Despite the gluten-free, low-carb fads of the last few years; I have remained a dedicated pasta devotee. But I am super sensitive to the amount of white carbs and sugar in my food- meaning I have fallen asleep while studying after a carb rich meal. Even in the library, like head down on the table, dreaming, drooling- you get the picture.

So when I learned how to make my own pasta and infuse it with flavors and veggies and leave out the added sugars, my life was complete. Now I get my pasta fix without the midday nap. It may be a little more labor intensive than boiling that boxed rigatoni, but I promise it is worth it for your health, your taste buds and even your wallet.

One of my favorites is a spinach basil pasta which is loaded with nutrients and flavor. I use my Kitchen Aid Pasta Attachment to roll out the dough and cut it, but you can also do it my hand.

Serves: 4                                    Prep Time: 1.5 hours

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of your favorite flour (all purpose white flour, ‘00’ flour are both great options)

• 2 eggs

• 6 oz of spinach

• Olive Oil (I love using garlic olive oil for a little extra flavor)

• A handful of basil leaves

Recipe

1.     Heat 1 table spoon of olive oil into a small pan on medium heat. Add spinach

2.     Cook spinach in olive oil until wilted (don’t burn it!)

3.     When done the spinach needs to cool. I like to pour the spinach with olive oil into my blender (blend for 30 seconds) and place it in the freezer for 5-10 minutes until cool.
The key here is to cool the spinach so when you add the eggs you don’t cook them!

4.     In a large bowl (or on a clean surface), measure 2 cups of flour. Make a well in the middle for your wet ingredients.

5.     Once the spinach is cool, add the handful of basil to the blender. Add 2 eggs to the blender and blend until smooth.
You may need to add a touch more olive oil if not blending into a smooth paste.

6.    Pour the mixture into the center of the flour and knead until smooth. You may need to wet your hands or add a small amount of flour to get the right texture. You want the dough to be soft, but not sticky.

7.     Wrap the dough in saran wrap and let rest for 30 minutes (or more if you would like)

8.     After 30 minutes, unwrap the dough and cut into at least quarters. When working with a portion of the dough make sure to keep the rest covered.

9. Roll out each portion (by hand or with an attachment). If using the Kitchen Aid attachment, I roll to at least a 6 and up to an 8 if I have a thicker dough. You want it to be a substantial pasta (no holes), but also thin so it melts when you eat it. Roll it at a speed of 1 or 2.

10. When rolled to your desired thickness, you can cut the pasta with knife or with an attachment. Once again if using an attachment, run it through at a speed of 1 or 2.

To eat: Boil a pot of water and salt generously. Cook for about 3 minutes - fresh pasta cooks so quickly so stay close and taste test it frequently! Add your favorite sauce, spices, or veggies and enjoy!

To store: Hang the pasta to dry (on a dryer, or on kitchen surfaces- I use cabinet doors….) Once dry, I like to store in gallon size zip lock bags.

Tips:

• I use ‘00’ pasta because it finer and great for getting that smooth, melt in your mouth texture

• Experiment with the amounts of spinach, basil, flavored olive oil, or other spices to make flavored pastas!

• If you want to make more or less the rule I always go buy is for every cup of flour use one egg. So if you want to use 6 cups of flour, use 6 eggs! Then you can add bits of water or flour to get the texture just right.

• This stores beautifully, so make it as a family activity or date night and save it for weeks of homemade pasta!