Spinach Pasta Dough (Print Version)

Fresh spinach shines in this vibrant dough for various pasta shapes, delivering color and nutrition.

# Components:

→ Spinach

01 - 3.5 oz fresh baby spinach leaves, washed and stems removed

→ Dough

02 - 2 large eggs
03 - 1⅓ cups Italian 00 flour, plus extra for dusting
04 - ⅓ cup semolina flour (optional, for texture)
05 - ½ teaspoon fine sea salt

# Method:

01 - Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Add spinach and blanch for 30 seconds until wilted. Drain, rinse under cold water, and squeeze out excess moisture.
02 - Finely chop the spinach or process in a food processor until very smooth.
03 - On a clean surface, mound 00 flour, semolina flour, and salt. Create a well in the center.
04 - Add eggs and pureed spinach to the well. Using a fork, gradually incorporate flour into the mixture until a shaggy dough forms.
05 - Knead dough by hand for 8 to 10 minutes until smooth and elastic, adding flour if sticky or water if too dry.
06 - Wrap dough tightly in plastic wrap and allow to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
07 - Roll out dough with a pasta machine or rolling pin to desired thickness and cut into shapes of choice.
08 - Boil fresh pasta in salted water for 1 to 2 minutes until al dente.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • Your pasta will taste genuinely fresh and look stunning on the plate without any food coloring tricks.
  • The whole process becomes meditative once you understand it—kneading this dough is the kind of repetitive work that clears your head.
  • You'll have an impressive skill to casually mention that impresses people far more than it should.
02 -
  • Squeezing out every bit of moisture from the spinach is non-negotiable; one mistake here makes the entire dough sticky and frustrating.
  • If your dough feels dry and cracks at the edges while kneading, add water drop by drop, not by the handful—it's easy to overshoot.
  • The 30-minute rest is not optional; it's the difference between dough that tears and dough that flows under the pasta machine like silk.
03 -
  • A pinch of nutmeg adds an unexpected warmth that makes people pause and ask what that subtle flavor is—use just enough that you can't name it.
  • If you don't have a pasta machine, a rolling pin and patience will get you there; the dough doesn't know the difference, only your shoulders will.
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