Green Pasta Dough Recipes

MAKING GREEN PASTA DOUGH

Steps:

• Rinse the spinach leaves, drain well and mash finely with 2-3 tablespoons of water. Strain through a sieve with a fine cloth into a pot. Heat slowly to 65°C (approximately 150°F). Skim the surface with a tea strainer.
• Separate the eggs and discard the egg whites. proteins. Make a well in the flour and fill with egg yolks, spinach water, salt, butter, nutmeg and oil. Use a fork to stir into a thick batter. Knead with hands to form a solid, smooth dough.
• Form into a ball, sprinkle with flour and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• Process further according to recipe instructions.

MEAN GREEN PASTA CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• For the pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the penne and cook until al dente according to the package instructions. Drain and set aside.
• For the pureed greens: Meanwhile, add the spinach, arugula, basil, mint, parsley, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper and garlic to a food processor. With the machine running, drizzle in the olive oil and puree. Stop before the mixture is completely smooth; you want a bit of texture. Set aside.
• For the cheese sauce: Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Sprinkle in the flour and mustard powder, whisking to combine. Cook, whisking constantly, for a minute or so. Pour in the milk, whisking constantly. Cook the sauce until thick and bubbly, 3 to 5 minutes. Whisk in the half-and-half, salt and pepper. Add the Cheddar, fontina and Monterey Jack. Stir until the cheese all melts.
• For the assembly: Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan.
• Combine the melted butter, breadcrumbs and parsley in a small bowl.
• Add the cooked penne to the cheese sauce, making sure every noodle is covered in sauce. Next, stir in the pureed greens until barely combined. Pour the pasta mixture into the buttered baking pan and top evenly with the breadcrumbs. Bake until bubbly and golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.
• If you are serving later, top the assembled casserole with aluminum foil and pop in the freezer. When you are ready to serve, allow it to thaw in the fridge overnight and bake the following day at 350 degrees F until golden brown and cooked through, about 1 hour covered and an additional 15 minutes uncovered.

EASY HOMEMADE PASTA DOUGH

Steps:

• Beat flour, eggs, olive oil, and salt together in a bowl. Add water, 1 teaspoon at a time, to flour mixture until a smooth and very thick dough forms.
• Turn dough out onto a work surface and knead for 10 minutes. Let dough rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Divide dough into 8 balls and use a pasta machine to roll and cut dough into desired pasta shape.

GREEN PASTA DOUGH

Steps:

• Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil. Place a bowl filled with water and ice next to the stove top. Plunge the spinach into the boiling water and blanch for 1 minute. Remove from the boiling water with a slotted spoon and immerse in the ice water. When cooled, remove from the water, squeeze in a towel to dry and place in the bowl of a food processor. Puree until a very fine paste forms.
• Mound 3 1/2 cups of the flour in the center of a large wooden cutting board. Make a well in the middle of the flour and add the egg and spinach and the olive oil. Using a fork, beat together the eggs and oil and begin to incorporate the flour, starting with the inner rim of the well.
• As you expand the well, keep pushing the flour up from the base of the mound to retain the well shape. The dough will come together when half of the flour is incorporated.
• Start kneading the dough with both hands, using the palms of your hands. Once you have a cohesive mass, remove the dough from the board and scrape up and discard any leftover bits. Lightly re-flour the board and continue kneading for six more minutes. The dough should be elastic and a little sticky. Wrap the dough in plastic and allow to rest for 30 minutes at room temperature. Roll out to the thinnest setting on a pasta rolling machine. Cut the pasta into 1/4-inch wide ribbons, place on a sheet tray that has been liberally sprinkled with semolina flour, cover with clean towels and set aside.

GREEN PASTA (FOR LASAGNA)

Steps:

• Wash spinach several times in changes of water until grit free. Cook, covered in just the water that clings to the leaves, until it is tender. Cool and squeeze dry. Mince finely and squeeze dry again. Set flour and salt in food processor and process to combine. Add eggs, oil and spinach and process until combined and begins to form a ball. Add more water, a teaspoon at a time, if dough is too dry. Process 30 seconds. Remove dough from the processor and let it rest, covered with an inverted bowl at room temperature for 1 hour. Set the smooth rollers of a pasta machine at the widest setting. Divide dough into 4 pieces. Flatten 1 piece into a rectangle and cover remaining pieces with an inverted bowl. Dust rectangle with flour and feed it through rollers. Fold rectangle in half, dusting lightly with flour, and feed it through rollers 6 to 8 more times to knead. Fold in half each time and dust with flour, if necessary, so dough does not stick to roller. Turn dial down one notch and feed the dough through the rollers without folding. Turn the dial lower one notch each time until the second to last notch is reached.

MEDITERRANEAN PASTA WITH GREENS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Stir in pasta, cook for 10 to 12 minutes, until al dente, and drain.
• Place chard in a microwave safe bowl. Fill bowl about 1/2 full with water. Cook on High in the microwave 5 minutes, until limp; drain.
• Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes, kalamata olives, green olives, and garlic. Mix in the chard. Cook and stir until tender. Toss with pasta and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese to serve.