Italian Spinach and Ricotta Pasta with Tomato Sauce (Malfatti)
This is such a delicious, simple, and comforting meal! And while making pasta may sound daunting, these malfatti are very easy to make and don’t take a ton of time either!
Feeds 3-4 people (depending on how hungry you are)
Ingredients:
½ c. AP flour
½ c. semolina flour
16 oz. ricotta, well-drained of excess liquid
16 oz. fresh spinach
1 egg
1/2 c. parmesan cheese, shredded (more for serving)
dash of salt and pepper
dash of nutmeg
A jar of your favorite tomato pasta sauce
Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add in the spinach and cook for 1-2 minutes or until wilted. Pour the spinach into a strainer to drain the water. Using a wooden spoon, press the spinach into the side of the strainer to push out more water. Transfer the spinach to a clean towel and squeeze out moisture until it feels like you’ve gotten as much out as possible. Then, chop the wilted spinach really well.
In a large bowl, add chopped spinach, both flours, ricotta, parmesan, egg, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Mix together. If the mixture feels too wet, add a little more flour and mix again.
Using your hands, roll the mixture into 1 inch balls and set on a plate until all of the mixture is used up. Make sure the balls are firmly pressed together so that they do not fall apart while cooking.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add a portion of the malfatti- maybe a quarter or a third of the balls- so that they’re not overcrowded in the pot (this is very important!). Once the balls float (2-3 minutes), use a slotted spoon to remove from the water and and set into a colander to dry. Continue in batches until all are cooked.
Meanwhile, heat up the tomato sauce in a medium pan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally.
Divide the tomato sauce and malfatti equally between plates or bowls and top with additional parmesan cheese. Serve with crusty bread and a fresh side salad.
