STEPS 3 INGREDIENTS 6 TIME 15-20 MINS
Vegan pasta is simple to make from scratch, utterly scrumptious, and takes under 20 minutes. (Looking to buy vegan pasta? Try here.)
Why make fresh pasta rather than eating the packet stuff?
• It tastes better than packet pasta
• It holds its sauce better
• Contains no preservatives or E numbers
• And it cooks quicker than packet pasta (2 minutes tops!)
On this page I explain how to make vegan pasta dough (the key is the flour), produce tagliatelle strips, and then cook these.
I then highlight several delicious vegan-friendly pasta sauces.
(For my full page of vegan pasta recipes click here.)
Serves 2
Ingredients
200g/7oz durum wheat semolina flour (‘semola di grano duro’ in Italian). Available on Amazon US
1 teaspoon of salt
150ml/5 US fluid ounces lukewarm water
Equipment
Measuring jug
Rolling pin
Fork
STEP 1 – On a clean work surface or large chopping board, use your hands to create a ‘bowl’ of flour.
– Aim for roughly 6 inches across, with inch-thick sides and a shallow flour base.
STEP 2 – Pour 50ml/1-2 fl. ounces of water into this bowl and use a flat upturned fork to slowly stir in a circular motion. 
The idea in this step is to gradually move flour into the centre and create a thick, smooth paste.
– Gradually stir and add more water, using the fork to pull in flour from the sides of the bowl (or drop in flour from the top of the edges).
Just be careful not to break the flour wall at any point.
STEP 3 – When you’ve poured in all the water and the central paste is smooth – it’s time to get your hands dirty! – Using your hands, mix the liquid and remaining flour (the walls) thoroughly together. 
– When you feel the mixture turning to dough, try to form a ball with it.
If it’s still too wet, sprinkle in a little more flour from the packet and keep mixing.
STEP 4 – When you have a dough ball, it’s time to flatten and fold…
– Flatten the ball on your surface, fold in half, press flat again and repeat for 4-5 minutes – until you have a smooth, firm dough ball. 
Your end result vegan pasta dough should be slightly sticky – not wet but not dried out.
STEP 5 – Lightly flour your work surface and use a rolling pin to roll this ball into a flat 2mm circle (this thickness is perfect for tagliatelle).
This should take just 5 minutes or so.
STEP 6 – Now you can shape this pasta as you like (for lots of long pasta options, I recommend a pasta machine).
To make tagliatelle right now…
– When you have your flat dough, sprinkle over a light covering of flour. – Starting at the far end of the dough, fold its far edge 5cm inwards.
Repeat, folding the dough flat over itself towards you, until you have one 5cm-wide strip of folded dough.
(Option: if you now squish the edges of the folded pasta – using the side of your hand or fingertips – you’ll create ‘nipped’ tagliatelle, known as ‘sciatielli’.)
– Working from right to left, chop the dough into 1cm/ half-inch strips. 
– Carefully unfold these strips and keep on a lightly floured plate until ready for cooking.
Not sure yet which sauce to make? Cover the tagliatelle and they’ll keep for a couple of hours. Or freeze between aluminium sheets for later.
Done!
To cook: Drop the strips into boiling salted water for just 2 minutes. They’ll rise almost instantly, after which they need just 30-60 seconds more.
Was the pasta you served a little too soft? Check out my response to a reader with this issue here.
Try these sumptuous vegan pasta sauces:
Seriously sweet and with a story to tell, pasta alla norma features sumptuous fried eggplant/aubergine and tomato.
This radioactive orange delight is simple to create and as sweet as chocolate.
• Nuccia’s vegetable pasta recipe
Here my Sicilian friend Nuccia Pelliccia takes you to molten zucchini and tomato heaven.
• Nicely spicy chili and garlic pasta recipe
If you like your meals with a monster kick, this mouth-melting chili, oil and garlic pasta recipe should be right up your street.
The mainstay of Italian pasta cooking. Try the first recipe on this page (please just ignore the meat and ricotta mentions).
Combines pistachio or walnut crumbs with oil and molten mushrooms. Very easy, very moreish.
Recommended: pasta rolling machine
A pasta machine will speed up your pasta rolling, and give you some valuable long pasta options.
Check out my full review – with video – of the excellent Imperia pasta machine.
I use this piece of kit myself – it’s great value, built like a rock, and available with a range of accessories for cutting and making all kinds of pasta.
Get sauced with Sass…
Introducing my friend, nutrionalist and all-round vegan guru Sassy of vegancoach.com.
Her new e-book ‘Get Sauced With Sass!’ is a one-of-a-kind vegan sauce-making course.
Designed to teach you how to create nutritious and yummy sauces from scratch without a recipe in sight, it’s well worth a look – click here to read more.
Not a strict vegan? Check out these vegetarian pasta recipes.
For my full page of vegan pasta recipes click here.