Fresh Spinach Pasta Dough Recipes

SPINACH PASTA DOUGH

Steps:

• Place spinach and water in a skillet over medium-low heat. Cover and simmer, stirring once, until spinach is wilted, about 10 minutes. Drain and let cool, about 10 minutes. Squeeze out as much water as possible, getting the spinach very dry. Chop spinach very finely.
• Place flour on a marble or wooden work surface. Make a well in the center and crack in the eggs; add the salt and finely chopped spinach. Gently beat eggs with a fork, incorporating the surrounding flour and spinach, until batter is runny. Bring remaining flour into the batter using a bench scraper until dough forms a ball. Mix in water, 1 tablespoon at a time, if dough feels too stiff.
• Knead dough with your hands by flattening the ball, stretching it and folding the top towards the center. Turn 45 degrees and repeat until dough is soft and smooth, about 10 minutes.
• Shape dough into a ball. Place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.
• Roll out the dough with pasta machine or with a rolling pin and turn into your favorite pasta shape.

FRESH SPINACH PASTA DOUGH

Steps:

• Add 2 inches of water to a medium saucepan, and fit with a steamer insert. Bring to a simmer. Add 6 ounces spinach, cover, and steam until bright green and softened, about 2 minutes. Let cool slightly. Squeeze out liquid using a clean kitchen towel or paper towels. Puree spinach in a food processor (you should have about 1/2 cup puree).
• Add eggs and yolk to puree in food processor, and process until combined. Add flour and 1 heaping teaspoon salt, and process until dough just comes together, about 20 seconds.
• Transfer dough to a well-floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, 5 to 10 minutes, adding up to 2 tablespoons flour if dough is too sticky. Place on a piece of parchment, and cover with an inverted bowl, or wrap tightly in plastic; let rest for 1 to 2 hours.
• Cut dough into 8 pieces. Working with 1 piece at a time (keep the remaining pieces covered with the inverted bowl), flatten dough into an oblong shape slightly thinner than the pasta machine's widest setting (number 1). Dust dough very lightly with flour, and feed through machine. Fold lengthwise into thirds and rotate 90 degrees. Repeat twice on same setting to smooth dough and increase its elasticity.
• Turn the dial to next narrower setting. Pass dough through twice, gently supporting it with your palm. Continue to press dough, passing it through ever-finer settings, two passes on each setting, until sheet is almost translucent and very thin but still intact (number 5 of 8 on a KitchenAid pasta roller). The dough will stretch to about 16 inches long. If dough bubbles or tears, pass it through again, and dust with flour if the dough is sticking.
• For farfalle, lasagna squares, or ravioli: Place rolled sheet on a lightly floured surface, and cut out as directed in corresponding recipe, using a dry brush to dust flour off if needed. For ribbon pastas: Place dough on a drying rack until slightly tacky, 10 to 15 minutes, and then use a pasta machine or cutting attachment to cut into strands. Drape over rack until strands are semidry and won't stick together, about 20 minutes. Cook immediately, or lay flat on a baking sheet dusted with semolina, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.

HOMEMADE SPINACH PASTA DOUGH

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Squeeze as much water as possible from the chopped spinach with your hands or by pressing with a wooden spoon in a colander.
• In a blender or food processor , combine the spinach and eggs.
• Puree until the mixture is dark green and smooth, with few or no visible chunks of spinach showing.
• In a bowl, combine the flour and salt, stirring with a fork or a whisk to combine.
• On a large, lightly floured work surface (like a countertop covered with a silicone pastry mat), pour the flour mixture into a mound and make a well in the center.
• Pour the spinach-egg mixture into the well.
• Using a fork, stir the spinach mixture in a circular motion, gradually incorporating more and more flour.
• As the mixture turns chunky, begin to knead it, incorporating enough flour to make a stiff dough. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes, adding more flour until the dough is smooth and slightly tacky but not sticky.
• Set aside, covered with plastic wrap, for about 20 minutes.
• Assemble your pasta maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.
• Divide the dough into 4 to 6 equal sections with a knife or a dough cutter.
• Cover all of the pieces-except the one you're working with-with a clean dishtowel or plastic wrap.
• Form the piece of dough into a flat rectangle with your hands or a rolling pin to prepare it to be fed into the pasta maker.
• Beginning with one of the shorter sides of the rectangle, feed the pasta through the pasta maker on the first (widest) setting.
• Then fold it in thirds (like a business letter).
• Feed it through the pasta rollers again.
• Repeat the folding and rolling steps several times on the widest setting, before rolling pasta at increasingly smaller settings until it reaches the desired thinness.
• Use the sheets of pasta as-is for lasagna, form into ravioli, or cut into noodles using a pasta machine attachment.

FRESH SPINACH PASTA DOUGH

Steps:

• Put the spinach into a glass mixing bowl. Season with a tiny pinch of salt. Cover with plastic wrap. Cook in microwave, on high, for four or five minutes, or until well collapsed.
• Remove and chop very finely, or bring in a processor, do not wring dry.
• Put flour, salt and gluten into the bowl of a stand mixer. Stir. Add spinach and eggs.
• Work, with the dough hook attached, over speed 4 until a dough comes together, that pulls away from the sides.
• Reduce speed to 2, and allow mass to be kneaded for 7 or 8 minutes.
• Rest, covered, 30 minutes before use.

SPINACH PASTA DOUGH

Steps:

• In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, salt and blanched spinach. Process to mix well. With the machine running, add the eggs, egg yolks, and olive oil through the feed tube, and process until it resembles wet cornmeal, about 2 minutes.
• Take a handful of dough at a time and form into a firm ball. Repeat with the remaining dough. Roll out each dough ball into desired shape in a pasta machine according to the manufacturer's instructions.
• Bring a pot of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta until just al dente, about 2 minutes. Drain in a colander and serve with desired sauce.

FRESH PASTA DOUGH

Steps:

• Mound the flour on a clean work surface. Hollow out the center making a well in the middle of the flour with steep sides.
• Break the eggs into the well. Add the salt, and olive oil to the hollow center and gently mix together with a fork. Gradually start incorporating the flour by pulling in the flour from the sides of the well. As you incorporate more of the flour, the dough will start to take shape.
• With your hands or a bench scraper continue working the dough until it comes together. If the dough is too dry, add a little water; if too wet or sticky, add a little flour.
• Begin kneading the dough and keep kneading until it becomes smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes. At this point, set the dough aside, cover it with plastic, and let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes. You can store the dough in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours, but allow it to return to room temperature before rolling it out.
• Divide the pasta dough into 4 even sections. Keep each section covered with plastic wrap or a clean towel while you work with each one. Flour the dough, the rollers of a pasta roller (or your rolling pin), your hands, and the work surface.
• If using a pasta machine: Flatten 1 of the of the dough pieces between your hands or with a floured rolling pin until it forms a thick oval disk. Dust the disk, the roller, and your hands with additional flour. Flour a baking sheet to hold the rolled out finished pasta.
• With the roller on the widest setting, pass the pasta through the machine's rollers a few times until it is smooth. Fold the dough over into 1/3, and continue to pass through a few more times until the pasta is smooth again. Begin adjusting the pasta machine settings to become thinner, passing the dough through a few times at each setting.
• If rolling the pasta by hand: Flatten a dough piece into a thick oval disk with your hands. Flour a baking sheet for the rolled out finished pasta. Place the oval dough disk on a floured work surface, and sprinkle with additional flour. Begin rolling out the dough with a floured rolling pin working from the center of the dough outwards, constantly moving the dough and lifting it to make sure it's not sticking.
• Flavor and color variations:
• Cook's Note: All color additions should be added to eggs before incorporating into the flour. Keep in mind that you will need to add a little bit of flour to your basic pasta recipe to compensate for the additional liquid added
• Spinach Pasta Dough (green hue): Blanch 8 ounces (about 3 cups) spinach leaves. Puree in a food processor or blender until smooth. Press the spinach puree through a small strainer or chinois, removing the liquid before mixing with the eggs. Add 3 tablespoons spinach puree to the eggs before mixing. If the dough feels too sticky, add additional flour until a soft, silky dough is achieved.
• Tomato Pasta Dough (orange hue): Add 2 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste to the eggs before incorporating into the flour.
• Beet Pasta Dough (pinkish-red hue): Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Roast 1 large beet in aluminum foil, about 45 minutes, or until tender. Peel the beet and puree in a food processor. Add the beet puree (about 4 tablespoons) to eggs before incorporating into the flour.
• Herb Pasta Dough (speckled): Mince 1/2 cup fresh herbs and add to eggs before incorporating into the flour.
• Squid Ink Pasta Dough (black hue): Add 1 tablespoon squid ink to the eggs before incorporating into the flour.

HOMEMADE SPINACH PASTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and fill a medium bowl with ice water. Add the spinach to the pot and cook until wilted, about 30 seconds; drain, then plunge into the ice water. Once chilled, remove the spinach to a kitchen towel and squeeze until dry.
• Combine the blanched spinach, whole eggs and egg yolk, olive oil and a big pinch of salt in a blender and blend until smooth. Mound the flour on a work surface. Make a well in the center, 4 to 5 inches in diameter with high walls. Add the spinach mixture to the well and, using a fork, gradually mix flour from the inner edge of the well into the wet ingredients. Continue incorporating the flour until a rough sticky dough forms. Use a spatula or bench scraper to gather up any loose bits of flour and dough, then use your hands to gather and knead the whole thing together. (If the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time.) Knead until a smooth and slightly tacky bright green dough forms, about 6 minutes. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
• Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces; press each into a rough rectangle. Cover 3 of the pieces and set aside. Lightly flour the remaining piece of dough and feed the dough through the widest setting on a pasta maker. Fold the strip in half and feed it through again. Move to the next setting and feed the dough through this setting twice without folding, lightly flouring as needed. Repeat until you are at the third-to-last setting. The dough will be thin but not transparent, about 1/8 inch thick. Lightly flour the pasta sheet, then transfer to a floured baking sheet; halve the sheet crosswise if it's hanging off the baking sheet. Repeat the process with the remaining 3 pieces of dough.
• Attach a long noodle cutter to the pasta maker. Feed each sheet of dough through the cutter, gathering the pasta on the other side. Lightly sprinkle with flour and shape into a loose nest. Return to the baking sheet.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta, gently separating the strands with tongs. Cook until just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain. Toss with your sauce, adding the reserved cooking water as needed to loosen.