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Cavatelli pasta on baking paper after shaping

Cavatelli pasta

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 4 minutes
Total Time: 34 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Author: Nico Pallotta

  • 2⅓ cup (400 grams) durum wheat semolina flour
  • 1 cup (240 grams) warm water
  • 1 pinch salt

MAKE THE DOUGH

  • Add 2⅓ cup durum wheat semolina flour, 1 pinch salt, and 1 cup warm water to a large mixing bowl and mix with a fork until all the water is absorbed.
    semolina flour and water mixed in a bowl with a fork
  • Transfer to a clean worktop and knead by hand for 5 to 10 minutes.
    Hands kneading a semolina dough on marble surface
  • The dough should be smooth on the surface, soft, and not sticky.
    Two hands shaping a semolina dough for pasta

SHAPE THE CAVATELLI

  • Cut the dough into four equal pieces.
    Start working with one piece and cover the other three pieces with a clean kitchen cloth to prevent them from drying out.
    Roll the dough into a long and thin snake-like shape.
    Hands rolling a rope of pasta dough on marble
  • Cut the dough into small pillow-shaped pieces.
    Sprinkle with semolina flour to prevent the pieces from sticking to each other.
    Hands cutting pasta dough into small pieces
  • With your index and middle finger, apply pressure while rolling down each piece of pasta.
    hands shaping cavatelli pasta on a worktop
  • Here’s a slow motion of the process.
    How to shape cavatelli
  • The classic shape of cavatelli is that of small pasta shells with a hollow center.
    Cavatelli pasta after shaping

COOK AND SERVE

  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt, wait for the water to boil again, then gently add the cavatelli and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until al dente, with a slight bite.
    Drain and toss with your favorite sauce. Here we use our homemade pesto.
    Cavatelli pasta with basil pesto on a white plate
Nutrition information is an estimate for 1 serving of homemade cavatelli out of 4 without sauce.
STORAGE & MAKE AHEAD
Make ahead: Fresh pasta like cavatelli is excellent to make ahead because you can freeze it for months.
Refrigerator: Transfer the cavatelli to a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Arrange them on a single layer without overlapping. Cover with a clean kitchen cloth and store in the fridge for up to 36 hours.
Freezer: Transfer the cavatelli to a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Make sure the tray fits in your freezer. Arrange the cavatelli on a single layer, then freeze for 2 hours.
To save space in the freezer, you can transfer the frozen cavatelli to a freezer-friendly bag and put it back in for 3 months.
Thaw: There’s no need to defrost the pasta. You can cook frozen cavatelli in salted boiling water from frozen.
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