Sourdough Spinach Pasta (Bright Fresh Noodles)
Homemade sourdough spinach pasta — vibrant green ribbons with blanched spinach flecked through the dough. Same-day or overnight, and the prettiest noodle on the table.
By Maya Ellison · Updated August 21, 2026 · 1 min read
Sourdough spinach pasta is the prettiest thing on the counter when the batch is made — a sheet that fades from pale and speckled to a vivid, bright-flecked green as it dries. Blanched spinach is folded into the master sourdough pasta dough so every ribbon carries color, and a gentle, quiet flavor.
Spinach you control
The color comes from blanching, not food dye. A 30-second dunk in boiling water locks the vivid green and stops enzymes, and a firm squeeze in a towel keeps it from turning the dough muddy. Hand-chopped (not pureed) gives that beautiful grainy speckle — the texture reads like a rustic Genoa green.
The same silky dough
This is the familiar sourdough pasta with a share of the egg swapped for blanched spinach. The dough kneads, rests and rolls exactly the same way, with the green flecks turning brighter as you roll and relax the sheet.
Keeping it bright
The two big levers are squeeze and cut. Squeeze the blanched spinach very dry or the sheet goes soggy and the green turns mud. And cut immediately - a fresh sheet, thin, cut to a ribbon and tossed in semolina - holds the emerald color from bench to plate.
A light touch at serving
This pasta deserves a quiet stage - a butter-and-sage pan sauce, or our own no-cream alfredo - rather than a heavy ragù that would swallow such a bright noodle. Keep the sauce to a glisten and the color stays the star.
Ingredients
Weights in grams are the source of truth; cup measures are approximate.
- 250 g Italian 00 flour
- 3 large eggs (about 150 g), beaten
- 100 g sourdough starter, active or fresh discard
- 60 g fresh spinach, blanched, squeezed and hand-chopped
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp fine salt
- Semolina, for dusting
Method
Blanch the spinach in boiling water 30 seconds, run under cold water, squeeze dry in a paper towel and chop it very fine — the rusticate is good.
Beat the eggs, starter and olive oil together, then stir in the chopped spinach until the whole mixture is uniformly green and flecked.
Combine with the flour into a dough, working by hand or in a food processor, and knead until smooth and pliable. The flecks brighten as you knead.
Wrap and rest 30 minutes, then roll thin and cut into ribbons or lasagna sheets. The spinach brightens the color to emerald as it dries.
Boil 3-4 minutes in salted water. Serve softly so the fresh spinach flavor and color are the stars — a light butter or pesto, never a heavy cream.
Frequently asked questions
Why blanch the spinach first?
The 30-second blanch locks in the bright green color and keeps it. Run it under cold water, squeeze out, and hand-chop for a rustic speckle rather than a solid green puree.
Can I use kale instead of spinach?
Yes — the same blanch, squeeze and chop applies. Kale is courser, so chop it a shade finer so ribbons cut silk over a weal.
How do I keep the green color bright?
Squeeze the spinach very dry before chopping and cook the noodles only 3-4 minutes. The DTC killer factor is resy-green emerald as it dries — a wet clump turns muddy.