Best Spinach Pasta From Scratch Recipes

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.

UNIQUE SPINACH NOODLES

Steps:

• Combine spinach and water in a saucepan. Cover, and cook till spinach is very tender. Cool slightly.
• Place spinach and liquid in blender container. Add egg and salt. Cover, and blend till smooth. Transfer to a bowl. Add enough flour to make a stiff dough.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for 1 minute. Roll very thin on a floured surface. Let rest 20 minutes. Roll up loosely. Slice 1/4 inch wide. Unroll. Cut into desired lengths. Spread out on a rack to dry for 2 hours.

SPINACH PASTA FROM SCRATCH

Steps:

• Start boiling a large pot of water.
• NOTES: a) If using frozen spinach, skip steps 3-5; b) if omitting the spinach, use 1 1/4 cups of flour.
• Heat a skillet to medium heat, and add spinach; don't use cooking spray or oil.
• Cook spinach for about 30 seconds, stirring continuously. Spinach should turn a bright green color.
• Plunge spinach immediately into an ice water bath to stop the cooking process.
• When spinach has cooled down to lukewarm temperature, squeeze out the excess moisture using a cheesecloth.
• Add spinach, olive oil, eggs, and salt to food processor and run until fully blended.
• Add flour to food processor and run until blended. If the mixture is still sticky, add flour.
• Remove dough from food processor. Roll dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Allow to rest at room temperature for 20 minutes.
• Transfer dough to a work surface that's generously dusted with flour. Cut dough into 4 pieces.
• If using a pasta maker, roll each piece out with a rolling pin until it's about 1/4" thick. If not using a pasta maker, roll until thin and hand-cut as desired.
• Shape dough into rectangles and run through pasta maker, starting with the widest setting. If the dough sticks in the rollers, dust the dough and the rollers with flour.
• Continue rolling dough through the rollers, gradually reducing the setting to flatten it as desired. NOTE: spinach pasta may need to be 1 setting wider than you normally want because of the stickiness of the dough.
• Cut pasta into shapes using the appropriate attachment.
• Lower pasta into water (don't drop it) and boil for a few minutes. Don't crowd the pot with pasta, as this can cause pasta to stick together.
• NOTE: Don't dump the whole pot of cooked pasta into a strainer the way you might with dry, boxed pasta. If transferring to a strainer, don't rinse with water.
• Using tongs or a spider skimmer, remove pasta from the water and transfer to a different container. Doing it this way will help the pasta keep its shape, and allow you to use hot water for the remainder of the boil.

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.

HOMEMADE SPINACH PASTA

Steps:

• Combine water and ice in a bowl. Preheat a skillet over medium heat; add spinach. Cook, stirring continuously, until spinach turns bright green, about 30 seconds. Plunge into ice water bath; remove when spinach is lukewarm. Squeeze out excess moisture with cheese cloth.
• Combine spinach, eggs, olive oil, and salt in a food processor; blend until smooth. Add flour; blend until dough no longer sticks to the blades, adding flour as needed.
• Roll dough into a ball; wrap in plastic wrap. Rest at room temperature for 20 minutes.
• Remove plastic wrap from dough. Transfer to a work surface generously dusted with flour; cut dough into 4 pieces with a sharp knife. Roll out dough with a rolling pin to 1/4-inch thickness; shape into rectangles.
• Dust pasta maker rollers with flour. Run the dough rectangles through a pasta maker on the widest setting. Repeat rolling dough through rollers, gradually reducing the setting to desired thickness. Change pasta maker's attachment to preferred noodle shape; cut pasta with pasta maker.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Lower pasta gently into water; use a spoon to keep noodles from sticking together. Cook until pasta is firm but soft, 3 to 6 minutes. Remove from the water with tongs; transfer to a bowl.

HOMEMADE SPINACH NOODLES

Steps:

• Put spinach and salt in blender. Pulse a few times until finely chopped, not totally a clear liquid.
• If cooked mashed carrots 1 1/2 cups, if cooked mashed sweet potatoes, 1 1/4 cups.
• (The salt brings out the water in the spinach).
• In large bowl, add flour.
• Make a well in the middle, a deep hole.
• Add beaten eggs, margarine and spinach mix (or carrot or sweet potato mix.).
• Fold the flour in all four direction over the well.
• Then add the water.
• Keep folding the flour over and over.
• If it is too wet, add 1/4 cup flour. Then use hands to mix.
• Knead dough with the back of your palms until it becomes smooth. If it is sticky, add a little more flour.
• Form into a large ball and place in a bowl.
• Cover and let rest for about 10 to 15 minutes.
• Divide dough, into 3 portions. Turn out each portion on a floured board, roll to.
• about 1/4 inch thickness. Put through a pasta machine if you have one. If not, try to roll out to 1/8 inch thickness and cut.
• Into 1/2 inch wide noodles. You can dry in the air, I prefer to dry on a tray in the oven at 200°F--it is faster. I turn the noodles a few times before they are dry.
• Note: Some spinach has more water. If it has larger leaves it contains more water than smaller leaves.That is why you need the addition of more flour if needed.
• Store in a air tight container.

SPINACH NOODLES

Steps:

• In a blender or food processor, combine spinach, eggs and salt; process until smooth. Pour into a bowl. Gradually add enough flour to make a firm, but not sticky, dough. , On a floured surface, knead about 20 times. Wrap in plastic and let rest 30 minutes. Divide dough in half. On a floured surface, roll each half to 1/16-in. thickness. Roll up jelly-roll style and cut into 1/4-in. slices. Separate the slices and let rest on a clean towel for at least 1 hour. Cook noodles in boiling salted water until tender, about 15-20 minutes; drain.