Spinach Pasta Dough
This is my all-time favorite pasta to make. First off it is so easy to make. All you need is spinach, all-purpose flour (AP Flour), and a food processor. But also it is a great way to use up extra spinach or spinach that you get from a food bank that has perhaps seen better days. It doesn't taste super "spinach-y" it just tastes like normal pasta except that it is bright green which is fun! Spinach pasta is also nutrient-rich compared to normal pasta. You can use this dough to make any pasta shape. I've used it to make linguine, spaghetti, ravioli, farfelle, and even lasagna noodles. I also like making it because I don't always have eggs to spare. It also comes together in a matter of minutes so is much faster to make than traditional pasta.
Spinach contains a lot of water and that is why when you blend it in the food processor with AP flour it makes a beautiful pasta dough. It is also so much cheaper to make than regular pasta dough and requires little to no kneading.
I usually make this whenever we get a bunch of spinach from the food bank, and we are constantly being given little bags of all purpose flour from the food bank as photographed below. However, it is also very cheap to buy the ingredients. Currently, in Dec. of 2024, it costs $1.99 for a bunch of spinach at my local grocery store and $3.29 for a 5lb bag of AP flour. You'll only use about 2 cups give or take depending on how dry your spinach is so you'll use approximately $0.37 of flour bringing the total cost to make this spinach pasta dough to $2.36. That's a bargain for delicious homemade pasta!
You do need a food processor to make this pasta. The food processor that we own was purchased at a thrift store for $12.99 and retails new at $99.00. I find so many food processors at thrift stores and highly recommend that you purchase a second-hand food processor rather than a new one. The food processor we had before this one was also purchased from a thrift store and lasted us about 5 years.
I always add some flour to the bottom of my food processor, then throw in the entire bunch of spinach and then top it with more flour, I have found that this helps the dough not stick as much to the bottom of the food processor.
Then I pulse the food processor for a few minutes until I get a consistency that looks similar to matcha powder.
Then I turn the food processor on high and let it blend. You'll have to scrape down the sides once or twice as it will start to stick to the sides.
Keep blending on high until you have a big clump of dough spinning around the inside of your food processor.
You have 2 choices once you reach this stage. You can either keep adding flour and blending in your food processor until you can touch your dough without it feeling sticky or leaving residue on your fingers. Or you can pop it on a floured surface and kneed in as much AP flour as you can.
You'll end up with a bright green ball of spinach pasta dough!
This pasta dough is slightly more delicate than regular pasta dough so after you have kneaded or blended in as much AP flour as possible wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before rolling it out and cutting it into your desired pasta shape.
Like I said you can use this dough for any shape but I particularly like to use this pasta dough to make ravioli out of. Below are some photos of when I made butternut squash ricotta ricotta ravioli from this dough with a garlic browned butter sauce topped with parmesean.
I hope you love this healthy pasta recipe as much as we do!
- 1 bunch spinach
- 2 cups All Purpose Flour (I start with 1.5 cups then add more as needed. If you ever add too much flour that the dough is crumbly you can add in a few drops of water to bring the dough back together.)
Wash and dry your spinach.
Make sure your spinach is very dry or it will throw off your spinach to flour ratio and you'll need to add much more flour or you'll have a very wet pasta dough ball. I usually wash my spinach 30 minutes before I want to make this recipe and lay out the spinach on a wire rack or on paper towels to dry.Measure out 1.5 cups of flour and gather your dried spinach. Put about have of the flour in your food processor, add all of the spinach on top, and then add the other half of your flour on top of the spinach.
Pulse until you have a what looks like green flour or a matcha powder consistency.
Blend on high until you have a dough ball in your food processor.
How much more flour you add will depend on how much water content is in your spinach. You can either keep adding in flour a few tablespoons at a time and blend in your food processor on high until your dough comes together and you can touch it without it feeling sticky or leaving a residue on your fingers. Or you can knead it on a flour surface to reach the proper consistency.
Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes so the dough firms up and is easier to work with.
You can refrigerate this dough for up to 3 days. However, if you leave it in the fridge more than a few hours you may need to knead in a bit more flour as the spinach in the dough will release more water with time.Roll out into your desired pasta shape.
Cook in heavily salted water at a rolling boil for 2-3 minutes or until the pasta floats to the top. When it floats to the top it is done cooking. Enjoy!