Description
A vibrant and fresh homemade spinach pasta recipe that combines tender baby spinach with eggs and flour to create a soft, flavorful dough. Perfectly rolled and cut, this spinach pasta cooks quickly and pairs wonderfully with your favorite sauces for a delightful Italian meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Vegetables and Greens
- 8 oz baby spinach (weight without stems; can substitute with larger leaf spinach)
Wet Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Dry Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (or substitute roughly 1/3 semolina flour)
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Prepare the Spinach: If using baby spinach, place it in a large bowl and pour boiling water over it until fully submerged. Let it sit for a minute, then drain and allow it to cool while draining further. For larger leaf spinach, boil in water for 2-4 minutes until wilted and soft, then drain well.
- Drain and Chop Spinach: Once cool, squeeze the spinach thoroughly to remove moisture, roughly chop it, and squeeze again to ensure it’s as dry as possible. Place spinach in a food processor with eggs, egg yolk, and salt; pulse until finely chopped and well combined, scraping down as needed.
- Add Flour and Olive Oil: Gradually add the flour, about 1/2 cup at a time, pulsing three to four times after each addition. Halfway through, add the olive oil. Continue pulsing until the dough starts to come together into a ball, pulling away from the sides.
- Knead the Dough: Transfer the dough onto a floured surface and knead with floured hands for about 5 minutes until soft and not sticky. If the dough feels sticky, sprinkle in a little more flour as needed while kneading.
- Rest the Dough: Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for around 30 minutes. You can refrigerate it for up to two days, but be sure to bring it back to room temperature for half an hour before rolling.
- Divide and Prepare Dough: Cut the dough into 4-6 pieces and cover unused pieces with a damp cloth to prevent drying. Prepare trays dusted with flour or semolina to place the rolled pasta on.
- Roll the Dough: Flatten one piece slightly, dust with flour, and feed it through a pasta roller on the widest setting 3-5 times until smooth, dusting with flour if sticky. Gradually narrow the thickness by rolling twice per setting until reaching desired thickness (typically setting 4 or 5).
- Cut the Pasta: Use the roller’s cutter or hand cut to form linguine or fettuccine ribbons. Arrange the pasta ribbons in small stacks or spread flat on prepared trays. Cover with a cloth if not cooking immediately.
- Cook the Pasta: Boil water and cook handfuls of pasta for 2-3 minutes until they rise to the surface and are tender. Stir gently to separate strands.
- Serve: Drain and serve immediately with your favorite sauce for a delicious fresh spinach pasta dish.
Notes
- For larger leaf spinach, blanch in boiling water for 2-4 minutes to wilt before processing.
- Removing excess moisture from spinach is critical to avoid a soggy dough.
- Flour amounts can be adjusted slightly depending on dough consistency.
- Resting the dough improves texture and makes rolling easier.
- Dust with semolina flour for better rolling and drying experience, but all-purpose flour works well too.
- Refrigerated dough should be brought to room temperature before rolling for best results.
