Homemade Noodles: A Perfect Pairing with Baked Balkan Cheese Sauce

Making fresh pasta from scratch is a deeply satisfying experience. The aroma of flour and eggs, the silky texture of fresh noodles, and the ability to tailor portions to your family’s needs make it truly special. Today, I’m sharing my recipe for homemade noodles and a simple, flavorful sauce that I paired them with—a baked Balkan cheese and tomato creation.

While making these noodles, I also tested the Tescoma DELÍCIA Multi-Purpose Cutter, which turned out to be a fantastic tool for this task. Here’s how it went!

Homemade Noodles Recipe

Ingredients:

• 400 g all-purpose flour (plus extra for dusting)
• 4 large eggs
  Note: I used 4 eggs, but this ended up being a bit too much for my family of three. If you’re cooking for fewer people or prefer less leftovers, feel free to adjust to 3 eggs and reduce the flour proportionately.
• A pinch of salt

Instructions:

1. Mix the Dough in a Bowl:
   While traditional pasta recipes suggest making a flour mound on the countertop, I find mixing in a bowl much tidier (and less stressful when eggs try to escape!). Combine the flour, eggs, and salt in a large bowl. Use a fork to gradually mix the flour into the eggs until a dough forms.
2. Knead:
   Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead for 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic. I also keep my dough in the bowl while kneading. If the dough is sticky, sprinkle a bit more flour as needed. I ended up adding a few more spoonfuls of flour into the dough during the process.
3. Rest the Dough:
   Instead of wrapping the dough in cling film, I kept it in the mixing bowl and covered it with a reusable shower cap. It worked perfectly to keep the dough from drying out while resting for 30 minutes.
4. Roll and Cut:
   Divide the dough into smaller portions and roll out thin sheets. I used the Tescoma DELÍCIA Multi-Purpose Cutter to cut the sheets into evenly sized noodles. It was quick, precise, and saved so much time compared to cutting by hand! Previously, I also tried the ERNESTO pasta maker, but it was messier with dough sticking to the machine, and flour ended up all over the floor.
5. Cook:
   Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the noodles for about 2–3 minutes, until they float to the surface. Drain and set aside.

Baked Balkan Cheese and Tomato Sauce

This rich, creamy sauce is a wonderful complement to the fresh noodles. I love that it’s so easy to make, and you can adapt it to whatever ingredients you have on hand.

Ingredients:

• 200 g Balkan cheese (or feta)
• 4 large tomatoes, diced (I didn’t have cherry tomatoes, so I used large ones and chopped them—worked perfectly!)
• 3 garlic cloves
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp thyme
• ½ tsp basil
• ½ tsp chili flakes (adjust to taste)
• Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

1. Prepare and Preheat:
   Preheat your oven to 200°C. In a baking dish, combine the diced tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, oregano, thyme, basil, chili flakes, and black pepper.
2. Bake:
   Place the block of Balkan cheese in the center of the dish. Bake for 20–25 minutes until the tomatoes are tender and the cheese is golden and bubbling.
3. Mash and Mix:
   Remove the dish from the oven and mash the cheese and tomatoes together with a fork to create a creamy, flavorful sauce.

Bringing It All Together

Toss the freshly cooked noodles with the baked cheese and tomato sauce, ensuring every strand is coated with the creamy, herby goodness. I personally fried a few frozen shrimps to add some additional flavor. Serve warm and enjoy!

A Few Lessons from My Kitchen

1. Portion Control:
   As mentioned, 4 eggs made more homemade noodles than we could eat in two meals (I often prepare food for both lunch and dinner to save time). Next time, I’ll scale it down to 3 eggs for our family of three.
2. Make It Work with What You Have:
   I didn’t have cherry tomatoes or fresh herbs, but the large tomatoes and dried basil, oregano, and thyme worked wonderfully. Don’t stress if you need to make substitutions—this recipe is flexible!
3. Reusable Kitchen Hacks:
   Instead of cling film, using a shower cap to cover the dough was both eco-friendly and effective.
4. The Right Tools Matter:
   The Tescoma DELÍCIA Multi-Purpose Cutter was a game-changer. It made cutting the noodles much faster and cleaner. If you’ve been on the fence about investing in a pasta cutter, I can confidently recommend this one.

Other recipes

are you interested to try other recipes? Here are two that I managed to add to the blog so far:

Buchty na pare: A Taste of Slovak Childhood

Drožďová Polievka: Traditional Slovak Yeast Soup Recipe

Your Turn!

Have you tried making homemade noodles? What sauces do you pair them with? I’d love to hear your tips and experiences in the comments below.