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    Home » Pasta Recipes

    How to Make Homemade Passatelli

    Published: Jan 16, 2021 · Modified: Nov 26, 2024 by Silvana Nava · This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe

    Passatelli recipe is a traditional Italian dish made with stale bread (for bread crumbs), Parmigiano Reggiano, eggs and lemon zest.

    They have a wrinkled appearance and a cylindrical shape, of about 8 cm in length (about 3 inch) and 5 mm in diameter (about 0,20 inch).

    Passatelli recipe is from Emilia Romagna region and Marche region, in particular the province of Pesaro.

    passatelli recipe

    Once they served passatelli only in chicken broth, but nowadays you can use even beef or vegetable stock. In the area of ​​Pesaro and Riviera Romagnola fish broth with passatelli is a very popular dish. In fact, passatelli in brodo, along with tortellini in brodo, is one of the most famous and classic soup recipe in Italy.

    However you can use this homemade pasta even as a dry pasta seasoned with the sauce you like. In Italian they are called passatelli asciutti and you can season them with pasta sauce, clam or shrimp sauce, cream cheese and vegetables. Very famous in the Marche region is Passatelli with white truffle from Acqualagna. Try also Passatelli with Ragù Bianco Recipe (White Bolognese Sauce)

    Passatelli dough is enriched with nutmeg and grated lemon zest, to give a delicious and unique flavor. Like all popular and traditional Italian recipes, each family has its own recipe, with small variations.

    Passatelli Marchigiani, Emiliani or Romagnoli are not very different: some use lemon zest or nutmeg, others use both. However, the authentic Italian passatelli recipe doesn't want the addition of flour and milk.

    passatelli ingredients

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • Kitchen Tools and Equipment
    • Instructions
    • Storage
    • Tips
    • Curiosities
    • Recipe Card


    Ingredients

    Prep Time: 15 Min | Resting Time: 1 Hour | Cook Time: 10 Min | Servings: 4

    • 4 medium eggs
    • 200 g (1 ⅓ cups) of breadcrumbs
    • 200 g (2 cups) of grated Parmigiano Reggiano
    • freshly grated nutmeg to taste
    • 1 lemon zest
    • ¼ teaspoon of salt
    • freshly ground black pepper

    Kitchen Tools and Equipment

    A necessary and indispensable tool for making passatelli is the potato masher. Using this kitchen tool with large holes, you get perfect passatelli pasta.

    In Italy there is a special tool for making passatelli called "fer". It is a passatelli press that is held with two hands, pressed on the dough until the passatelli come out of the holes.

    You can see it in some of our photos. It is a kitchen tool that you can find only in Italy. So if you decide to go on a trip and come for a vacation in Italy, don't miss the opportunity to buy it as a souvenir!

    Another very useful kitchen tool to make this recipe is the grater for the lemon zest and nutmeg, the two fundamental ingredients that give passatelli their unmistakable flavor. Check this set out: lemon zester and cheese/nutmeg grater.

    Instructions

    passatelli recipe step 1

    Step 1) - In a bowl mix and combine all the ingredients for passatelli. First the breadcrumbs, the parmigiano cheese and the eggs. Then add the lemon zest, plenty of nutmeg, a pinch of fine salt and a little freshly ground black pepper.

    passatelli recipe step 2

    Step 2) - Mix the ingredients with your hands and work the mixture until you get an elastic and compact dough. Now give the dough the shape of a ball.

    passatelli recipe step 3

    Step 3) - Wrap the dough in cling film and let it rest for at least 1 hour at room temperature. This will make the mixture more compact and prevent passatelli from breaking and crumbling during cooking. Then cut a piece of dough the size of a tennis ball.

    passatelli recipe step 4

    Step 4) - Place the dough in a potato masher with large holes. Press the dough and pass it through the holes to form passatelli. Cut them about 8 cm (3 inch) long with a knife and place them on a lightly floured tray.

    In Italy, especially in the Marche region, there is a kitchen tool that was created with the aim of making passatelli. It is, to all intents and purposes, a passatelli masher: you have to hold it firmly with two hands, place it on the dough and press to form the passatelli. It's called "fer".

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    passatelli recipe

    Passatelli in Brodo

    Make a tasty meat broth or vegetable broth, depending on your preferences. Bring it to a boil.

    Then press the dough in the potato masher and cut and drop passatelli directly into the boiling stock. Or, if you prefer, add them with your hands once they're ready.

    Enjoy passatelli in brodo very hot with the addition of grated parmigiano cheese.

    passatelli in brodo

    Passatelli Pasta Seasoned to Taste (Passatelli Asciutti)

    If you want to make passatelli recipe and eat them seasoned with a sauce you like, follow these few steps.

    Make passatelli and let them rest for a few minutes on the floured tray.

    Then boil them a few at a time in plenty of salted water. Passatelli have a very fast cooking time in fact they are ready as soon as they come to the surface (as for the potato gnocchi recipe).

    So drain passatelli with a slotted spoon as they rise to the surface and place them in a serving dish with the dressing of your choice.

    In central Italy, in the areas overlooking the Adriatic Sea, it is very common to season Passatelli with Fish Ragu.

    passatelli pasta

    Storage

    Passatelli dough can be stored in the refrigerator for 1-2 days. You can also freeze them: put them in a tray sprinkled with a little flour, in a single layer, so that they do not stick together and place in the freezer.

    After a few hours you can store them frozen, placing them in freezer bags. They will keep for 3 months.

    Tips

    Making Passatelli is very easy. The only problem you may have, is that passatelli could break during cooking. Read step 3 for not to make this happen. But the most important tip when it comes to making this type of pasta is to use the right ingredients.

    So do not use seasoned bread but plain white bread. If you use breadcrumbs that contain oil or any other fat, you risk that your passatelli will crumble once you have put them in boiling water/broth. The bread must be stale and/or very dry.

    Both the bread and the parmigiano cheese must be very finely grated.

    Parmigiano cheese must be aged for 24/36 months.

    If you are unsure of the quality of your breadcrumbs, add one tablespoons of flour to the dough. Even if this ingredient is not included in the traditional and authentic recipe, this trick can help.

    Another tip is to not mix passatelli during cooking. If you must, do it very gently and with extreme care so as not to risk crushing them.

    Curiosities

    Many recipes of Italian cuisine come from the popular tradition of peasant cooking; poor in ingredients but rich in flavor. Passatelli recipe is the emblem of this tradition.

    For some of these recipes, such as Tuscan Pappa al Pomodoro or Lombard Bread Cake, the main ingredient is stale bread, that becomes the protagonist of these delicious dishes. In the past, peasant families in poverty had to think about the nutritional needs of their families. In the absence of other richer foods, they had to live with what they had available, namely stale bread, some eggs and seasoned cheese.

    Passatelli are so called in Italian because the dough is actually pressed with a kitchen tool with large holes and the dough "passes" through the holes, forming small cylinders. So in the end, the name passatelli comes from the Italian verb passare (eng: to pass, go through).

    Passatelli are also mentioned by Artusi in his famous book Science in the kitchen. Artusi says that passatelli probably derive from the recipe for "tardura or stracciatella", an egg and cheese soup that in the past was cooked for the new mothers to regain strength after the childbirth.

    In fact, even if it's a simple dish, Passatelli are very nutritious. If served with a good meat broth, as Italian tradition dictates, they are a perfect confort food for cold winter evenings.

    Recipe Card

    STEP BY STEP PHOTOS ABOVE!Have a look at my step-by-step photo instructions, variations and tips. That way, you can get it perfect the first time you try it!
    passatelli

    How to Make Homemade Passatelli Recipe

    Silvana Nava
    Passatelli recipe is a traditional Italian dish made with stale bread (for bread crumbs), Parmigiano Reggiano, eggs and lemon zest.
    They have a wrinkled appearance and a cylindrical shape, of about 8 cm in length (about 3 inch) and 5 mm in diameter (about 0.2 inch).
    Passatelli recipe is from Emilia Romagna region and Marche region, in particular the province of Pesaro.
    5 from 7 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Saved!
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    Prep Time 15 minutes mins
    Cook Time 10 minutes mins
    Resting Time 1 hour hr
    Total Time 1 hour hr 25 minutes mins
    Course pasta, Soup
    Cuisine Italian
    Servings 4
    Calories 457 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 4 eggs - medium
    • 200 g breadcrumbs - 1 ⅓ cups
    • 200 g Parmigiano Reggiano - 2 cups, grated
    • nutmeg - to taste
    • 1 lemon zest
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • black pepper - to taste

    Instructions
     

    • In a bowl mix and combine all the ingredients for passatelli. First the breadcrumbs, the parmigiano cheese and the eggs. Then add the lemon zest, plenty of nutmeg, a pinch of fine salt and a little freshly ground black pepper.
    • Mix the ingredients with your hands and work the mixture until you get an elastic and compact dough. Now give the dough the shape of a ball.
    • Wrap the dough in cling film and let it rest for at least 1 hour at room temperature. This will make the mixture more compact and prevent passatelli from breaking and crumbling during cooking. Then cut a piece of dough the size of a tennis ball.
    • Place the dough in a potato masher with large holes. Press the dough and pass it through the holes to form passatelli. Cut them about 8 cm (3 inch) long with a knife and place them on a lightly floured tray.
    • Make a tasty meat broth or vegetable broth, depending on your preferences. Bring it to a boil.
    • Then press the dough in the potato masher and cut and drop passatelli directly into the boiling stock. Or, if you prefer, add them with your hands once they're ready.
    • Enjoy passatelli in brodo very hot with the addition of grated parmigiano cheese.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 100gCalories: 457kcalCarbohydrates: 38gProtein: 30gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0.02gCholesterol: 198mgSodium: 1375mgPotassium: 207mgFiber: 2gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 629IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 710mgIron: 4mg
    Keyword passatelli in broth, passatelli recipe
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    Comments

    1. Mark Montesi says

      December 24, 2024 at 6:47 pm

      5 stars
      I use it with the cutting blade and it comes out great.
      I have my grandmothers original press, but its like 100 years old and I dont want to break it. I keep it as a momento.
      Both of my grandparents were from the Marches and this recipe is 100%

      Reply
    2. Maryellen king says

      November 11, 2024 at 5:38 pm

      5 stars
      I use stale ciabatta bread for bread crumbs

      Reply
    3. Jackie says

      October 23, 2023 at 6:12 pm

      5 stars
      I’m wondering if these could be made using a Kitchen Aide Mixer with a meat grinder attachment. Leave out the cutting blade and use the largest extruding holes disk. I must try it.

      Reply
      • SR says

        December 08, 2023 at 1:55 am

        5 stars
        Good idea. I’m going to try that too, thank you

        Reply
      • Sandra says

        March 02, 2024 at 6:07 pm

        5 stars
        I use an old hand cranked meat grinder to shape the pasatelli.

        Reply
        • Silvana Nava says

          March 04, 2024 at 1:29 pm

          Hi Sandra,
          this is a great idea!

          Reply
    4. Nicholas J Ketcha Jr says

      June 17, 2023 at 3:05 pm

      5 stars
      I rent my mother making these, thanks for the recipe

      Reply
    5. alicia maria giovanna tognacci says

      March 07, 2022 at 1:58 pm

      5 stars
      we use nona's old cast iron hand crank and make about 30 pounds at a wack, family affair, once a year...they freeze well in ziplocks.....we call it cholesterol soup now...

      Reply
    5 from 7 votes

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    Barbara & Silvana

    CIAO! Barbara & Silvana here! We are the authors of these amazing Italian recipes. Living in Italy, they are part of our culture, tradition and everyday life. And we want to share them with you all, straight from Italy! Learn more about us! Read our story!

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