Tomatoes and pasta go together like peanut butter and jelly. I recently decided to put them together in the form of fresh pasta noodles. This recipe only contains two ingredients and water! Serve this sun-dried tomato with Italian herbs pasta with a homemade béchamel or Alfredo sauce and you have a fantastic meal. While this pasta recipe can be cut into any shape, the farfalle pasta shape (aka butterfly or bow tie) is quite fun and tasty. Let’s check out how to make it.
Ingredients for Sun-Dried & Italian Herbs Farfalle Pasta
The ingredients for this recipe are so few and simple. You only need two ingredients plus water. I prefer to use a jar of sun-dried tomatoes with Italian herbs packed in oil, semolina flour, and water. That’s it! The sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil with herbs add such flavor to a simple recipe.
Combine All Ingredients in a Food Processor
Drain & Pulse Sun-Dried Tomatoes with Italian Herbs
Drain 150 grams (8.5-ounce jar) of sun-dried tomatoes with Italian herbs packed in oil in a strainer to remove excess moisture. Place them in a food processor and blend (~ 1 minute) until broken down. You can use just a simple jar of sun-dried tomatoes soaked in water, but the oil and herbs add so much flavor. If using sun-dried tomatoes without herbs, you can add your own dried Italian herbs. However, the flavor might not be quite as enhanced, since the herbs haven’t been marinated in oil and tomatoes.
TIP: I like to use a spoon to move the tomatoes around in the strainer to encourage the oil to drip down.
Add Semolina Flour & Blend
Add 300 grams (~2 cups) durum wheat semolina flour to the food processor with the tomatoes. Blend for ~30 seconds until the mixture is combined but still grainy. Stop the machine and scrape down the bowl edges as needed.
Add Water & Blend
Add 59 milliliters (¼ cup) of water and blend again for about 30 seconds. The mixture should start to stick together. Add another 30-59 milliliters (2-4 tablespoons) of water until the mixture forms a ball in the machine and is moist. There shouldn’t be any dry crumbs left.
Knead Pasta Dough for 7 Minutes
Remove the dough ball from the machine. Place it on a lightly floured work surface. Knead for about 7 minutes by hand until the dough reaches a tacky smooth ball. The dough will be dense.
TIP: You can use any flour for kneading like semolina or regular all-purpose flour.
Cover Pasta Dough & Rest for 20 Minutes
Cover the dough ball with a towel or plastic wrap. Let it rest for 20 minutes to relax the gluten.
Prepare Baking Sheet
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Dust the paper with semolina or other flour.
TIP: You can simply flour the pan without paper, but the paper helps to manipulate the pasta in and out of the pan.
Roll, Cut, & Shape Pasta Dough
At this point, you can roll out the dough in the shape you want for making different pasta shapes. You can use a pasta machine if available.
To Form Farfalle (Butterfly or Bow Tie) Shapes
In this blog, we are cutting and shaping our pasta dough into “farfalle” which is the Italian word for “butterfly” (what the shape resembles). It is also called bow tie pasta.
Divide Pasta Dough into 3rds & Roll into Rectangle
Divide the dough into three equal portions. You can eyeball the division or weigh the dough total and divide it into thirds based on weight. Place one third of the dough on a lightly floured work surface. Set aside and cover the other two thirds to prevent the dough from drying out. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough flat keeping the work surface floured. The dough should be thin, about 1/16th of an inch thick (about the width of a US nickel). Roll out each sheet to about a 10-x14- inch rectangle. The rectangle doesn’t need to be perfect as we will trim it down.
TIP: If using a pasta attachment, flatten as described.
Trim Uneven Edges & Score into 1½ -inch Squares
Trim off any excess odd-shaped edges so you have even, squared-off corners. Place the scraps aside to roll out at the end to cut into strips to cook separately. Use a ruler or bench scraper and knife to measure and gently score 1½ -inch lines horizontally and vertically in the dough to create squares. You’ll notice in the images below that I scored marks at 2-3 different areas (both vertically and horizontally) to connect for making straight lines, but that is not necessary.
TIP: Do not cut all the way through as it will be difficult to cut straight and even perpendicular lines.
Cut Completely through Scored Lines
With a knife, pizza cutter, or fluted (or ruffled) pasta wheel, cut completely through the scored lines to create individual squares.
TIP: For traditional farfalle fluted edges, use a fluted pasta wheel to cut either along all of the horizontal or vertical lines so that 2 opposite sides of each square have fluted edges.
Form the Farfalle Pasta (Butterfly or Bow Tie) Shapes
Pick up a square. Fold the center edges toward each other to touch like an accordion. Use your thumb and index finger to squeeze the accordion center tightly to flatten enough to equal the thickness of the rest of the pasta shape so the entire pasta will cook evenly. The pasta should resemble a butterfly or bow tie.
TIP: If using a fluted pasta wheel, fold in the center smooth edges and leave the ruffled edges as the farfalle (butterfly wings) edges.
Store, Cover, & Rest Farfalle Pasta on Prepared Baking Sheet
Place the farfalle (butterfly or bow tie) noodles in a single layer on the lined baking sheet. Cover the noodles with a towel, parchment paper, or wax paper to prevent them from drying out. Continue rolling and cutting the remaining dough and placing them covered on the baking sheet. Place parchment paper or wax paper between layers of rolled out dough to prevent sticking. For any leftover scraps of dough, combine and roll it out. Then, cut out simple strips to cook separately as a taste test. Once all the dough is shaped, the farfalle can be cooked and eaten immediately or stored.
Storage Suggestions: Sun-Dried Tomato and Italian Herbs Farfalle Pasta
Wrap the pan of pasta well in plastic wrap to prevent the pasta from drying out. Place the well-wrapped pan with the pasta in the fridge for up to 2 days. For longer storage, freeze the pasta on the pan for a couple of hours or until frozen. Once frozen, transfer the pasta all together to a sealed bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months.
Close-ups Images of the Sun-Dried Tomato and Italian Herbs Farfalle Pasta
Serving Suggestions: for Sun-Dried Tomato and Italian Herbs Farfalle Pasta
Use any preferred pasta sauce. A creamy béchamel or Alfredo sauce would go well with this tomato-based pasta. Add your favorite veggies or Italian sausage to round out this dish for a main course. Like with most pasta dishes, you can serve this one with a side salad and/or bread like a nice Italian Focaccia😉.
Cooking Suggestions: Sun-Dried Tomato and Italian Herbs Farfalle Pasta
Bring a large pot of 4 quarts of water to a boil. Add about 1 tablespoon of salt, enough so that the water has a salty taste like the ocean (salinity of the sea). Add the pasta and reduce the heat to a simmer. Once the pasta rises to the surface, cook for 2 minutes. Taste a noodle to check for doneness or “al dente” meaning “to the tooth”. If a dense white spot is in the center of the pasta, it needs to cook another 20-30 seconds. Once the pasta is done, drain and serve it immediately with your preferred sauce.
Final Thoughts for Sun-Dried Tomato and Italian Herbs Farfalle Pasta
That’s it! The best thing about homemade pasta is that you have options like flavor, shape, size, and how to store the noodles. Eat them immediately, dry them out, refrigerate them until tomorrow, or freeze them for later. This is a fantastic make-ahead pasta that looks fancy and tastes really good.
Baker’s Perspective
Making homemade pasta is certainly not as easy as buying it from the store. However, think of it as an afternoon activity that will take a couple of hours to do with incredible rewards later. I usually store my pasta in two different ways. I typically make the pasta in an afternoon and refrigerate it if I know we’ll eat it within a couple of days. If I’m not sure when we’ll eat it, I’ll freeze as described and place it in a gallon-size plastic zip-top bag for weeks.
As for the preparation, making homemade pasta dough is work. If you have a stand mixer with a dough hook, you could knead in the machine instead of by hand. The actual farfalle shaping takes time, but once you get into a groove, the process moves fairly quickly. I enjoy making homemade pasta, but I have to be in the mood with a plan if I decide to do it. Homemade pasta is not something we have often, but it is a nice treat.
Taster’s Perspective
Of all the pasta recipes I have made from scratch, this one is our favorite. That is due to the olive oil-soaked tomatoes and herbs flavoring. In a pinch, a bowl of this pasta with just some cheese alone makes me a happy camper. However, sauce is what most of us will want to add for a delicious well-balanced meal. The tomatoes and herbs are well defined in each bite. While you could use a simple jar of sun-dried tomatoes without herbs, the herbs really provide a depth of flavor. I’ve also made this pasta cut into strips instead of the farfalle and it is just as good. When the pasta flavors are right, the shape doesn’t matter as much 😊.
Check out my YouTube video on the ins and outs of making this pasta recipe. “Simple Sun-Dried Tomato and Italian Herbs Farfalle (Butterfly) Pasta: Only 2 Ingredients plus Water”
Sun-Dried Tomato and Italian Herbs Farfalle Pasta
Ingredients
- 150 g (8.5 oz jar) sun-dried tomatoes with Italian herbs and packed in oil drained
- 300 g (~2 cups) semolina flour
- 59-118 ml (¼ – ½ cup) water or more as needed
Instructions
Make the Pasta Dough For All Pasta Shapes:
- Drain sun-dried tomatoes to remove excess moisture. Place in a food processor to blend (~ 1 minute) until broken down. The tomatoes should be in small pieces.
- Add semolina flour to the food processor with the tomatoes. Blend for ~30 seconds until the mixture is combined but still grainy. Add 59 ml (¼ cup) of water and blend again for about 30 seconds. The mixture should start to stick together. Add another 30-59 ml (2-4 tbsp) of water until the mixture forms a ball in the machine and is moist. There shouldn’t be any dry pieces left.
- Remove the dough ball from the machine and place it on a floured work surface. Knead for about 7 minutes by hand until the dough reaches a tacky smooth ball. The dough will be dense.
- Cover the dough ball with a towel or plastic wrap and let it rest for 20 minutes.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and dust with semolina or other flour.TIP: You can simply flour the pans without paper, but the paper helps to manipulate the pasta in and out of the pan.
- At this point, you can roll out the dough in the shape you want for making different pasta shapes including using a pasta machine if available.
Cut & Shape Farfalle (Butterfly / Bow Tie) Pasta:
- Divide dough into 3 equal portions. Place one third on a lightly floured work surface. Set aside and cover the other two thirds to prevent them from drying out. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough flat keeping the work surface floured. The dough should be thin, about 1/16 of an inch thick (about the width of a US nickel). Roll out each sheet to about a 10-x14- inch rectangle. Trim off excess odd-shaped edges.TIPS: If using a pasta attachment, flatten as described. For accurate measurement, you can weigh the total dough and divide equally by weight. The rectangle doesn't need to be perfect as you will trim off the edges.
- Use a ruler or bench scraper to score 1½ -inch lines horizontally and vertically in the dough to create squares.TIP: You make score marks in 2-3 different areas on the dough (both vertically and horizontally) to aid in making straight lines, but they are not necessary.
- Use a knife, pizza cutter, or fluted pasta wheel, to cut completely through the scored lines to create individual squares.TIP: For traditional farfalle fluted edges, use a fluted pasta wheel to cut either along all of the horizontal or vertical lines so that 2 opposite sides of each square have fluted edges.
- Pick up a square. Fold the center edges inward toward each other to touch like an accordion. Use your thumb and index finger to squeeze the accordion center tightly to flatten enough to equal the thickness of the rest of the pasta shape so the entire pasta will cook evenly. The pasta should resemble a butterfly or bow tie.TIP: If using a fluted pasta wheel, fold in the center smooth edges and leave the ruffled edges as the farfalle (butterfly) wing edges.
- Place shaped noodles separately and evenly on the lined baking sheet. Cover the noodles with a towel to prevent them from drying out. Continue rolling and cutting the remaining dough and placing the shapes covered on the baking sheet. Separate each single layer of pasta with a sheet of parchment or wax paper dusted with semolina or regular flour to prevent them from sticking to the paper. You should be able to get 2 layers of noodles on 1 baking sheet.
Video
Notes
You might be interested in these other Italian recipes.
2-Ingredient Fresh Southern Italian Pasta (Busiate, Fettucine, Tagliatelle, & Pappardelle)
2-Ingredient Ricotta Cheese and Flour Pasta (Orecchiette & Cavatelli)
Roasted Garlic White Bean Hummus
Italian Savoiardi Ladyfinger Cookies
Italian Gluten-Free Savoiardi Ladyfinger Cookies
Italian Panettone Christmas Bread
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