One of the staples in our refrigerator is a package of fresh spinach.
We use it for everything—putting it on sandwiches or burgers, wilting it into omelets and using it as a taco topping.
Despite its constant use, there often comes a time where it starts to go just a bit bad. It still tastes good, but it doesn’t look as nice, and it definitely loses that fresh crunch you’re looking for when you eat it raw.
In the past, this led to unfortunate food waste, but after I watched a video online recently, I knew I finally had the solution for this sad, wilting mess: turning it into fresh pasta.
The recipe I found is super easy. It comes from Maya Leinenbach, a German influencer who posts under the account “fitgreenmind” on Instagram. She focuses on plant-based recipes. I didn’t change the recipe because it was super simple, but I did determine the amounts and refine the directions for you.
Three-Ingredient Spinach Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cup flour I used bread flour
- 1 cup fresh spinach
- large pinch salt
Instructions
- Add the flour, fresh spinach and salt to a food processor, and process until the mixture forms a dough. If it is too dry to come together, add a little more spinach. If it’s too sticky to handle, add just a touch of flour.
- Dump the dough onto a clean countertop and knead several times until the dough is smooth, and there are no more white streaks from the flour. Form it into a ball and leave it on the counter, under a bowl (so it doesn’t dry out), until your pasta sauce is ready and it’s time to boil the pasta.
- To cook the pasta, fill a large pot with water and salt it liberally. Bring it to a boil.
- Using a clean pair of kitchen shears, start snipping pieces of dough off the sides of the ball into the boiling water. Try to keep them about the same size. Mine were about one-fourth inch wide and one inch long. (Don’t worry too much about making them look pretty.)
- Boil for about three minutes. The pasta will float to the top of the water when it’s done. Drain the pasta and add it to your sauce. Serve immediately.
This made about two nice-sized servings of pasta. The spinach taste was pretty mild, and depending on the sauce, you wouldn’t even be able to tell it was there, outside of the color, so if you are trying to sneak more vegetables onto the table, this is a great way to do it.
It was really easy to make and made me feel like a real chef for just a moment. Also, I think you could shape this pasta a bit if you’re not into the goofy shapes. I wish I could tell you about leftovers, but we finished it off right away, so I’m not sure, but based on the texture, I’m guessing it would reheat OK.
And now I have something to make the next time our spinach starts looking a little sad. It’s a great option to keep food waste down while also enjoying a fabulous plate of pasta.
This piece first appeared in print on Oct. 3, 2024.
Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.
