Homemade garganelli pasta
Garganelli is an easy to make, hand-formed tubular pasta shape made with a classic egg pasta dough. Follow my step-by-step guide below and learn how to make homemade garganelli pasta from scratch.
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What is garganelli pasta?
Garganelli is a type of egg-based pasta that hails from the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. They’re formed by rolling a flat square of pasta dough against a ridged wooden board, placing a small wooden dowel in the centre to create a tubular shape.
The name garganelli comes from the dialect work garganel, meaning chicken’s gullet – exactly what that beautiful ridged imprint on the pasta resembles. Typically these ridges are made with a tool called a pettine, however you can quite easily use a standard gnocchi board in place. Or you could make this shape without any tool at all and keep it smooth (a pasta shape known as scifulóti).
Ingredients you’ll need
- Flour – I use tipo 00 flour only and manage the structure through hydration rather than by introducing semolina rimacinata. This is purely preference, and some people like to add semolina to help with shape instead. However, I really like the texture of using only tipo 00 flour and instead managing hydration instead!
- Eggs – it’s best to use room temperature eggs, and a combination of whole eggs and egg yolks. I use my master pasta dough recipe as it’s rich in yolks and holds form well.
Equipment (and alternative options)
Garganelli is made by rolling a small square of pasta dough around a wooden dowel, typically over a board with a ridged surface called a pettine.
- Pettine – a traditional garganelli board featuring fine combs that impart a beautiful rigged pattern on the pasta dough. I bought mine from here in Australia, made by Marco Galavotti who goes by the pseudonym Al Marangoun.
- Wooden dowel – referred to as bastoncino in Italian. Typically sold alongside a pettine or gnocchi board, it’s a small wooden rod that is used to form the tubular shape of the pasta.
- Alternative option to a pettine – a traditional pettine is specialist equipment and a bit more of an investment piece, so a great alternative is to use a regular gnocchi board that can be found more widespread.
- Make scifulóti – the smooth version of garganelli pasta, the steps to make it are exactly the same, but you roll the pasta on a flat surface instead 🙂
How to make homemade garganelli pasta (step by step)
Place one square at a time diagonally on the pettine or gnocchi board so you have a corner at both north and south.
Place a small wooden dowel (or handle of a wooden spoon) horizontally across the dough.
Fold the bottom corner up and around the wooden dowel.
Continue to roll the dowel away from you so that the pasta overlaps.
When you have connected the pasta, you will have formed the tubular shape.
Gently slide the garganello off the dowel and set aside, either on a drying tray, a clean tea towel or a baking tray dusted with some fine semolina.
Top tips and FAQs for making the best homemade garganelli pasta
Do you need to let the shaped garganelli dry before cooking them?
Yes – it’s best to let them partially dry for 30-60 minutes in order to preserve their shape when cooking. If you cook them right away, the tube shape is more likely to collapse.
Why is it important to keep the pasta dough relatively thick for garganelli?
I like to keep the sheet thicker than you’d typically expect because when you roll the garganelli against the pettine, the pressure will flatten and thin out the pasta. I roll my pasta to setting 4 or 5 on my pasta machine.
How do you get perfect ridges on the pasta?
I like to position the dough so the centre just sits above the base of the board, this prevents the need to double roll to complete the shape, which keeps the pattern imprint very neat.
Storing and cooking garganelli pasta
Storing garganelli
If you want to make homemade garganelli pasta ahead of time but serve within 12 hours, the best way to store it in loosely covered with a clean tea towel in the fridge. But I think the easiest way to store this pasta is by freezing it.
Simply lay the pasta out in a single later on a baking tray and flash freeze for 30 minutes to harden. Then you can transfer the lot to a ziplock bag or airtight container and store for up to 3 months.
You can also dry this pasta and store in the pantry, however doing this in home kitchens can be more challenging and the pasta can become brittle and prone to breaking.
A note on drying pasta – drying pasta including egg dough will make it shelf stable, as it removes the moisture in the dough that bacteria, mould and yeast needs to grow. If you’d like to try this, you’ll need to ensure the pasta can properly dry all over, so using a mesh drying tray will certainly help. The pasta will need anywhere from 24-48 hours to dry completely, and then can be stored in an airtight container in the pantry for up to 3 months. Please note, if the pasta is not entirely dry and you store it in something airtight, it will develop mould!
It’s certainly fun to play around with drying pasta, but I would recommend freezing it instead for a much easier and stable process.
Cooking garganelli
You can cook this pasta right away, though I recommend allowing 30-60 minutes before cooking so the pasta can partially dry. This helps to retain the tubular shape, and gives the pasta a lovely al dente bite when cooked.
Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a rolling boil. I like to salt the water initially as it helps for the water to full absorb the salt, which imparts a better flavour on the pasta.
Drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook for 2-3 minutes until al dente or to your liking. I always recommend testing a piece as you go to ensure you don’t overcook the pasta.
Drain and add to your favourite sauce.
If you’re cooking the pasta from frozen, there’s no need to defrost. You can cook directly from frozen, just check the pasta as it cooks as it may need a little longer – easy!
Sauce pairings
Traditionally garganelli pasta is served with hearty ragus as their tubular shape is perfect for holding rich meat sauces. I love pairing this shape with my spicy sausage ragu, or this less traditional spinach and sausage sauce! Here are some other delicious sauce pairings for you to try:
- Pork ragu
- Ossobuco
- Short rib ragu
- Milk-braised pork ragu
- Sugo finto – for a meat-free option!
- Eggplant ragu – for a meat-free option!
Homemade garganelli pasta recipe
Equipment
- 1 pasta sheeting machine I use a Marcato Atlas 150
- 1 pettine or gnocchi board a pettine is a specialist wooden board traditionally used for garganelli, but you can also use a gnocchi board.
- 1 wooden dowel use to roll and form the tubular shape
Ingredients
- 1 batch of my master pasta dough
Instructions
- Divide the dough into four pieces. Work with one at a time – flatten the piece with your hand or a rolling pin before passing it through the thickest setting on your pasta machine. Fold the edges in to create a neat rectangle that fits the width of your pasta machine, and run it through the thickest setting again until your dough is uniform in shape.
- Continue passing your dough through the machine, working through until you get to setting 4 or 5 (on a Marcato machine) – we want the dough relatively thick for this so that the garganelli will keep its shape when rolled against the pettine.
- Cut the sheet of dough into either 3cm or 4cm squares with a straight wheel cutter or knife.
- Place one square at a time diagonally on the pettine or gnocchi board so you have a corner at both north and south.
- Place a small dowel (or the handle of a wooden spoon) horizontally across the middle of the piece of dough.
- Roll the bottom corner over the dowel to meet the other side, then continue rolling the pasta away from you to connect the top edge, forming a tube (with a ridge pattern on the exterior).
- Gently slide the garganelli off the dowel and set aside on a baking sheet lined with fine semolina.
