The Best Sourdough Discard Pasta Recipe (Easy & Fast)

There is nothing better than fresh, homemade sourdough discard pasta.

It is so much better than storebought boxed noodles, it’s almost sinful. If you haven’t tried it, please just give it a go once so you can experience the magic!

My kids are obsessed, and frankly, my husband and I are, too. Homemade pasta might sound daunting, but I assure you that once you do it, you’ll realize just how simple and fast the process really is.

Why You’ll Love This Sourdough Discard Pasta

• Because who doesn’t love fresh pasta? There’s something about the homemade touch that makes each bite so much better than anything you can get from a box. The texture difference is insane.
• Use up your discard: This is the perfect way to put leftover starter to good use! Instead of tossing it out, you can turn it into fresh pasta.
• Quick & Easy: With just three ingredients and minimal hands-on time, this pasta comes together faster than you’d think. The step that takes the longest is waiting for that water to boil!
• Easier to Digest: Letting the dough rest overnight allows the sourdough microbes to break down gluten, making the pasta gentler on your gut and more flavorful.
• Versatile: I made fettuccine this time, but you can use this dough recipe to make all kinds of pasta—linguini, tagliatelle, pappardelle, lasagna, ravioli, whatever you like! And with all the different sauces you can pair it with, the possibilities are endless. Don’t sleep on lasagna made with homemade sourdough pasta sheets!!
• Impressive at a dinner party: Nothing says “I put some love into this meal” like homemade pasta. It’s the kind of dish that will impress your family or guests, but they’ll never know how simple it is to make.

Ingredients:

• Sourdough discard: Try to use recently discarded starter for this recipe. My general rule is to use discard that’s around 10 days old or less. The fresher it is, the better flavor it’ll have. If it’s too old, it might mess with the taste of your pasta.
• Eggs: Use large, whole eggs. Eggs add flavor and hydration to the dough and give the pasta that beautiful golden color.
• Flour: The best flour I’ve ever used for pasta is Caputo Semola Di Grano Duro Rimacinata Semolina Flour. It’s the yellow bag – it does make a difference. But I’ve also made this pasta with bread flour, and that was great, too.

Equipment you’ll need: 

• Plastic wrap: Pasta dough dries out quickly so you want to make sure you keep it covered at all times when you’re not actively using it.
• Mixing bowl/Stand mixer: You can either mix your dough in a mixing bowl and then with your hands, or a stand mixer with the dough hook.
• Bench scraper: This makes it easy to portion out your dough, but if you can’t find yours, a large knife would work, too. 
• Pasta maker: This makes making pasta easy and enjoyable. I have the Pasta Maker attachment for my KitchenAid stand mixer but they also have manual crank ones that sit right on your countertop. You could also roll out your pasta with a rolling pin and cut it by hand if you don’t have a pasta maker, but having one definitely speeds things up and gives you a perfectly even thickness. 

How to Make Sourdough Discard Pasta (Step by Step)

Step 1: Prep the Dough

You can make this pasta dough by hand or with a stand mixer. I’ll take you through both options.

To mix by hand, combine sourdough discard with the eggs in a large mixing bowl. Then, gradually add in the flour until it starts coming together as a dough. 

Dump your dough onto a floured surface and mix and knead until your arms are about to fall off (or about 10 minutes).

If the dough feels too dry, add a splash of water, but don’t go overboard. You want it to come together without being sticky.

If you’re not feeling the arm workout, you can mix the dough in a stand mixer with the dough hook. Let it mix the dough until it comes together and starts looking fairly smooth.

Your stand mixer will probably put up a fight since this is a very stiff dough. If it starts struggling, take out the dough and finish by hand.

For me, the dough was mixed in the stand mixer for about 5 minutes. I then finished the kneading by hand for about 1-2 minutes.

The goal is a soft, smooth dough, so whether you use your hands or a mixer, make sure it’s not too sticky. If it gets sticky, add more flour.

Step 2: Let the Dough Rest 

Once you’ve got your dough nice and kneaded, form it into a ball and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. 

You have two options for the fermentation:

1. Let it rest at room temperature on the counter for at least 30 minutes
2. Let it rest in the fridge overnight

The longer you let it rest, the more time the microbes in the sourdough discard will have to pre-digest the gluten, which means the pasta will be easier to digest.

So if you can, leave it overnight. I’ve done it both ways depending on our schedule, and both are delicious.

It will puff up a bit overnight, but the plastic wrap will keep the rise contained. The fresher and more active your discard is, the more it will expand during the rest. 

Mine was pretty active because when I took it out of the fridge in the morning, the dough was almost bulging out of the plastic.

Step 3: Divide the Dough

Unwrap the ball of dough and set it on your floured counter. Take a bench scraper and cut the dough into 8 even pieces (kind of like slicing a pizza). 

Once divided, grab one of those pieces and cover the remaining seven with plastic wrap so they don’t dry out while you work on the first piece. 

Sprinkle a little flour on the dough and flatten it slightly with your hand so it’s ready to go through the pasta maker.

Step 4: Roll Into Sheets

Now for the fun part! 

Note: I used the Pasta Maker attachment for the KitchenAid stand mixer for this part, so if you have a different pasta maker, this process might be slightly different. You can also do this by hand, which I will show you.

Attach the pasta roller to the front of your stand mixer and set it to the lowest number (which is the widest setting). Turn your stand mixer on low and send the dough through the roller, catching your flat sheet of pasta through the bottom. 

Keep feeding it through a few times, increasing the setting each time so the sheets get thinner and thinner.

Tip: Make sure your sheet of pasta dough is well-floured. If it starts to get sticky, it can get stuck in the roller, creating somewhat of a mess. You then have to start over at the widest setting again (ask me how I know this).

Keep going until it’s the thickness you want your pasta to be (keep in mind it will expand slightly when you boil it). I usually go to number 7 on the KitchenAid roller.

When you’re doing this by hand, just use a rolling pin to roll the sheet out. You want it to be thin enough that you can see your hand through it when held up to the light.

Step 5: Cut the Pasta

Swap out the pasta roller for the cutter attachment and feed the pasta sheet through to cut it. Make sure the sheets of dough are well-floured so they don’t get caught or stuck.

As the noodles come out, catch them carefully and lightly dust them with flour as you swirl them down onto the counter so they don’t stick together. You want them to stay separated and ready for the pot!

When doing this by hand, roll up your pasta sheet and cut strips in the thickness you prefer.

Step 5: Cook Your Noodles & Enjoy!

Bring a big pot of salted water to a boil, drop your fresh noodles in, and cook them for about 2 minutes. 

Fresh sourdough discard pasta cooks super fast, so don’t walk away.

Pull your noodles out of the pot with tongs, top with your favorite sauce, and dig in!

How to Store Fresh, Homemade Pasta

Fresh pasta is best if you cook it right away, but if you want to save it for later, you’ve got a few options: refrigerate it, dry it, or freeze it—either as dough or already-cut noodles.

Refrigerating Fresh Pasta

If you’re not boiling your pasta right away, you’ll want to keep it in the fridge until you’re ready. 

But before you do that, toss the noodles with a little flour to keep them from sticking. Then, hang them on a pasta drying rack or spread them out in a single layer on a baking sheet. Let them dry for about 30 minutes, then stick them in the fridge. 

They’ll stay fresh for up to a day, but after that, the moisture can mess with the texture or cause bacteria to grow.

Drying Fresh Pasta

If you want to store your pasta even longer, you can dry it and keep it for 2-6 months.

Again, toss the noodles with a little flour so they don’t stick together, then either hang them on a drying rack or spread them out in a single layer on a baking sheet.

Let them air dry completely for about 24 hours, or until they snap when you try to bend them. 

Store them in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.

Freezing Cut Pasta

To freeze already-cut pasta, toss the noodles with a little flour so they don’t stick, and semi-dry them for about 30 minutes. You can either dry them in a single layer on your drying rack or baking sheet, or you can swirl them into little pasta nests for easy single-serving portions later. 

Then store them in a freezer bag with the air removed.

When it’s time to cook, no need to thaw—just drop the frozen pasta straight into a pot of salted boiling water and cook as usual.

Freezing Pasta Dough

If you want to freeze the dough itself, just roll it into a ball, slightly flatten with your hand, and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. It’ll stay fresh for up to a month. 

When you’re ready to use it, thaw it overnight in the fridge before rolling it out and cutting it.

Sourdough Discard Pasta FAQs 

Do I need a pasta maker to make pasta?

You don’t need a pasta maker to make pasta, but it makes things easier. If you don’t have one, you can roll the dough out with a rolling pin and cut it into strips with a knife or pizza cutter.

Can you make other types of pasta with this dough?

I made fettuccine, but this pasta dough works for all kinds of pasta like homemade pappardelle, ravioli, or even lasagna sheets.

What type of flour should I use?

My favorite pasta flour of all time is the Caputo Semola Di Grano Duro Rimacinata Semolina Flour. You can also use 00 flour, bread flour, all-purpose flour, or whole wheat flour—just know that each one will give your pasta a slightly different texture. They also absorb different amounts of liquid, so you may have to add a splash of water with whole wheat or bread flour, whereas you probably won’t need to with the Caputo flour or 00 flour.

Do you have to boil fresh pasta immediately? 

Fresh pasta is best cooked right away, but if you’re not going to boil it right away, you can dust it with flour, set it out to dry for 30 minutes, and store it in the fridge for up to a day. If you plan to store it for longer or want to freeze the dough, follow the storing tips above.

Does the pasta taste tangy like sourdough bread?

Not really. The sourdough discard adds depth to the flavor, but it’s not sour like sourdough bread. The biggest benefit of adding sourdough to this recipe is that it makes the pasta easier to digest if you let it rest in the fridge overnight. It’s also a handy way to reduce food waste if you want to use up excess discard without tossing it.

Other staple sourdough discard recipes in our house:

• Fast & Easy Sourdough Discard Waffles
• Everything Bagel Sourdough Discard Crackers (3 Ingredients)
• Soft, Pliable Sourdough Tortillas Recipe (Discard)

Conclusion

Homemade sourdough discard pasta is so much better than store-bought pasta. It’s kind of like sourdough bread – once you try it, it’s hard to go back!

Whether you tried the quick version or let it ferment overnight, I’d love to hear how it turned out.

Drop a comment below and let me know! And if you share your pasta-making adventure on Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @thatsourdoughgal. I can’t wait to see your creations!