Homemade Spinach Whole Wheat Pasta

Pull that pasta machine out of the basement and make a batch of this Homemade Spinach Whole Wheat Pasta! This unique homemade pasta tastes amazing!

Italian is absolutely one of my favorite types of food.  It could be the fact that so many Italian dishes offer easy ways to include fresh produce.  It could be because some of the best Italian dishes come from recipes which have been passed through families for generations.  Either way, we eat a lot of Italian in our house!

Now that the weather is getting warmer, I’ve been eager to include more green colors on my plate.  (In truth, we should be eating green-colored food throughout the year, but there is just something about the Spring that inspires me to make fresh, colorful dishes.)  

Every so often, I’ll get in the kitchen and make a big batch of fresh pasta.  If you’ve ever made pasta before, then you know it’s a relatively easy process, but it can be time consuming.  So once I get the pasta machine out, I usually make a lot!  (It freezes well, or you can also dry it for future use, too.) (On a side note, I highly recommend this pasta machine if you don’t have one!)

This past week, I decided to combine my desire for fresh pasta with the urge to include green…and the result was this Spinach Whole Wheat Pasta.  Talk about delicious and healthy…not to mention beautiful!  (That’s right, I just called my pasta beautiful.)

If you’ve never made your own homemade pasta, then you are missing out!  Once you take a bite, you’ll never want to go back.  Here’s a couple quick tips for making homemade pasta:

• Homemade pasta is a process.  Don’t try to rush it!  And it also takes a bit of practice.  If it doesn’t work well the first time, then try again!
• Semolina is the traditional flour used in homemade pasta, but many people prefer a half semolina and half all-purpose flour combination.  You could also go entirely all-purpose flour.  Experiment with several different combinations to see which you prefer!
• It’s a good idea to let your dough rest for about an hour after mixing.  This not only allows the liquid to become fully absorbed, but it also allows the dough to rest…which will make it easier to roll out.
• The ratios of flour to liquid are not necessarily exact.  You may find that you need a bit more water if your dough looks too dry.  Alternatively, you may find that your dough needs a bit more flour.  The ratios in this recipe worked for me, but don’t hesitate to add a small amount of additional water or flour depending on your dough!
• Fresh pasta cooks much, much faster than dried pasta, so once it goes into the boiling water, watch it closely.  It should cook in several minutes at the most.

For another style of homemade pasta, check out this post on How to Make Ricotta Gnocchi!

Homemade Spinach Whole Wheat Pasta

Pull that pasta machine out of the basement and make a batch of this Homemade Spinach Whole Wheat Pasta! This unique homemade pasta tastes amazing!

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Resting Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 1 hour hour 40 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 181kcal

Ingredients

• 1½ cups spinach stems removed and leaves torn into pieces
• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup semolina flour
• ½ tsp salt
• 3 eggs
• water for steaming spinach

Instructions

• In a medium sauce pan, steam the spinach until leaves are tender (about 8-10 minutes).
• Transfer the spinach to a food processor, but don’t discard the water used to steam the spinach.
• Pulse the spinach in the food processor until it reaches a paste-like consistency.
• Add all ingredients to the bowl of a countertop mixer with the dough hook attached.
• Mix on medium speed for 5-6 minutes. Depending on the consistency of your dough, add the reserved spinach water 1 Tbsp at a time until dough becomes stiff but supple. (I used 3 Tbsp of spinach water.) If the dough tears when you try to knead it, then add another Tbsp of water.
• Place the dough in a small bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let dough rest for approximately one hour.
• Using a pasta machine, roll the dough into desired shape and thickness. (I chose to make lasagna sheets, and I rolled the dough until it reached the 2nd lowest setting on my pasta machine.)
• Either cook the pasta or place in sandwich bag and freeze. Fresh pasta cooks much faster than dried pasta (a couple minutes at the most), so watch it closely! (If you freeze fresh pasta, dust it lightly with semolina flour to keep from sticking together.)

Notes

As you roll the pasta dough, keep both the rolled pieces and unrolled portion of dough covered. Pasta dough dries out quickly, so keep it covered at all times.