Turn Flour Into Fresh Green Pasta With One Ingredient

A quick trip to the grocery store can get you a few boxes of pasta in no time, and from there on, you're just a 10-minute boil away from a filling, satisfying dinner. Still, even with this undeniable convenience, there's a special joy in making fresh pasta that remains unmatched. It certainly helps that the dough can be assembled from mere pantry essentials, such as eggs, salt, olive oil, and flour. If you've got a bag of spinach, it's even easier since you can skip out on everything but the flour. That's right. As unbelievable as it may sound, thanks to the spinach's excess moisture, there's no need to use the eggs as binders or oil to moisten. This leafy green and flour are all you need to make green pasta from scratch.

This starts with a quick blend of the washed spinach and flour until the two fully combine. The rest of the process isn't too different from regular pasta. Just knead to fully merge the ingredients until you get a soft and pliable, but slightly tacky dough. Then, plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes. Afterward, divide the dough in half or any other suitable portion, coat it in flour to prevent stickiness, and run it through the pasta maker. Continue folding and flattening until it reaches a desired thinness. When the sheets are done, you can make them into whichever types of pasta you like, from pappardelle, fettuccine, spaghetti, and lasagne to ravioli and tortellini.

There are plenty of mistakes to avoid when making pasta, and for this spinach rendition, they start with the ingredients. A correct ratio is crucial — for around 2 to 4 packed cups of spinach, you'll need 1 cup of flour. Too much spinach and the dough will be soggy, but too little and it will be too powdery to set. After washing, make sure the veggie is completely dry before using it so the dough doesn't turn out too soft. While all-purpose flour is always acceptable, it's worth going the extra mile with 00 flour for the best possible result. For those wondering what is 00 flour and how it is used, it's a finely ground Italian flour integral to creating the tender and flexible yet slightly firm texture in good pizza and pasta.

As for the dough, there's always room for adjustment. If it seems dry and crumbly, add a bit more spinach to the blender or food processor and blend again. On the other hand, if it's too sticky, consider sprinkling in a pinch of flour. When done, make sure the blend is smooth with as few spinach chunks as possible for a satisfying texture in the end. As you're flattening the dough, don't forget to cover up the portions that aren't being used to prevent them from drying out. Also, keep in mind that the spinach dough might not hold up as well when cooked as regular pasta, so don't make it too thin.