Homemade spinach fettuccine is made from scratch and is perfect with your favorite sauce. This homemade fettuccine pasta recipe is made with just three ingredients and has the brightest green color that is sure to be your new favorite.
There is nothing like fresh homemade pasta. The flavor and texture are nothing like the packaged dry pasta, but it does take a little bit of extra time. I usually reserve making fresh pasta for special occasions, such as birthdays or holidays.
This spinach fettuccine is great with chicken caprese, italian salmon or mini lemon cheesecakes for dessert!
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🥬 Ingredient notes
- Spinach - Either fresh spinach that is cooked down or frozen spinach can be used. Either way, just make sure to drain as much liquid from it before adding it to the flour and eggs.
- Flour - 00 flour or semolina flour typically makes the best pasta. All purpose will also work as well. Depending on how much liquid is in the spinach and the actual size of the eggs, the amount of flour may vary.
- Eggs - The pasta will mix together better if your eggs are room temperature.
📋 Substitutions and variations
- Different shapes - This pasta dough can be used for spaghetti, ravioli or left in sheets for italian lasagna!
🥣 Step by step instructions
First, pulse your spinach in a food processor (affiliate link) until it's pureed and then add in 2 cups of the flour and the eggs and pulse until the dough just comes together.
Add in extra flour a little at a time until the dough is no longer sticky. Turn the dough out onto a flour surface, divide in smaller pieces and let it rest.
Next, roll out each piece of dough using a pasta machine (affiliate link) or a stand mixer with pasta rolling and cutting attachments (affiliate link). Start on the widest setting and run the dough through.
Then, fold the dough over onto itself twice and then run it through again. Repeat this process four total times, sprinkling the dough with more flour if it gets sticky.
Drop the roller to the next thinnest setting and run the pasta dough through it once. Continue on until the dough is the desired thickness.
For fettuccine, I usually like using a 3 or 4. Lastly, run the rolled out dough through the cutter and separate the noodles.
Cook the noodles in boiling salted water for 3-5 minutes until they float to the top. Drain and toss with your favorite sauce and enjoy!
If you ever don't recognize a tool or skill that is mentioned, be sure to look it up in our Glossary of Cooking Terms and Definitions for more information.
⭐ Expert tips
- Make sure to fold and run the pasta dough through the roller at least four times before starting to thin it out. This will help to "knead" the dough to give you the right consistency.
- Keep the dough well floured as your are rolling and cutting. If the dough gets too sticky, it won't roll out and cut properly.
- Toss the cut noodles lightly with flour and allow them to rest in small nests or piles until you are ready to cook them.
- Fresh pasta cooks quickly, so only cook them until they float to the top to avoid mushy noodles
- ALWAYS cook pasta in boiling salted water to help flavor it. For 1 pound of pasta, use 4 quarts of water and 1 Tablespoon of salt.
💭 Frequently asked questions
Fresh pasta is really a treat and it's also a fun project. It takes a little bit of time to roll it out and cut it, but it's worth it!
If your homemade pasta is tough, you have probably added too much flour. The dough should not be sticking, but slightly tacky. If it's tough and hard to roll out, add water, 1 Tablespoon at a time until the dough softens.
⏲️ Make ahead and storage instructions
The fresh spinach pasta dough can be made up to 2 days ahead of time. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator. To make rolling easier, take the dough out of the refrigerator 30 minutes prior to rolling and cutting.
Leftover cooked spinach fettuccine will keep for 3-5 days when stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat leftovers in a pan over medium heat on the stovetop with a little extra sauce.
🍝 More pasta recipes
If you enjoyed this spinach fettuccine recipe, try these other pasta dishes that I know you will love.
- Linguine Frutti Di Mare
- Pasta with Pancetta and Peas
- Classic Italian Lasagna with Ricotta Cheese
- Roasted Chicken Broccoli Alfredo
📖 Recipe
Homemade Spinach Fettuccine
Ingredients
- 3 ounces well drained cooked or frozen spinach, approximately 4 cups fresh spinach
- 3 large eggs
- 2 - 2½ cups 00 flour (affiliate link), plus extra for rolling and cutting
Instructions
- In a food processor (affiliate link), pulse the spinach until pureed.
- Add the eggs and 2 cups of the flour and pulse until the dough just comes together. Add in more flour as needed until the dough forms a ball and is no longer sticky.
- Remove dough from the food processor and turn out onto a floured surface. Cut dough into 8 equal pieces and form into rectangles. Let rest for 10 minutes.
- Starting with the widest setting on your pasta roller (affiliate link) (usually 1), run one of the rectangles of dough through the roller. Fold the dough in half and then in half again to make a smaller rectangle. Run the rectangle through the roller again and then repeat this process another three times until the dough is smooth. If the dough is sticking or if it starts to rip, sprinkle generously with flour and continue.
- Then, move the roller to the next setting (2) and run the pasta sheet through once to thin it out. Continue to do this with the next settings, until the desired thickness is acheived. A 3 or 4 is recommended for fettuccine noodles. Repeat the rolling process with the remaining pieces of dough.
- Next, run the rolled out pasta sheets through the cutter and separate the noodles. Add extra flour to the sheets if they are sticking together. Lay each set of cut noodles in nests on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and let rest while preparing for cooking.
- Fill a large pot with 4 quarts of water and 1 Tablespoon of kosher salt. Place on the stovetop over high heat and bring to a boil.
- Add in fresh noodles to the boiling salted water, return to a boil and cook for 3-5 minutes or until noodles float to the top and are cooked through.
- Drain noodles from the pasta water and toss with your favorite sauce.
Notes
- Make sure to fold and run the pasta dough through the roller at least four times before starting to thin it out. This will help to "knead" the dough to give the the pasta the right consistency.
- Keep the dough well floured during rolling and cutting. If the dough gets too sticky, it won't roll out and cut properly.
- Toss the cut noodles lightly with flour after and allow them to rest in small nests or piles until cooking time.
- Fresh pasta cooks quickly, so only cook it until it floats to the top to avoid mushy noodles.
- ALWAYS cook pasta in boiling salted water to help flavor it. For 1 pound of pasta, use 4 quarts of water and 1 Tablespoon of salt.
- If the pasta dough is too tough, there was probably too much flour added. Add water, 1 Tablespoon at a time until the dough softens.
Substitutions and Variations
- Different shapes - This pasta dough can be used for spaghetti, ravioli or left in sheets for italian lasagna!
- Spinach - Either fresh spinach that is cooked down or frozen spinach can be used. Make sure to drain as much liquid from it before adding it to the flour and eggs.
- Flour - 00 flour or semolina flour works best for this pasta, however, all purpose flour can also be used.
D
What a great recipe! Can this be dried to store for later cooking?
Amanda
Thank you! You can dry them out for about an hour and then transfer to the refrigerator for 24 hours. If you are wanting to keep them longer than that - I recommend freezing them in nests after drying them.