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I LOVE PASTA, AND I RECENTLY DECIDED TO MAKE SOME ON MY OWN. It's a task I've wanted to do for quite some time, and it turned out to be much easier than I thought! To accompany my fresh pasta, I made a homemade marinara sauce. It's simple, requires few ingredients, many of which you already have in your kitchen, and it adds to the authentic flavor that you get with your noodles. Enjoy the mouthwatering food from Italy in the comfort of your home!

INGREDIENTS PASTA:

• 4 large eggs (room temperature)

• 2 1/2 cups flour (“00” flour, semolina flour, all-purpose flour — or a blend)

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt

MARINARA SAUCE:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil (or butter)

• 1/3 cup finely-diced white onion

• 4 cloves garlic, pressed or finely-minced

• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

• 1 28-ounce can San Marzano whole tomatoes (with juices)

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

• 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

• 3 sprigs of fresh basil

DIRECTIONS PASTA:

Place the flour in a mound on a flat surface. Use your fingers or a spoon to create a well in the middle of the flour mound. Add the eggs in the center of the well. Sprinkle the salt and drizzle the olive oil on top of the eggs.

Use a fork to begin whisking the eggs until they are combined. Then begin to gradually whisk some of the surrounding flour into the egg mixture, adding more and more until the egg mixture is nice and thick. Use your hands to fold in the rest of the dough until it forms a loose ball. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic, sprinkling some extra flour if needed to prevent sticking or if they dough seems too wet or sticky.

Form the dough into a ball with your hands and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. Let the dough rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Roll out the pasta dough into your desired shape, either by hand or using a pasta maker. Cook the pasta in a large pot of generously-salted boiling water until it is al dente, usually between one to five minutes depending on the thickness of your pasta. Drain.

MARINARA SAUCE:

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté for five minutes, stirring occasionally, until combined. Add garlic and crushed red pepper flakes and sauté for one to two minutes, stirring frequently, until combined. Add the tomatoes, oregano, salt and black pepper and stir to combine. Use a wooden spoon or a potato masher to gently break up the tomatoes as the sauce continues to heat. Stir in the fresh basil sprigs.

Continue cooking the sauce until it reaches a simmer. Then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and continue to simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove the fresh basil sprigs. Taste and season the sauce with salt and pepper, as needed. Serve over pasta noodles and enjoy.