Skip to Content
Features

Making Pasta from Scratch: Five Tips from a Food Network Star

Chef and Food Network star Antonia Lofaso shares five tips for pasta making at home.

eggs in flour to make pasta

Making pasta starts with a simple process of adding eggs to flour. Photo: “Making a better homemade pasta” by joyosity is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

I love making pasta dishes at home. Creating sauces from fresh farmer’s market-bought tomatoes, garlic and any other ingredients is always exciting. And even though it’s an activity I view as fun, there’s one part of the process that I’ve avoided much to my own chagrin: making pasta from scratch. I’m totally intimidated. 

Thankfully, Antonia Lofaso, the executive chef of California’s Scopa Italian Roots — known for its pasta dishes — has some advice for pasta-making novices like myself.

Lofaso, who also hosts Beachside Brawl, which airs on Sundays at 9 p.m. on Food Network, shared five tips with Appetito on how to make pasta at home. Her most important advice? Practice, practice, practice. Repetition, she says, is the key factor to becoming a good pasta-maker.

“You start to get a flow and it becomes easier and easier,” Lofaso says.

Chef Antonia Lofaso from Food Network.
Host Antonia Lofaso, as seen on Beachside Brawl, Season 2.

Here are Lofaso’s five best tips for making pasta at home.

1. Consider your pasta-making workspace

Lofaso advises creating a “large enough” workspace in your at-home kitchen. “Put things away to create room to dust flour and roll dough,” she says. That way, “you don’t feel trapped, even if you have a small working space.”

2. Keep your kitchen cool

Temperature is another important factor to consider when making pasta at home, according to Lofaso. “Make sure the kitchen temperature is cool so that you and your dough don’t sweat,” she says.

3. Consider the quality of the ingredients you are using 

The best ingredients make the best pasta. “Make sure you are using quality flour, eggs, olive oil, and salt,” Lofaso says, noting her favorite pasta flour to use is Caputo 00. 

4. Review your recipe and equipment

Compatibility matters. Lofaso advises checking your recipe with the equipment you have to work with and making sure it is “consistent and compatible.”

5. Make sure you allow time for your dough to rest

“Pasta making shouldn’t be rushed,” Lofaso says, noting that giving your dough time to rest is a necessity in the pasta making process.

“Dough is best rested for at least 2 hours, and up to 24,” she says. “Wrap in a flat disk, so it’s easier to cut when cold.”

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Appetito

Meet Krista D’Archi, Founder of Gluten-free Pastina Brand Eat Senza

Appetito interviews the founder of East Senza, the first brand to bring gluten-free pastina to the Italian food shelf in the US.

September 4, 2025

My Italian August in New York City

Our Editor-in-Chief was inspired by our Health & Wellness expert and a new Brooklyn restaurant to have an Italian August in New York City.

September 4, 2025

Chef Marc Forgione Brings Purposeful Meat to Peasant

At Peasant in NoLita, chef Marc Forgione is redefining whole animal dining with wood fire, local farms, and a deep respect for every cut.

September 3, 2025

The Overlooked Beaches Outside of Rome are Well Worth a Visit

Our Editor-in-Chief shares the secret of how to spend a delightful and easy day at the beach while visiting Rome.

September 2, 2025

Gelato Festival World Masters Returned to Los Angeles

The world’s top artisanal gelato competition returned to Hollywood, bringing master chefs, bold flavors, and a mission to educate and give back.

September 2, 2025
See all posts