You Only Need 2 Ingredients For Fresh Spinach Pasta In A Flash
There's nothing quite like homemade pasta. Although store-bought pasta certainly gets the job done, with a version made from scratch, you'll get fuller flavors as well as fewer preservatives and additives in your meal.
Making homemade pasta doesn't have to be complicated, either. Originally debuted by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, there's a recipe that went viral on social media thanks to its calling for just two ingredients: spinach and flour. All you have to do is throw the two ingredients into your food processor and blitz them until they come together to form a pasta dough. Then, roll them into whatever shape you like, whether that's classic noodles, farfalle, or even just chunks. The fresh pasta dough will have a slight spinach flavor and a bright green color that will make your meal look extra appetizing.
Better yet, this recipe doesn't call for any eggs, as traditional pasta dough does. As a result, it's not only tasty and easy to make, but it's also vegan. Plus, with the possibility of using gluten-free flour, you'll be able to make a hearty platter for guests with a wide range of diets.
Choosing your ingredients
When making this recipe, one thing to consider is what kinds of ingredients you'll use. For starters, you'll want to think about the type of spinach you use. Fresh spinach is a great option here, as it's full of flavor and contains natural moisture. You can use either mature or baby spinach; with baby spinach, however, you don't have to worry about removing large stems. Besides fresh spinach, you can also use frozen or cooked spinach. In this case, you'll want to blend the spinach into a creamy liquid before adding any flour.
When it comes to the flour, you can use any type you like for this recipe. Some cooks, like Oliver, recommend using 00 flour, which has a finer ground and a more neutral flavor that lets the taste of the spinach shine through. Using 00 flour creates a stretchier dough that won't rip as easily when you roll it into thin noodles, and it has a slightly higher protein content than all-purpose flour, creating a denser texture, which is perfect for pasta-making. Semolina flour is also commonly used when making pasta, as it also has a high protein content and creates a heartier pasta. However, you don't have to use 00 or semolina flour. Other options work well, too, like the standard all-purpose flour, which most people already have on hand in their kitchen cupboards. The only difference is that all-purpose flour, having less protein, will yield slightly more spongey and soft pasta. For a gluten-free option, oat flour works well and can add a nutty and toasty flavor to your pasta.
Other tips and tricks for the perfect fresh spinach pasta
Choosing your ingredients is just half the battle when it comes to making perfect homemade spinach pasta. Another thing to keep in mind is how much spinach and flour you're using in your recipe. Typically, you'll want to use the same weight of flour as spinach, so, for example, 4 ounces of flour to 4 ounces of spinach. However, you can also use cups. In this case, about 1 cup of flour for 3 cups of packed spinach should work, although the amount of spinach can vary quite drastically, depending on how much moisture it contains and how tightly it's packed.
As you process the ingredients, however, you may find that you need to adjust the amount of spinach or flour. Adding a bit more spinach can help create a stickier dough, as the dark, leafy greens will add some moisture. You can also add a dash of water to help bring the dough together. If you need to make your dough less sticky, on the other hand, you can sprinkle in a bit of extra flour. Just be extra careful, as this can make your pasta hard and dry after you've cooked it.
With your dough perfected, you'll need to remove it from your blender or food processor and knead it to help it come together, which should only take about 10 minutes. Next, cover the dough and let it rest for 15 to 30 minutes to let the gluten relax, which will make the dough easier to shape. Then, finish the whole thing up by rolling and shaping your pasta into long, thin noodles, or use this simple scissor cut technique. Finally, pop the pieces in a pot of boiling water and watch it cook in just 5 to 10 minutes, making sure to check on the pieces to get an al dente texture. From there, all that's left to do is serve, eat, and enjoy!