“*This is something that takes a bit of time but I always find that there is great gratification in making my own pasta.*”—[Chef Thomas Keller](https://www.masterclass.com/classes/thomas-keller-teaches-cooking-techniques)


Chef Thomas Keller’s Cavatelli Recipe: How to Make Homemade Cavatelli Pasta Dough

Cavatelli is a small, curled pasta from Southern Italy made using a small, ridged, wooden board—called a gnocchi board—and a butter knife. The ridges help capture the sauce. 

Traditional cavatelli is made with durum wheat semolina flour, water, and salt. Though cavatelli makers and equipment are more common now, the dough is usually shaped by pressing three middle fingers into the dough and flicking it towards you to create a curl. Some regions, like Calabria, use only the index finger for a shorter pasta. 

The texture of fresh cavatelli is perhaps the Platonic chew of good fresh pasta: a gentle give and soft pull. For Italians, it’s a sensation worth devoting years of practice in order to get.
The partially hollowed out shape of cavatelli means that it holds on to pockets of sauce like nobody’s business, but it also means it can act as a standalone ingredient in a sauceless dish. Most regional presentations take their cues from local, seasonal produce and specialties.

- In Molise, cavatelli is mostly served for Sunday lunch with pork ragu, but it’s also found paired with broccoli and red peppers, or with “widow’s sauce:” a simple mix of olive oil, lard, fresh tomatoes and herbs. 
- In Basilicata, casual cavatelli is served with *peperoni cruschi*, dried sweet peppers, breadcrumbs, and *[peperoncino](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-pepperoncini)*, dried pepper flakes. Special occasions pair the pasta with ragu Lucano, a meat sauce made with lamb, or simply with sautéed broccoli rabe.
- In Puglia, cavatelli is enjoyed with arugula and fresh tomatoes, mushrooms, or occasionally mussels.
- Calabrian cavatelli is paired with nduja, a spicy sausage, and onion.
- In Sicily, soft shards of ricotta salata and grilled eggplant are served with cavatelli. 

Homemade cavatelli pasta is easier than you think. It’s all about getting into the zone while kneading, and keeping a light tough when rolling the dough into shape.  

While classic cavatelli pasta recipes from regions like Puglia and Molise dictates forming the dough into long ropes before cutting them into small pieces, Chef Thomas Keller’s delicate take on the form first rolls the dough out into thin ribbons.

“*This is something that takes a bit of time but I always find that there is great gratification in making my own pasta.*”—[Chef Thomas Keller](https://www.masterclass.com/classes/thomas-keller-teaches-cooking-techniques)


Cavatelli is a small, curled pasta from Southern Italy made using a small, ridged, wooden board—called a gnocchi board—and a butter knife. The ridges help capture the sauce.

What Is Cavatelli?

Traditional cavatelli is made with durum wheat semolina flour, water, and salt. Though cavatelli makers and equipment are more common now, the dough is usually shaped by pressing three middle fingers into the dough and flicking it towards you to create a curl. Some regions, like Calabria, use only the index finger for a shorter pasta. The texture of fresh cavatelli is perhaps the Platonic chew of good fresh pasta: a gentle give and soft pull. For Italians, it’s a sensation worth devoting years of practice in order to get.

How Is Cavatelli Made?

The partially hollowed out shape of cavatelli means that it holds on to pockets of sauce like nobody’s business, but it also means it can act as a standalone ingredient in a sauceless dish. Most regional presentations take their cues from local, seasonal produce and specialties.<ul class="mc-m-4 list-styled"><li class="">In Molise, cavatelli is mostly served for Sunday lunch with pork ragu, but it’s also found paired with broccoli and red peppers, or with “widow’s sauce:” a simple mix of olive oil, lard, fresh tomatoes and herbs. </li><li class="">In Basilicata, casual cavatelli is served with peperoni cruschi, dried sweet peppers, breadcrumbs, and <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-pepperoncini' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-pepperoncini","linkCopy":"peperoncino","category":null}'>peperoncino</a>, dried pepper flakes. Special occasions pair the pasta with ragu Lucano, a meat sauce made with lamb, or simply with sautéed broccoli rabe. </li><li class="">In Puglia, cavatelli is enjoyed with arugula and fresh tomatoes, mushrooms, or occasionally mussels. </li><li class="">Calabrian cavatelli is paired with nduja, a spicy sausage, and onion. </li><li class="">In Sicily, soft shards of ricotta salata and grilled eggplant are served with cavatelli. </li></ul>

How to Serve Cavatelli Pasta

Homemade cavatelli pasta is easier than you think. It’s all about getting into the zone while kneading, and keeping a light tough when rolling the dough into shape. While classic cavatelli pasta recipes from regions like Puglia and Molise dictates forming the dough into long ropes before cutting them into small pieces, Chef Thomas Keller’s delicate take on the form first rolls the dough out into thin ribbons.

How to Make Homemade Cavatelli

Chef Thomas Keller’s Cavatelli Recipe

“This is something that takes a bit of time but I always find that there is great gratification in making my own pasta.”—<a href='https://www.masterclass.com/classes/thomas-keller-teaches-cooking-techniques' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/classes/thomas-keller-teaches-cooking-techniques","linkCopy":"Chef Thomas Keller","category":null}'>Chef Thomas Keller</a>

“This is something that takes a bit of time but I always find that there is great gratification in making my own pasta.”—Chef Thomas Keller (https://www.masterclass.com/classes/thomas-keller-teaches-cooking-techniques)
