Ingredients
Vegetables
- 8 oz baby spinach (weight without any stems; larger leaf spinach can be used as an alternative)
Wet Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Dry Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (or substitute roughly one-third with semolina flour)
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Blanch the spinach: If using baby spinach, place it in a large bowl and pour boiling water over it until fully submerged. Press down the leaves gently and leave for one minute, then drain and allow to cool and drain completely. For larger leaf spinach, boil the spinach in a pan for 2-4 minutes until wilted and soft, then drain.
- Prepare the spinach mixture: Once cool, squeeze the spinach thoroughly to remove excess moisture. Chop roughly, then squeeze again to ensure it’s as dry as possible. Transfer the spinach to a food processor along with the eggs, egg yolk, and salt. Pulse until the mixture is well chopped and combined, scraping down the sides as necessary.
- Add flour and olive oil: Add the flour gradually—about half a cup at a time—pulsing three or four times after each addition. Incorporate the olive oil partway through. Continue pulsing until the dough starts to come together into a ball, pulling away from the sides of the processor bowl.
- Knead the dough: Transfer the dough onto a floured surface and knead by hand for approximately 5 minutes. The dough should be soft but not sticky. If sticky, add a little more all-purpose flour as you knead until the texture is right.
- Rest the dough: Wrap the dough ball tightly in plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for around 30 minutes. You may refrigerate the dough for up to two days, but allow it to come back to room temperature before rolling out (about 30 minutes).
- Divide and prepare dough for rolling: Cut the rested dough into 4 to 6 equal pieces. Cover the pieces you are not working with using a damp cloth to prevent drying. Prepare trays dusted with flour or semolina flour to place the rolled pasta on.
- Roll the dough: Flatten each piece slightly and dust with flour. Pass the dough through a pasta machine on the widest setting 3-5 times until smooth, dusting with flour between passes if sticky. Then, gradually reduce the thickness by rolling twice at each setting (once from each end) until reaching the desired thickness—typically setting 4 or 5 on most machines.
- Cut the pasta: Use the machine’s cutter attachment or hand cut the rolled sheets into linguine or fettuccine ribbons. Arrange the pasta on the prepared trays in small stacks or laid flat. Cover with a cloth if not cooking immediately to prevent drying out.
- Cook the pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add handfuls of pasta at a time, gently helping the pieces separate. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the pasta floats to the surface and is cooked through.
- Serve: Drain the pasta and serve immediately with your preferred sauce for a fresh, flavorful meal.
Notes
- The recipe allows using larger leaf spinach, but blanch it longer (2-4 minutes) compared to baby spinach.
- Make sure to squeeze out as much water from the spinach as possible to avoid soggy dough.
- Resting the dough is crucial to relax the gluten and make rolling easier.
- Flour or semolina flour dusting is key to avoiding pasta sticking during rolling and drying.
- Fresh spinach pasta cooks very quickly, so watch closely to not overcook.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegetarian
