Pasta for beginners: Whole Wheat Pasta with Spinach, Garlic & Mushroom Sauce

Making pasta is much less intimidating that one might think. It's fun and the process quite therapeutic, whether you do it alone or with another person. Just be sure to begin with a very clean and dry surface on which to make and roll the dough. Clean hands too...

This particular pasta only requires four ingredients, so make sure they are the best you can afford.

As for the pasta roller, I use a standard (albeit ancient) Atlas maker that runs around $65- $85 and comes with the attachments to make various sized spaghetti, linguine and flat ravioli or lasagna noodles. The Imperial brand pasta roller is likewise very good quality.

You can be as creative as you'd like with pasta toppings. I don't recommend red sauce or pesto with the nuttier flavor of the wheat pasta. I usually stick with am olive oil and garlic based  sauce to allow the hearty noodle's flavors to stand on their own. Flavor comes with the additional ingredients. My standard includes: chopped chicken sauteed in garlic, along with mushrooms, spinach, and topped with Parmesan and Parsley.

EQUIPMENT
Pasta roller with linguine attachment
2 cookie sheets lined with wax paper
Rolling Pin
Large pot for boiling water
Skillet for cooking down additional ingredients

INGREDIENTS  (yields 2 large servings or 3-4 smaller side servings)
2 cups of premium whole wheat flour - I use King Arthur's brand for it's consistency & quality
4 eggs - I use Pete & Gerry's Heirloom eggs for their beautiful yolks and incredible flavor
2 tablespoons olive oil
3-finger pinch of salt - use kosher salt, not sea salt.

1 box frozen spinach
2 cloves garlic
6-8 medium button or cremini mushrooms
2 ounces of crushed walnuts
Grated Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley for topping

2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour, 4 eggs, 2 tbs oil, pinch of salt 

Atlas pasta roller with linguine attachment

Slide the attachment into the grooves

Line baking sheets or a counter with wax paper for pasta to dry 

Create mound of 2 cups of flour with a well hollowed out in center.
Pour in ONE tablespoon of olive oil

Crack two eggs into the well

Begin to blend by hand. It will be floury & crumbly

Note super dry, crumbly texture

Add additional two eggs and mix until it all sticks together.

It will still be somewhat tough dough. Add additional tablespoon of olive oil (or even a teaspoon of water) to make it hold together in a proper, not too sticky, dough ball 

Roll into a ball (or hen-shaped blob). Add in any herbs, pepper, or garlic powder then knead through;
I only added ground black pepper

Divide into four even dough balls. About the size of tennis balls.

Using a rolling pin, flatten the balls into long rectangular sheets 1/2 inch thick 

Using toggle and hook, secure roller to the edge of a counter
& attach handle

Set pasta roller knob at the lowest setting (number 1 in this case).
The spring loaded knob just pulls out and turns.

Feed each flat pasta panel through the main side of the roller, by pressing the edge of the dough into the space and cranking the handle. (Note: the higher the knob's number, the tighter the space between rollers). 

After each feed, turn the knob one more notch (to #2), then re-feed the pasta, allowing it to get thinner and thinner. 

I went all the way up the  #5 setting on the knob. Ended up with pasta sheets around 18" long and 1/8 inch thick.
Don't roll it too thin or it will fall apart. You should be able to see  light through the sheet.

The long pasta sheets tend to fold in nicely on themselves.

Cut each sheet in half for more manageable rolling through the cutting attachment

Press the end of a sheet firmly into the pasta attachment teeth, just so that it catches and rolls easily. I used Linguine 

The pasta sheet should just catch and roll through easily, being sliced into strips 

Spread each batch out as much as possible, sprinkling with wheat flour and tossing it onto the wax paper lined sheets.  Make sure the noodles don't stick together. You can also hang dry them.

Let pasta air dry for an hour or so; flipping them around every so often.  They shouldn't be too hard or dry 

Treat yourself to a tasty beverage for  all your hard work.
When well-lubricated, prepare to make pasta toppings.

Prep additional ingredients. I cut everything up and cook it individually to be added to the pasta at the very end. Normally, I would add seasoned chicken to the mix, but skipped it here.

Cook down spinach for 10 mins, throw in the mushrooms, after another 5 minutes, add chopped garlic. 

Stir frequently so it doesn't stick or overcook the spinach

Have a VERY LARGE pot of water boiling, Heavily salted-- and I mean a good fist full of kosher salt. The pasta absorbs the salt, lending to the flavor.
KEY: Rolling water keeps the pasta separated and helps the starch disperse into the water-, so you don't end up with gummy noodles. Cook no more than 5 minutes!
Home made pasta cooks FAST!

Fork it out directly from the water into pasta bowls. Drizzle with olive oil, and stir in your additional ingredients; flipping it around till it's all mixed through. Top with Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.
Whole wheat pasta is very hearty, filling, and good for you.

BON APPETIT!