Step 1

There are two ways to prepare the spinach when making these spinach noodles (check recipe notes for the second method).

Step 2

I rinse the spinach leaves then feed them into my juicer to obtain the spinach juice.If you don’t have a juicer, you may be able to add a little water and the spinach to a blender and blend into a smooth puree/juice, and then pour it through a nut milk bag or cheesecloth to squeeze out all the juice. This isn’t a method I’ve tried, though, so I can’t guarantee results – it’s a method that works for various other juice recipes, though.The leftover pulp can be collected and spread on a tray (ow within a dehydrator) to dry out and be ground into green spinach powder.

Step 3

Add your flour in a mound onto a clean working surface and then create a well in the center and add the spinach and oil to it.

Step 4

Using a fork, whisk from the center, slowly incorporating the flour into the spinach oil mixture to create a rough (‘shaggy’) dough, and then knead it with your hands until it is smooth and elastic.Alternatively, you can do this process with a stand mixer or food processor (with dough blade) – adding the ingredients and mixing until you obtain a smooth green pasta dough.

Step 5

If the dough is too wet and sticks to your hand, add a little more flour and knead until smooth. If it’s too dry, add a little more liquid. But be patient because the dough can look a little dry, to begin with as it takes a while to absorb the moisture from the spinach juice – keep kneading and only right at the end of this step decide if you need a little extra flour/liquid.

Step 6

Allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap. This will let the gluten in the flour relax. This is so that when you roll out and shape the dough, it doesn’t try to spring back into shape. Once rested, it should be tender and easy to roll out/work with.

Step 7

At the same time, while it rests, gather any ingredients/ items you’ll need for shaping the dough; a rolling pin, extra flour/semolina flour, a knife or bench scraper, and a clean kitchen towel. If you have a pasta machine, then get that out now too.

Step 8

Once rested, divide the green pasta dough into smaller, more manageable pieces (4-6 pieces). It’s now time to roll out and shape the spinach noodles.If you’re using a pasta extruder, then there is no need to roll out the dough first. Just add as much dough as possible and press to extrude the pasta shapes.Alternatively, you can use a pasta machine or roll out the dough by hand (if you have no pasta machine).

Step 9

Working with one section at a time (keeping the other wrapped tightly), use a rolling pin to roll out the dough to between 2-3mm, dusting the surface and top of the pasta with additional flour.

Step 10

Once rolled out, you can use the pasta sheet for several types of pasta shapes, including lasagna sheets, ravioli, and to make spinach noodles (ribbon, pappardelle, fettuccine, etc.)

Step 11

To cut the spinach noodles: liberally sprinkle the top of the pasta dough with additional flour and then loosely roll it up, trim the ends of the roll and then chop your noodles as thin/wide as you’d like them to be. Toss the noodles with more flour, and voila!To further perfect this step. Only roll out the dough to the length that you want the noodles to be and trim the edges, so it’s a neat rectangle before rolling it up.

Step 12

Repeat this will the remaining dough until it’s all ready. You should keep any prepared pasta under a clean kitchen towel to stop it drying out – unless you plan on drying the pasta, that is.

Step 13

Working with one section of dough at a time, roughly flatten it enough to fit the widest setting of your pasta machine.

Step 14

Feed it through the machine, then fold the dough like a letter (both sides into the middle, overlapping) and re-feed the dough through the widest setting another three times.

Step 15

Then work your way through the pasta settings, feeding it through once every time until you reach your desired pasta dough thickness.

Step 16

You can then hand-cut the pasta shapes or use the pasta machine's separate attachments for various spinach noodles (spaghetti and wider noodles, usually). Repeat this with the remaining dough. You can then cook any pasta immediately or dry/store it for later.

Step 17

To dry the pasta, you can use hanging apparatus or form the noodles into nests and allow them to dry out at room temperature or within a dehydrator until they ‘snap’ rather than bend.

Step 18

Fridge: Aim to use fresh pasta dough within 1-2 days. Meanwhile, store it in an airtight container in the fridge until it’s ready to use, sprinkled with lots of flour to avoid sticking.Freeze: I like to freeze these spinach noodles in ‘nests.’ form nests with one portion of the pasta and sprinkle with extra flour. Lay the nests on a tray and freeze until solid, then store in an airtight container for between 2-3 months. If you dry the pasta first, then you can store it for 6 months.Dried: Once the pasta is dried, you can store it at room temperature for several months.

Step 19

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the spinach noodles, stirring to stop them from sticking.

Step 20

Cook the spinach noodle until al dente. This should only take 1 1/2-3 minutes (usually 1-2 minutes longer using frozen spinach pasta and 2-4minutes longer using the dried pasta).

Step 21

Once ready, drain and serve with the sauce of your choice!This can take a different amount of time depending on the thickness and shape of the pasta.