Homemade Sourdough Spinach Pasta (Same day or Overnight)

My sourdough spinach pasta is light and springy, made with fresh spinach, Italian 00 flour, sourdough starter, and eggs. Choose from a quick same-day option or ferment overnight to deepen the flavor. Serves 4.

Properly prepared spinach (blanched, cooled, and well drained) is the secret to mastering this sourdough spinach pasta recipe, ensuring the dough is soft and malleable, never dry and crumbly. Isn’t that green color gorgeous?

I make most of my sourdough pasta in the food processor these days because it’s quick, less messy, and ideal for handling stiff, hard-to-knead dough. I have zero patience for flour all over the floor! Plus, the blade makes it easier to chop the spinach into little pieces.

For timing, you can make and cook this pasta on the same day, or ferment overnight for more flavor. Just don’t ferment for too long. The dough will oxidize and turn swamp brown (then black).

I use recently fed and collapsed starter. Its rising power is not as strong as active starter which is fine because we don’t need the dough to rise – we’re not making sourdough bread. Good quality sourdough discard can be used too.

Sourdough Spinach Pasta {Step-By-Step Recipe}

Step 1: Blanch The Spinach

This takes less than 30 seconds. Sometimes, I’ll do it ahead of time while washing and prepping other greens at the sink (lettuce, chard, herbs etc.) and chill in a container until ready to use.

To start, cook your cleaned and trimmed spinach in boiling water until just wilted. Then submerge the leaves into an ice bath (this stops the cooking process which keeps the spinach bright green). Squeeze-dry. The goal is to end up with 50 g drained spinach. I measured this out for you so there’s no guesswork. Use a scale.

Make The Pasta Dough

Lightly beat your eggs and sourdough starter together, then add to a food processor along with your drained spinach. Process until the spinach is finely chopped. The mixture won’t be completely smooth.

Add the flour and process to form dough. Pinch the doughy bits together with your fingertips to feel the texture: if it sticks together, you’re good to go. If it’s too dry, add a tiny splash of water and process again.

Knead The Dough

Now, dump the dough onto your work surface and smush it together with your hands. Cover and let rest for 15 minutes. Then knead until soft, about 2-3 minutes.

Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and rest for 1 hour at room temperature, or chill overnight.

Step 3: Roll Pasta Sheets & Semi-Dry

I use the KichenAid roller attachment to roll consistently thin pasta sheets. A hand-crank pasta machine works too. I don’t recommend a rolling pin unless you’re experienced rolling pasta dough by hand.

Then semi-dry the pasta sheets by hanging them over the back of a clean chair. This makes the texture go from soft to slightly leathery, helping the pasta strands to hold their shape.

Step 4: Cut Pasta

Take one of your pasta sheets and run it through a spaghetti pasta attachment. If you don’t have a spaghetti cutter, either use a different attachment or cut the pasta by hand. Note: you’ll need to make pappardelle or tagliatelle instead, since cutting spaghetti by hand is very difficult! Follow my tutorial here.

How To Serve It

The light and fresh taste of sourdough spinach pairs well with my Ragù Bolognese or this chunky pomodoro sauce with fresh or canned tomatoes. I’ll even use this dough to make classic lasagna with homemade béchamel sauce. So good! I trust you’ll find many ways to use it.

Food Styling & Photography: Saltwater Studio