Easy Homemade Sourdough Cavatelli

My easy homemade sourdough cavatelli pasta is made by hand with fine semolina flour and sourdough discard (no egg). They’re soft, tender, and irresistibly chewy. Choose from a same-day or overnight fermentation option to deepen the flavor. This is a small batch recipe (feeds 2-4 people).

I’ve been making homemade sourdough pasta for over 5 years, and here’s what I know from consistent practice: producing large batches of small, hand-shaped pastas (like cavatelli, tortellini and pici to name a few) is an Olympian sport.

I realize my small batch solution isn’t novel. My intent is to emphasize its efficiency!

With just a small lump of dough, you’ll gain enough practice and repetition to master the cavatelli shaping technique without the overwhelm of large scale pasta production.

More importantly, scaling back will inspire you to make them again. This recipe feeds 2-4, depending how hungry you are (they’re filling). The addition of sourdough starter in my opinion tenderizes the dough.

And to feed a crowd? I’ve been testing this cavatelli maker from Italy with my youngest son. We made 2 lbs. of soft, irresistibly chewy sourdough cavatelli in under 10 minutes. Tossed with my famous Ragù Bolognese sauce it was very, very good.

How To Make Sourdough Cavatelli, Step-By-Step Recipe

Step 1: Make The Dough

To Start: Add fine semolina flour to a wide shallow bowl. Make a well in the center (I use the bottom of a small bowl and move it around in a circular motion). Add warm water and sourdough starter. By the way, traditional Italian semolina pasta dough is naturally egg-free, so that’s how we’re rolling here.

Start mixing. The texture will look like creamy at first, and then turn crumbly like wet sand. You’ll then smush this “sand” together to form a rough dough. It will feel oddly stiff and gritty at first (nothing’s wrong, you’re doing it right). But don’t compare it to my regular sourdough pasta made with Italian 00 flour and eggs. It won’t feel the same.

Now, cover and rest the dough for up to 10 minutes while you clean up. Most recipes skip this brief resting step, yet I’ve found that it’s the secret to making stiff dough easier to knead by hand! Why? The flour needs time to absorb the water. This makes the texture softer and easier to work with. Just look at how the dough transforms once you begin to knead it…

Knead the Pasta Dough

Do this by hand until it goes from gritty, to soft and chalky on the surface. That’s when you’ll know it’s done. About 2-4 minutes or so? I do this by feel.

Then flatten into a plump disc, cover with plastic wrap and rest for 1 hour for same-day sourdough cavatelli (or chill overnight in the fridge to ferment). I use this time to make a nice pasta sauce or defrost one from the freezer. The dough is done.

Step 2: Roll & Cut The Dough

The process is just like making gnocchi.

Cut off a finger-width strip of dough. Roll into a long rope (e.g. thicker than a pencil, but slightly thinner than a Sharpie). Size matters! In the past, I made my ropes way too thick which produced extremely doughy cavatelli when cooked. I didn’t take water absorption into account. On the flip side, too thin, and the cavatelli will tear when rolled down the gnocchi board.

To finish, cut across into 3/4-inch pieces.

Step 3: Shape The Cavatelli

Grab a gnocchi board. Position one cavatello at the top near the handle. Press down while pushing it forward, allowing the cavatello to roll over itself. Be firm when pressing. You want to create a little dip in the center to catch the sauce.

A few shaping nuances: when I rolled from the center downwards, my cavatelli came out squat and fat like caterpillars. When I rolled from the top corner down, I got a football shape instead with slightly pointed tips. Do it however you want. Those of you with eagle eye vision will spot the difference in the photo below (hint: bottom right corner, the two cavatelli side-by-side). I recommend watching my shaping video at the top of this post for guidance.

To Cook & Serve

When cooking sourdough cavatelli, plan on 3-6 minutes in boiling salted water. I always recommend doing a test batch first to check for doneness- 1 or 2 at a time. Yours might be thicker than mine. The final texture should be soft and tender, but notably chewy. Strain with a slotted spoon and transfer directly into a simmering pasta sauce of your choice.

PS: If you don’t want to cook them right away, cover and store your sourdough cavatelli at room temperature for ~1 or chill for 6-8 hours to overnight. I usually make mine in the morning, chill, and then cook for dinner. I use this high-sided sheet pan with lid which is also perfect for storing my sourdough bagels and focaccia too.

Food Styling & Photography: Saltwater Studio