Pasta Filling - Spinach & Ricotta

By mariannefeldman

SPINACH AND RICOTTA FILLING FOR PASTA
cooksillustrated.com
Published September 1, 1993.
Makes about 2 1/2 cups.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
We wanted a fresh pasta recipe that could be used to create a variety of filled pasta shapes. We found that the food processor kneaded our simple dough, made with just flour and eggs, almost to perfection. Kneading the dough by hand for an additional minute or two made our pasta dough silky and smooth. Running the dough, in pieces, through a manual pasta machine until it was translucent gave us the delicate egg pasta recipe we were after.

This filling works well with either a tomato or brown butter sauce (see related recipes). Other leafy vegetables such as kale and Swiss chard may be substituted for the spinach. Three-quarter cups frozen chopped spinach may be used if desired; defrost spinach and squeeze out excess liquid before cooking it with the onions.

Ingredients

• INGREDIENTS
• 3/4 pound stemmed spinach leaves , washed
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 small onion , minced (about 1/4 cup)
• Table salt
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 egg yolk

Preparation

Step 1

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Place cleaned spinach leaves and any water that clings to them in a nonreactive soup kettle. Cover and cook over medium heat until spinach wilts, about 5 minutes. Cool spinach slightly, squeeze out the excess liquid, and chop fine; set aside.

2. Heat butter in a small skillet. Add onions and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in chopped spinach and salt to taste; cook for 1 minute.

3. Transfer spinach mixture to a medium bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients; adjust seasonings and set aside. (Can be covered and refrigerated overnight.)