A Quick And Easy Green Pasta Dough Is Only 2 Ingredients Away

If you've ever shied away at making pasta from scratch, we don't blame you. It can be a labor of love that makes using store bought seem like a no brainer. Typically, homemade pasta is made from eggs, flour, olive oil, and salt and is often mixed by hand. This process can be somewhat difficult to master but most food critics and diners alike will agree it's worth it, because homemade is so much better.

Making pasta this way can feel daunting, but it doesn't have to be so scary with a quick and easy green pasta dough. With just two simple ingredients (flour and spinach), you can have a fast and fresh pasta that tastes just like an Italian nonna would make. The beauty of this recipe is that it comes together in your food processor, so it's already halfway done once it's time to knead the dough. And once you learn to finesse this recipe, there's no going back.

When making pasta from scratch, using Italian Flour 00 is often recommended because it's easier to roll out and helps to create a more dense and chewy pasta (you can use all-purpose or perhaps another type of flour in a pinch, but you'll notice a change in the pasta's texture). Remember that, when you add fresh spinach to the flour, the moisture from the greens will help create a tender dough, which is why you can get away with skipping the eggs (just as well if your local grocery store is putting egg limits on your purchase).

To make this bright pasta dough, you'll need roughly three cups of spinach and about 1.5 cups of flour. Add ingredients to a food processor and blend until a soft and sticky dough forms. You can always add more spinach if the dough appears too dry. Once the dough comes together, knead it on a clean surface for about 10 minutes or until it's smooth and elastic. Cover dough in plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes. Dust with more flour and run it through a pasta maker until it's reached the desired thickness. At that point, they're ready to be shaped and then gently cooked to perfection. Just remember to let the water boil first.