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Learn how to make homemade cavatelli pasta. This recipe only uses two simple ingredients: Semolina flour and water. No pasta machine or other fancy equipment needed. This short, hand-rolled pasta shape looks like little shells and is typically found in the southern regions of Italy. They are very similar to malloreddus pasta but usually without the ridges. Cavatelli pasta is often served with a simple broccoli sauce or hearty ragùs.

Flatlay of homemade cavatelli pasta and a cup of flour.

Ingredients and Tools You’ll Need

Semolina flour – finely milled durum wheat flour. It’s high in gluten and ideal for making pasta. It’s labelled “semola rimacinata di grano duro” in Italy.
Water – warm water works best, as it softens the dough and facilitates kneading.
Digital kitchen scale – for best results, always weigh your ingredients. It’s more accurate than measuring by volume.
Fork – to mix the ingredients.
Bench scraper or blunt knife – to shape the cavatelli pasta.
Cling film – to wrap the dough and prevent it from drying out.
Wooden pasta board – optional but recommended to prepare the semolina pasta dough.
Baking tray – to store the pasta until ready to cook.

Flatlay of homemade cavatelli pasta on a copper backdrop.

Step 1

Prepare one batch of vegan pasta dough: Tip the semolina flour on a work surface and use a little bowl to create a well in the center. Pour the warm water into the well and use a fork to mix the flour and water. Start from the center and incorporate more and more flour from the edges until it forms a thick paste. Then use your bench scraper to incorporate the rest of the flour and bring everything together into a shaggy dough. Knead the dough for at least 10 minutes until firm and smooth. Wrap it in cling film and let it rest for at least 30 minutes at room temperature.

Step 2

Cut off one quarter of the dough and keep the rest well wrapped in cling film. On a pasta board, with both hands flat on the surface, roll the dough out into a long strand. Do this by rolling it in a back-and-forth motion, starting from the center and working your way outwards, until it’s about the width of your index finger. Cut the strand into small pieces (about 1 cm wide). Important: Do not flour your work surface when rolling out the strands, or the dough will just slide around. If you need more traction to roll out the dough, you can very lightly dampen your pasta board.

Step 3

To shape the cavatelli, use a bench scraper, push down and drag it across the dough squares until they curl over the bench scraper and form a hollow cylindrical shape. Use just enough pressure to create that hollow shape, but not too much, or you’ll smash them. Please refer to the video below, to see the whole process.

Step 4

Place the cavatelli on a semolina dusted baking tray and arrange them in a single layer. They shouldn’t touch, or they might stick and clump together. Repeat with the remaining dough. You can leave the pasta out at room temperature for a couple of hours until ready to cook.

Step 5

Cook the cavatelli in salted boiling water for about 2-3 minutes and pair them with your favorite sauce.

Cavatelli pasta on a red copper backdrop.

Tips & Tricks

When you shape the cavatelli, cut the dough pieces quite small (no longer than 1 cm). Make sure to create that hollow shape. This ensures that they cook evenly and don’t end up being too dense.
Homemade cavatelli pasta freezes well. If you want to store them for later use, you can freeze them on a tray, arranged in a single layer. Once frozen, you can transfer them to a freezer bag or storage container to save space. You can cook them directly from frozen, but they might need 1- 2 minutes longer to cook.

Common Questions About Cavatelli Pasta

Cavatelli are a very versatile pasta shape and pair nicely with most sauces. They are often served with a simple broccoli sauce, other seasonal vegetables or a hearty ragù.

Yes, cavatelli are usually made with an eggless, vegan pasta dough.

You can leave them out at room temperature for a few hours before cooking or refrigerate them on a tray, covered with plastic wrap, for up to a day. For longer storage, I recommend freezing them.

Cavatelli and malloreddus are very similiar and both names are often used interchangeably. Malloreddus have a ridged surface, and cavatelli are most commonly smooth.

It’s highly recommended to use semolina flour for this pasta shape, however, if you can’t find it, you could use “Tipo 00” flour. But be aware that regular flour yields a softer texture and will have less “bite” to it.

More Pasta Recipes You May Like:

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Homemade cavatelli pasta on a copper backdrop with a small cup of flour next to them.

How to Make Homemade Cavatelli Pasta

published by: Julia

Learn how to make homemade cavatelli pasta. This recipe only uses two simple ingredients: Semolina flour and water. No pasta machine or other fancy equipment needed.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep 45

Rest Time 30

Total 1 15

Course Pasta

Cuisine Italian, Mediterranean

Servings people

Calories 360 kcal

Equipment

Digital kitchen scale – for best results, always weigh your ingredients. It’s more accurate than measuring by volume.
fork – to mix the ingredients
Bench scraper or blunt knife – to shape the cavatelli pasta
Cling film – to wrap the dough and prevent it from drying out
Wooden pasta board – optional but recommended to prepare the semolina pasta dough
Baking tray – to store the pasta until ready to cook

Ingredients

400 g Semolina flour – finely milled hard durum wheat flour, labelled "semola rimacinata di grano duro".
200 g Water – warm

Instructions

Prepare one batch of vegan pasta dough: Tip the semolina flour on a work surface and use a little bowl to create a well in the center. Pour the warm water into the well and use a fork to mix the flour and water. Start from the center and incorporate more and more flour from the edges until it forms a thick paste. Then use your bench scraper to incorporate the rest of the flour and bring everything together into a shaggy dough. Knead the dough for at least 10 minutes. Wrap it in cling film and let it rest for at least 30 minutes at room temperature.
Cut off one quarter of the dough and keep the rest well wrapped in cling film. On a pasta board, with both hands flat on the surface, roll the dough out into a long strand until it’s about the width of your index finger. Cut the strand into small pieces (about 1 cm wide). Important: Do not flour your work surface when rolling out the strands, or the dough will just slide around.
To shape the cavatelli, use a bench scraper, push down and drag it across the dough pieces until they curl over the bench scraper and form a hollow cylindrical shape. Use just enough pressure to create that hollow shape but not too much, or you’ll smash them. Please refer to the video below to see the shaping technique.
Place the cavatelli on a semolina dusted baking tray and arrange them in a single layer. They shouldn’t touch, or they might stick and clump together. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Cook the cavatelli in salted boiling water for about 2-3 minutes and pair them with your favorite sauce.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 360kcalCarbohydrates: 73gProtein: 13gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0.1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.1gSodium: 4mgPotassium: 186mgFiber: 4gCalcium: 19mgIron: 4mg

Keywords Beginner-friendly, Cavatelli pasta, Easy, egg-free pasta, eggless pasta dough, equipment free, hand-rolled pasta, hand-shaped pasta, homemade pasta, pasta di semola, semolina pasta, Vegan Pasta

How to Make Homemade Cavatelli Pasta