Sun-Dried Tomato and Italian Herbs Farfalle Pasta
This simple sun-dried tomato and Italian herbs farfalle pasta only uses 2 ingredients (sun-dried tomatoes and semolina flour) plus water. The pasta is flavorful on its own but goes well with a cream sauce, veggies, and/or Italian sausage. You can use this recipe to make any pasta shape, but the recipe below explains how to make farfalle (butterfly or bow tie) shapes.
Servings: 1 pound
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
Make a Day or Two Ahead & Store in the Fridge:
Place the farfalle noodles in a single layer on a baking sheet and dust the tops lightly with flour. Add a sheet of parchment/wax paper in between each layer. You should have 2 layers of farfalle noodles on a baking sheet. Cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap to ensure the noodles are covered well. Refrigerate for up to 2 days. Cook as directed for fresh pasta.
Freeze for Later:
Place the farfalle noodles in a single layer on a baking sheet and dust the tops lightly with flour. Add a sheet of parchment/wax paper in between each layer. You should have 2 layers of farfalle noodles on a baking sheet. Cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap to ensure the noodles are covered well. Place in the freezer for 1-2 hours until frozen. Then, remove noodles and stack them together placing them in an airtight bag or container. Freeze them for up to a couple of months. Follow the cooking directions for fresh pasta.
Cooking Suggestions for Any Shaped Pasta:
Regardless of how the pasta is stored and its shape, it’s cooked the same way. Bring a large pot of 4 quarts of water to a boil. Add about 1 tablespoon of salt, enough 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, set the timer and cook for 2 minutes. Taste a noodle to check for doneness. It should be “al dente” meaning “to the tooth” and should have a small bite to the pasta. 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.
Serving Suggestions:
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.