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How to make naturally colored pasta at home.
5 from 84 votes

How to make naturally colored pasta at home.

This guide shows how to prepare naturally colored pasta dough using spinach for green pasta, beetroot for red pasta, or plain egg dough. Fresh vegetable purees are combined with flour, eggs, olive oil, and salt to create vibrant doughs that can be shaped into pasta. Kneading and resting the dough develops gluten, making it pliable for rolling and cutting.

Prep Time
1 hr
Cook Time
5 mins
Servings: 4
Calories: 296 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

For green pasta dough.
  • 8.8 oz Italian '00' flour or all purpose flour, soft wheat
  • 1.6 oz spinach made from fresh spinach, puree
  • 2 large egg
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
For red pasta dough.
  • 1.6 oz beetroot instead of spinach above, pureed cooked
For plain egg pasta dough.
  • 7 oz Italian '00' flour or all purpose flour, soft wheat
  • 2 large egg
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Extras
  • water if dough to dry
  • 00 flour if dough to wet, Italian
  • durum wheat semolina flour for dusting.

Instructions

How to make green pasta dough.
    Cup of Yum
  1. Wilt the spinach in a pan. Then drain it well and chop it. I usually squeeze the cooked spinach in a tea towel to get as much liquid out of it as possible.
  2. Once the spinach is chopped, then purée it in a food processor until smooth.
  3. Next, sieve the flour into a bowl, add the eggs and the spinach, a pinch of salt and a tablespoon of olive oil. Beat the eggs with a fork and then mix the flour, eggs and spinach together until you have the beginnings of a dough.
  4. Next, use your hands to knead the dough in the bowl until it no longer sticks to the side of the bowl.
  5. Turn the pasta dough out onto a well-floured work top and knead for 10 minutes until the dough is soft and pliable. Then roll the dough into a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap (clingfilm).
  6. After 30 minutes, cut off about a quarter of the dough, flatten it slightly with your hands or a rolling pin, then pass it through your pasta machine 3-4 times through the widest setting.
  7. I fold the dough sheet into thirds the first 3 times I pass it through the widest setting. Then pass it through the next settings until the sheet is thin enough to make noodles with.
  8. Finally, transfer the dough sheet to a floured work top. You can cut the noodles 2 ways, either roll the sheet up and then cut it into strips starting at one end. The width will depend on what type of noodles you want to make. We also used a pasta cutting rolling pin which are available in Italy for different types of pasta ribbons.
  9. Place the ready pasta ribbons in nests on a well-floured tray. Semolina flour is the best for this. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
For the red pasta.
  1. If using ready cooked beetroot, cut it into small pieces and purée in a food processor. Add a little water if necessary. If your beetroot is fresh, you will need to boil it first in salted water for 20-40 minutes and then peel.
  2. Make the red pasta dough in the same way as the green pasta dough, substituting the beets for the spinach.
For plain uncolored pasta dough.
  1. Sieve the flour into a bowl, add the eggs, a pinch of salt and a small tablespoon of olive oil. Beat the eggs with a fork and then mix the flour and eggs together until you have the beginnings of a dough. Next, use your hands to knead the dough in the bowl until it no longer sticks to the side ofthe bowl.
  2. Continue as above for the green pasta dough.

Notes

  • Remove excess moisture from spinach by wilting and squeezing tightly before pureeing to keep dough consistency balanced.
  • Use '00' flour for best texture and knead dough until soft and elastic for easier rolling and shaping.
  • Colored pastas pair well with complementary sauces: green spinach pasta suits ragu or creamy sauces; red beetroot pasta matches white sauces without tomatoes.
  • Dust with durum wheat semolina flour when rolling and cutting to prevent sticking.

Nutrition Information

Calories 296kcal (15%) Carbohydrates 48g (16%) Protein 10g (20%) Fat 7g (11%) Saturated Fat 1g (5%) Polyunsaturated Fat 1g (6%) Monounsaturated Fat 4g (20%) Trans Fat 0.01g (1%) Cholesterol 93mg (31%) Sodium 55mg (2%) Potassium 165mg (4%) Fiber 2g (8%) Sugar 0.3g (1%) Vitamin A 1198IU (24%) Vitamin C 3mg (3%) Calcium 35mg (4%) Iron 4mg (22%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4 Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 296

% Daily Value*

Calories 296kcal 15%
Carbohydrates 48g 16%
Protein 10g 20%
Fat 7g 11%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g 6%
Monounsaturated Fat 4g 20%
Trans Fat 0.01g 1%
Cholesterol 93mg 31%
Sodium 55mg 2%
Potassium 165mg 4%
Fiber 2g 8%
Sugar 0.3g 1%
Vitamin A 1198IU 24%
Vitamin C 3mg 3%
Calcium 35mg 4%
Iron 4mg 22%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.