Homemade Spinach Pasta Dough Recipe

Guido Pedrelli
Guido Pedrelli
Italian Cuisine Expert and Food Blogger
Guido Pedrelli
Guido Pedrelli, the mastermind behind Nonna Box, has honed his culinary expertise for decades, inspired by family feasts in Emilia-Romagna. Mentored by his restaurateur nonna, he mastered Italian classics and furthered his skills with professional culinary studies in desserts and gelato making from Mec3. Today, he shares this rich legacy and authentic recipes through Nonna Box.
Expertise: Italian cuisine, Pasta, Pizza, Pastry, Dessert

Of all the doughs (bread, pie, short dough, and pasta), pasta dough may be the simplest – aside from a few bread recipes. Most pastas are a mix of just flour and water.

What is Spinach Pasta?

Enriched pastas add eggs to the mix, giving the pasta a richer color and flavor. And then there are specialty doughs like this spinach pasta dough that add flavorings and other ingredients to change the color and add flavor. Here the spinach adds a beautiful green, and a hint of earthy greens in the flavor.

Spinach pasta dough is used to make traditional pasta dishes like lasagne verdi, tortelloni verdi, tagliatelle paglia e fieno and many others.

So, the recipes are simple enough. What about the process to make pasta? While it can be time consuming (you have to knead and then continuously roll the pasta out, folding it in on itself, to create a tough structure that will hold up to boiling) it is easy and quite fun, especially when you get to the cutting and shaping stage.

Can Homemade Pasta be Frozen?

Absolutely. You can freeze fresh pasta right after you make it. Store it in portions in plastic bags and place it in the freezer. When you are ready to make it, toss it in a pot of boiling water without thawing and cook it for 3/4 minutes or when al dente.

Every time I make pasta at home, my kitchen-hating friends and family will inevitably find themselves next to me at the island, working away on the dough and creating one of dozens of pasta shapes. There’s just no getting around it; pasta may be the most fun item to make in the kitchen.

homemaking pasta recipe with spinach

Spinach Pasta Dough

Spinach pasta dough is perfect to prepare different variations of pasta like lasagne, tortellini, ravioli, tagliatelle and many others.
4.50 from 12 votes
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Course: Pasta
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 3 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 3 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 291kcal

Ingredients

  • 3 1/2 ounces spinach
  • 12 ounces semolina flour
  • 8 ounces all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 4 whole eggs
  • Extra all-purpose flour

Equipment

  • Heavy-bottomed pot
  • Bowl
  • Food processor
  • Pasta maker
  • Pasta cutters (or cookie cutters)
  • Paring Knife

Instructions

  • Blanch the spinach by cooking it in boiling water for about 1 minute before removing it to a bowl filled with ice water. Squeeze all liquid from the spinach and set aside.
  • In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flours, salt, and spinach.
  • With the food processor running, add the eggs one at a time and blend until a coarse dough begins to form.
  • Remove the dough to a lightly floured work surface.
  • Knead until the dough is even throughout and somewhat elastic. The dough should be very tough and on the verge of difficult to manipulate. Add flour as needed.
  • Process the dough in small batches through your pasta maker according to the instructions.
  • Note: It is during this step that you will run the pasta through the pasta press numerous times, folding it in on itself and adding a little flour each time, to build the structure in the dough. I suggest doing this 5 or so times before rolling the pasta out in increments to get it to the appropriate thickness.
  • Once the pasta is rolled to the appropriate thinness depending on the type of pasta you are making, lay it out on a lightly dusted surface and cut out the shapes for the pasta you are making (for ravioli, farfalle, and other broad pastas). For pastas like cappellini, spaghetti, or fettuccine, use the appropriate attachments on your pasta maker or a sharp paring knife.
  • To sore, wrap pasta in a barely-damp paper towel, and the paper-towel wrapped pasta in parchment paper. Keep the pasta in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can also freeze the pasta in an airtight container and store for up to a month.
  • Depending on the thickness and shape, cook the pasta in boiling water for 2-5 minutes, or until al dente.
Serving: 120g | Calories: 291kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 82mg | Sodium: 333mg | Potassium: 209mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1282IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 4mg
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Interested for more? Check out how to make pasta from scratch.

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