Sourdough Discard Pasta

This delicious and simple pasta is made with just 4 ingredients. Flour, eggs, salt, and sourdough discard. This makes making pasta super attainable in your home, and a special treat to impress your family or guests.

❤️ Why You’ll Love Sourdough Discard Pasta

There was a day I thought that fresh pasta could only be enjoyed when we went to a really fancy restaurant, or someone’s really talented Italian grandmother made it for us. Never did I think that I would get to a place where making pasta was – simple. But this recipe is just that. I’ve been working on it for a really long time and if you’re reading this and think you can’t do it, I’m here to tell you that you can.

🍲 Ingredients

Sourdough Discard – unfed, inactive sourdough starter.

All-purpose flour – I like to use Kirkland’s or King Arthurs all-purpose flour, as long as it’s unbleached you can use what you have on hand.

Eggs – This uses two eggs and one egg yolk. This makes the pasta tender and flavorful! If you don’t want to bother with separating the egg yolk, you can substitute this for one tablespoon of olive oil.

Salt – Use whatever salt you have on hand.

👩‍🍳 How to Make Sourdough Discard Pasta

• Directly on a clean workspace, pour 2 cups of flour. Make a well in the middle of the flour with your hands. Crack 2 eggs and the yolk directly into the middle. Add the sourdough discard and salt right on top.
• Using a fork, whisk together the eggs and discard while slowly adding flour to the mixture. Use your bench scraper to help incorporate the flour. When the dough has mostly come together, use your hands to knead the dough for 5 – 7 minutes until you have a smooth ball.
• Wrap the dough ball with plastic wrap and let it rest on the counter for one hour.
• After resting, cut your dough into for equal pieces. Use your rolling pin to flatten each piece into a small rectangle. This makes it easier once you put it in the pasta maker.
• Using the pasta roller, start with the number one and roll your pasta out to your desired thickness. My sweet spot is either 4 or 5. I think the pasta is better the thinner it is, but this is all personal preference!
• Once all your pasta sheets are rolled out, use your bench scraper to cut each piece in half. Switch your attachment to the pasta cutter. (or you can hand cut the pasta with a large knife or pizza cutter and skip this step).
• Flour each sheet before putting them into the cutter. Cut the pasta into noodles and hang them on your pasta drying tree. If you don’t have a pasta drying tree you can add more flour to and twirl each bunch on top of a kitchen towel and cover them.
• Let the pasta dry out for one more hour.
• Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add a generous pinch of salt to the water and carefully place the pasta into the pot.
• Let the pasta boil for 5 minutes. Fresh pasta takes a lot less time to cook than the pre-packaged noodles.
• Once your pasta is cooked, drain the noodles and toss with your favorite sauce!
• Serve with a side of garlic sourdough bread and enjoy!

🪄 Tips and Tricks

• The pasta attachment and drying tree are all convenient tools that make the pasta making journey just a little easier. They are not 100% necessary, so if you don’t have them – don’t fret. You will still make great pasta; it might just take a little bit longer. 
• I’ve tried pasta many different ways, and each time I find that the thinner the pasta – the better. My sweet spot on the pasta roller is 4 or 5.
• If you don’t want to bother with separating an egg yolk, you can substitute it for one tablespoon of olive oil.

🗒 Example Bakers Schedule

If I want pasta for dinner, this is the time stamped steps that I would follow to make my life as simple and seamless as possible. Just to further drive the point home that anyone can make fresh pasta!

3:30pm – Mix together and knead the dough.

4pm – Wrap and let the dough rest.

5pm: Roll and cut the pasta.

5:30pm – Let the pasta dry out.

6:30pm: Boil the pasta and enjoy warm!

You can also start baking your sourdough bread while you are kneading the pasta dough. This sourdough recipe makes two loaves so you will always have one sitting in the fridge waiting to be baked for special occasions like this!

🗒 Substitutions

These are simple ingredients that don’t require a lot of substitutions, but if you don’t want to fuss with separating an egg yolk, you can substitute it for 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil instead.

• Egg yolk – Olive oil.

🗒 Best served with

• A warm, fresh loaf of sourdough bread.
• Italian dinner spread.
• Pizza night.

👝 How to Store Leftovers

Store your cooked, leftover pasta in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

🤔 Common Questions