Passatelli is an Italian type of fresh pasta made with breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, eggs, nutmeg and/or lemon zest. In the past, passatelli recipe also included bone marrow or butter. For whatever reason it’s not in use any more.
Passatelli can be cooked and seasoned as dry pasta, but most typically - just like tortellini in brodo they are served in homemade meat broth - Passatelli in brodo.
This is a typical Christmas Eve dish and also very common for New Year’s Day and Easter lunch menu.
But let’s be honest, on a chilly Sunday afternoon what can be better than a hot bowl of freshly made Passatelli Soup?
Besides, it’s a perfect opportunity to use stale bread or breadcrumbs.
Passatelli in Brodo is the most famous and classic recipe, however you can also use this homemade pasta as a regular (dry) pasta with sauce. In Italian they are called Passatelli Asciutti.
Simply boil them in water and toss lightly in a pan with sauce of your choice. Just keep in mind that because there’s a lot of Parmesan cheese in the dough, passatelli pasta is already flavorful, so make sure to choose light sauces that will not overpower the noodles.
Passatelli are really easy, fast and simple to make.
All you need is the right tools (which most likely you already have) and pay attention to a couple of details in the process to make sure your passatelli won’t break while cooking. I’m sharing all tips & tricks below.
Tools You Need To Make Passatelli
Passatelli Press
The classic tool to make passatelli is called Passatelli Iron. It looks like a metal disc with large holes and a handle. But it’s not so easy to find it nowadays, unless you’re shopping in Italy.
Good news is that there are at least two more tools you can use as a passatelli maker.
And I’m sure you have at least one of them in your kitchen already.
Potato Ricer
Yes, your regular potato ricer with large holes. This is what I use and it works great for the purpose.
Meat Grinder
You can also use a meat grinder (again with large holes) to pass the dough through and make passatelli. I haven’t tried this particular method yet, but heard it does the trick well.
How To Make Passatelli - Step By Step
Make The Dough
- Sift breadcrumbs through a medium mash. This step is optional but highly recommended as this will help prevent passatelli from breaking when cooked.
- Mound breadcrumbs on your work surface or in a large bowl.
- Add finely grated Parmesan cheese and eggs.
- Add lemon zest, nutmeg and a pinch of salt.
- Beat eggs with a fork.
- At this point I like to use a dough scraper to bring all ingredients into a crumbly mix, but you can do all this with your hands or even in a food processor using a dough hook attachment.
- Using your hands mix all the ingredients together until you form a dough ball.
If the dough is too soft, add more breadcrumbs. If the dough is too stiff add some broth.
- Knead well for a few minutes letting all the ingredients combine and stick together.
- Wrap the dough in a plastic wrap and let rest for 2 hours.
- Divide the dough in 3 or 4 parts.
- Run each piece through a potato ricer using a disc with the largest openings.
- Use a dough scraper or a knife to cut 2 inch (5cm) strings as the dough comes out off the press.
As an alternative press the dough through a passatelli iron if you’re lucky to have one.
How To Cook Passatelli
Drop passatelli directly in boiling broth (or water) right off the press and let cook until they all come up to the top. Make sure water or broth is on medium heat and gently simmer. If you drop passatelli in rolling boil (on high heat) you risk they'll fall apart.
AS an alternative you can drop freshly made passatelli on a lightly floured surface and then carefully, using a dough scraper transfer them in a pot with boiling broth or water. Let cook until they rise to the surface.
Serve passatelli immediately with broth they were cooked in or with a pasta sauce if you're making them without broth.
Add more Parmesan cheese and/or black pepper if desired.
Tips & Tricks For Making Passatelli
- They most important tip when it comes to making this type of pasta is to use the right ingredients. And by that I mean, finely grated, PLAIN breadcrumbs and finely grated Parmesan cheese. If you use breadcrumbs that contain oil or any other fat you risk that your passatelli will fall apart when cooked in the boiling water.
- If you're not sure of the quality breadcrumbs that you have available substitute 2 tablespoon of all purpose flour for 2 tablespoon of breadcrumbs.
- If the dough seems too soft don’t rush to add more breadcrumbs. Let it rest at room temperature for 2 hours and it’s become more solid and easy to work with. Giving passatelli enough resting time will also prevent them from breaking when cooked.
- Can I make passatelli without resting the dough? You can. You are most likely to need to add more breadcrumbs with some more grated Parmesan cheese to get the right consistency of the dough. See note above. With that you’ll also end up having less “toothier” and softer passatelli.
- Use fine grind breadcrumbs and same for Parmesan cheese. If in doubt, sieve breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese before use. This will ensure compact and smooth dough and passatelli will not break during cooking.
- Knead the dough well. Nothing too special here, just make sure you knead it with your hands for a couple of minutes to make all the ingredients come together in a compact dough. This also prevent breakage. So does my last tip. And that’s resting time.
Make Ahead
You can make Passatelli dough the day before and keep it in the fridge.
Remove from the fridge an hour before you intended to use them. Well rested dough will even result in “smoothier”, less “chevron-ish”.
How To Store
You can freeze ready to use, passed through the press passatelli noodles or you can freeze passatelli dough and run it through the press when needed.
I’ve tried both versions and I can tell that the later version is easier and trouble free. First, you avoid extra breakage of pasta, and second passatelli are really REALLY fast to make once you have the dough,
And lastly, passatelli press or potato ricer that we use is SUPER easy to clean.
Win-Win-Win!
To use passatelli dough made in advance, simply remove it from the freezer the night before or at least a couple of hours before use (if it’s really warm in the house). Then divide the dough in 3-4 large pieces and press it through passatelli maker once the broth or water is boiling. See details in the recipe.
More Italian Soup Recipes To Try
- The Best Minestrone Soup Recipe - perfect for ALL seasons!
- Pastina Soup {Minestrina} - Italians often joke that pastina is an Italian “penicillin”.
- Thick Escarole & Bean Soup - Thick, hearty and super simple to make.
- Ditalini Soup With Chickpeas & Bacon - Creamy, decadent, warming and utterly delicious.
- Creamy Pumpkin Soup With Mushrooms & Chestnuts - This cream of pumpkin soup is SO GOOD that you can easily make it without any mushroom and/or chestnuts. What I also love to do is to mix up the topping depending on what's available. Sometimes toss in roasted pancetta, sometimes just mushrooms or nothing at all.
- Pappa Al Pomodoro {Tuscan Bread & Tomato Soup} - This Tuscan Bread & Tomato Soup is of a poor-man meal origin, but it’s one of the most luxurious comfort food you can make at home.
- Light & Creamy Tomato & Basil Soup - Don't forget lots of toasted bread for dipping 😋
Full Recipe
How To Make Passatelli - Step By Step
Ingredients
- 120 g plain breadcrumbs , approx 1 cup (see notes)
- 120 g grated Parmesan cheese , approx 1 ½ cup
- ½ lemon , zest only
- 3 egg
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- Pinch of salt
- 5 cups broth (to make Passatelli In Brodo)
Instructions
Passatelli Dough
- Sift breadcrumbs before use. This step is optional but highly recommended.Mound breadcrumbs on your work surface or in a large bowl.
- Add finely grated Parmesan cheese, eggs, lemon zest, nutmeg and salt.Beat eggs with a fork.
- Using your hands or a dough scraper mix all the ingredients together until you get a crumbly dough.
- Knead the dough well for a few minutes letting all the ingredients combine and stick together.If the dough is too soft, add more breadcrumbs. If the dough is too stiff add some broth.
- Wrap the dough in a plastic wrap and let rest for 2 hours.
Press Passatelli
- Divide the dough in 3 or 4 parts.
- Run each piece through a potato ricer using a disc with the largest openings.
- Use a dough scraper or a knife to cut passatelli into 2 inch (5cm) strings as thye come out off the press.
- As an alternative press the dough through a passatelli iron if you’re lucky to have one.
Cook Passatelli
- Drop passatelli directly in boiling broth (or water) right off the press and let cook until they all come up to the top.
- Or you can drop freshly made passatelli on a lightly floured surface and then carefully, using a dough scraper transfer them in a pot with boiling broth or water. Let cook until they rise to the surface.
- Serve passatelli immediately with broth they were cooked in.
- Add more Parmesan cheese and/or black pepper if desired.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Buon Appetito!
Bob Roscioli says
Making pasatelli tomorrow, my family has been making it for 100 years, we usea meat grinder to make them, I have my mom's 150 year old grinder
Barbara says
This is something my grandmother used to make. My son texted me about them as he wants to make them and now I am using this recipe to make some for the New Year. Will bring back many fond memories---thanks!
basketmaniac says
I must do it