Farfalle pasta is actually one of the oldest pasta shapes.
It originated during the 16th century in Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna, where it is also known as ‘strichetti’.
I have read that in Emilia-Romagna, strichetti is our modern-day version of farfalle.
Apparently, these were invented by housewives wanting to use up extra pasta dough leftover from making filled cappelletti pasta.
The woman in that region used up the remaining dough by making farfalle, which eventually was such a well-loved pasta dough they did extra on purpose!
Sunday is a traditional day for pasta in an Italian household.
We always make a wonderful homemade Traditional Sunday Sauce with this awesome pasta that is a tradition only during the holiday.
Mom and grandma always reserved homemade pasta during the holiday season.
Most of the time on Christmas Day we had Mom's Lasagna, and on Easter, it would be bow ties.
Ingredients You Will Need For This Recipe
Scroll to the recipe card below for exact measurements
- semolina flour
- flour
- eggs
- extra virgin olive oil
- water
- salt
Meats We Use in the Tomato Sauce
Braciole
Meatballs
Sausage Italian Style
Desserts We Love
Rainbow Cookies
Cassata
Pistachio Ricotta Cookies
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Tips When Making Homemade Pasta Dough
- Keep the unused dough covered so it won't dry out
- Never rinse the pasta after cooking
- Don't forget to salt the water
- These freeze perfectly on a cookie sheet on parchment paper then added to a freezer bag for later use.
- You will need a fluted edged pastry cutter to make the edging perfect
No Cutter? No Problem
Roll out into long strips of dough, get it as thin as you can but not see-through.
Cut the strips into 1 1/5 x 1-inch rectangles.
Pinch each rectangle in the middle to form “bow ties’.
Congratulations, you just made farfalle pasta without the fluted edges!!
Homemade Bow Tie Pasta
Yield: 2 pounds
Prep time: 25 MCook time: 10 MTotal time: 35 M
This is how to make homemade pasta in the shape of bow ties. The pasta is all hand made usually around the holidays in our Italian family.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups semolina flour
- 2 cups flour
- 6 eggs, well beaten
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions:
- If mixing by hand, mix 2 flours together and make a hill of flour on a clean board.
- Make a well in the center of the flour. Beat eggs in a large bowl and add in olive oil and salt. Pour egg mixture into the flour. With your hands, mix flours and liquids together and knead until you have a ball of dough.,
- I use my kitchen aid mixer and start with the flour first. Add cold water to moisten the dough, if too dry.
- The dough should be firm, not sticky.
- Add more semolina if it's sticky a little at a time.
- Make the dough into the shape of tennis ball size and wrap individually, this will be easier to roll out when ready.
- I find that smaller portions are easier to cut and manage.
- Cover with plastic wrap and allow pasta dough balls to rest 45 minutes to an hour.
- This will help the dough while stretching and rolling it out to make it easier.
- To roll: Use one ball of dough at a time.
- Keep others underneath a covered bowl wrapped until ready to roll.
- Roll out on a lightly floured surface, first in one direction, then in the other to form a rectangle.
- Slice into strips and cut into rectangles with a fluted edged pastry cutter for the rippled edges, then pinch the center.
- Place on a floured cookie sheet.
- Dry around an hour (on a floured cookie sheet).
- Boil in salted water until they float to the top, serve with your favorite Sunday Sauce.
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More Italian Recipes To Try:
15 Favorite Pasta Recipes
15 One Pan Meals
Disclosure: This recipe was originally shared in 2013. It was edited and re-published in 2020
