Ricotta & Spinach: the Pasta filling (you will love)

This is for the ones who joined our pasta workshop and can't wait to make pasta at home.

You have been asking for the filling recipe, and I am excited to share The Classic Ricotta & Spinach filling recipe!

It is both traditional and fully plant-based.

Why are pasta fillings more than a recipe? (You can't guess the answer)

All over Italy, we make filled pasta. In each Region people use their most popular (and common) products as filling, and then they pair them up with a rather simple sauce or broth.

The only rule in making a filling is to balance it out. For example, you always need a mild-flavor base, an aromatic herb, and a creamy part. The secret is that all pasta fillings can be used as dips, creams, and sauces. So, when you prepare your filling, you can already think of the next meal.

This is why Italians are always thinking about food, we are just planning the next move.

Spinach leaves

INGREDIENTS:

This recipe makes 500 gr of filling, enough for 4 people. Want to learn how to make the perfect pasta for your filling? Check our workshops!

Ricotta:

• 500 gr firm tofu

• 1 tea spoon of salt

• 1 spoon lemon juice

• 1 spoon of white vinegar

• 2 spoons nutritional yeast (you can find it at AH, it looks like this

• 2 spoons of olive oil

• 4 spoons of unsweetened milk

Spinach:

• 300 gr spinach (fresh or frozen)

• 1 spoon of vegetable butter

• 1 garlic clove

+ Macchè tip

• Bread crumbs or corn flour (for GF version)

THE RECIPE:

1. Combine and blend Blend the tofu until it turns in crumbs. Then add salt, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, vinegar, and olive oil. Blend them well, then add the milk.
   

2. Cook the greens If frozen: In a warm pan, add butter and the garlic clove. Wait till it turns gold, then add the frozen spinach. Cover with a lid and cook at low temperature for 10 minutes. Once cooked, strain them to remove extra water. Then season with salt. If fresh: In a hot pan, add butter and the garlic clove. Wait till it turns gold, then add the fresh spinach. On a high flame, turn and stir the spinach until they look cooked (not too soft). Then move them away quickly. The season with salt.
   

3. Blend and season Blend the spinach until creamy. In a bowl, mix the spinach cream and the ricotta. Taste and, if needed, fix with salt and pepper.
   

MACCHÈ TIPS:

You want your filling to be quite firm. You should be able to pick it up with a tea spoon without dripping it. If your filling is a bit too liquid, you can add some (refined) bread crumbs of corn flour (maizena), until it becomes more solid.

A Trattoria in Italy