heavily alkalised, can tint baked goods a true, deep shade of black.

Can you dye pasta without cooking it? ›

Stick with making 1 color at a time. Dye the uncooked pasta noodles only. Make a large batch of uncooked pasta all at once and if you use a portion with water play (food coloring will bleed), you still have a bunch left to reuse over and over again for play without water.

What makes pasta Coloured? ›

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.

Can you add food colouring to pasta? ›

Add a drop of food colouring to each bowl, or combine two colours (such as red and yellow to make orange). Mix well, adding a splash of water to help the colour disperse, if needed. Leave for 5 mins, then rinse the spaghetti under cold running water to set the colour.

What is used to colour pasta? ›

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.

Can you colour pasta with paint? ›

Begin by placing 1 ½ -2 cups of dried pasta in a plastic bag. Add two squirts of hand sanitizer and a dash of paint. Add a little at a time, you can always add more color to make it darker. If you notice the paint is not fully covering the pasta, add another squirt of hand sanitizer to dilute the paint.

What gives pasta its yellow color? ›

Although all Italian-style pasta is made from the same type of dough, the finest commercial pastas are those made with pure semolina flour, which gives the dough a rich, yellow color. Gray or streaked dough probably contains softer flours.

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