Spinach Pasta Noodles
Here is a great way to add more nutritional value to your noodles. We’ve modified our delicious Egg Noodle recipe, and added fresh spinach puree. Mixing and rolling out your own noodles takes less than 30 minutes, and the best part is that you can cut your dough into whatever shape of pasta you need.
Making pasta dough is all about feel – regardless of how much flour the recipe calls for. For example, the amount of flour used can vary up to ¼ cup depending on the humidity of your kitchen, and the size of eggs you use. The bigger the eggs, the more moisture, and the more flour you’ll need to add. Take note of the dough, and knead in just enough flour until its no longer sticky, and easy to handle.
Once you’ve steamed the spinach, press out as much of the excess moisture as you can using paper towels or a clean kitchen towel.
Combine the spinach and egg yolks and puree until smooth, add the egg whites and oil and mix until smooth. 
An immersion blender makes pureeing the spinach into a smooth mixture really easy. Combine 1 cup of the flour, and all remaining ingredients.
Once mixed together, the dough will be quite sticky. Turn out onto surface with remaining 1/4 cup of flour, and knead it in until dough is no longer sticky and easy to handle.
With gluten free dough’s (be it noodles or breads) you knead the final amount of flour into the dough until its no longer sticky. Whereas in wheat dough’s, in addition to that, the process of kneading develops the gluten within the dough making the dough smooth and strong (think of pizza dough being flung high in the air over and over again, getting larger and larger in circumference, all without breaking…this is due to the strength the developed gluten is providing to the dough).
If you have time, wrap the dough tightly in plastic, and let sit on counter for 30 minutes to rest. This allows the flours (which are slower to absorb liquids compared to wheat flours) to fully absorb all the liquids, making the dough easier to roll out and less prone to cracking. Although you can still roll it out right away without letting it rest, and it will still work just fine.
Divide dough into 2 or 3 pieces and roll out as thin as you can get it. Use a knife or pizza cutter to cut the dough into your desired shapes. Discard scraps as they are too hard to form into a smooth dough again.
Spinach Pasta Noodles
Ingredients
- 3 eggs separated and divided
- 120 g 4.5oz fresh spinach
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 ¼ cups GFC Flour Blend for Baking divided
- 4 tsp xanthan gum
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Place egg yolks in a small dish, and the egg whites in measuring cup (you'll only use 1/4 cup of the egg whites). Set aside.
- To prepare the spinach, steam the spinach until tender and wilted, about 8 minutes. Drain, allow to cool in steamer basket. Once cool enough to handle, squeeze out excess water with hands. Lay out onto a clean kitchen towel, and press out the remaining water. Using an immersion blender or blender, add spinach and pulse until puree.
- Add egg yolks and puree for about 10 seconds until completely smooth. Add ¼ cup of the egg whites (discard the rest), the oil, and pulse until combined.
- In a large bowl whisk together 1 cup of the flour, gum and salt. Pour in the spinach mixture and mix until smooth and a sticky dough forms. Turn dough out onto floured surface (use remaining ¼ cup) and a knead flour into dough until it is no longer sticky.
- Once the dough is mixed, shape into a ball, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. This will allow the flours to hydrate and creates a smoother dough, less prone to cracking when rolling out.
- Since the scraps do not re-roll well, divide dough into 3 and roll out, cutting into desired shapes.
- Boil pasta in salted water, and test after 8 minutes. This pasta tends to cook faster than plain egg noodles, due to the extra moisture content from the spinach.
- If desired, freeze any uncooked (cut) pasta on a baking sheet (not touching each other). Once solid, you can combine it all together into one container and freeze for up to 3 months.
Is it possible to use canned or frozen spinach by measuring the spinach after the liquid is pressed out–and if so what amount should be used–in cups– for us here in America.
Thanks Angie–I am so eager to try this recipe!!!
Could a similar recipe be developed for spinach wraps like you can buy in the store–but which contain wheat flour?
Absolutely love your recipes!!!
Thanks Marla for all these gluten free fresh recipes. Much appreciated!
I’m so glad you’re enjoying them! Thanks for letting me know!
I’m sure you can use canned or frozen spinach, however I have never cooked with either spinach so I really can’t comment on how the texture would be. I didn’t measure the spinach once I squeezed all the moisture out of it, but from the pictures I would guess it was 1/4-1/3 cup (next time I make this I’ll make note of it!). Spinach Wraps…That’s a great idea!!! I will add it to my list of new recipes to create, and will let you know once its perfected!
Hi
Thanks for your help
Do you have a recipe for gluten free bread. I don’t use a bread machine I make all my stuff by hand. Iam a great baker or regular white bread,but the recipes I researched have no recipe on making gluten free bread by kneading by hand and letting it sit to rise thank you
I would first start by reading our: Secret to Baking Gluten Free Bread. For some dough’s, other than working in the last bit of flours so the dough isn’t sticky, kneading is not required for gluten free breads. Kneading is what ‘works’ the gluten so you get elasticity and other of those wondrous properties of gluten. But since gluten is a no-go, there is no need to work the proteins in gluten free flours, since they cannot do what wheat flours do. If you use yeast, by all means you need to let it rise – gluten free breads need all the help they can get.
The flavor and texture of gluten free breads is very subjective I’ve found. What one person likes, another may not. For me, I love to use these flatbread and baguette recipes. Let me know how your bread turns out!
Hi, I used frozen spinach when I tried this recipe. I cooked it, drained it, and when it was cool enough pressed out the remaining liquid using paper towels. It worked just fine. One tip is to get the pasta rolled as thin as you can as it puffs a little when you boil it. This recipe gets a big ‘yummy’. PS; my family had no idea it was gluten free.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE hearing that nobody could tell it was gluten free!!! Thanks for letting us know, have a great day!
This sounds great. Have you ever come up with a tomato pasta? Combined with the spinach it might be a good alternative to the tri-colored pasta.
That sounds like a great (and tasty idea), I will add it to my ‘to-do’ list!
Would love to see a keto friendly low carb version of this, could you use almond flour instead?
I’m actually working a a bunch of keto recipes right now! Stay tuned…I’m playing with pasta recipes as well 🙂
Can i use this dough to make ravioli? Just want to be sure i can get the two layers to stick together with either milk or egg as a binder.