Recipe: How to make coloured pasta

Coloured pasta is fun to make and fun to eat. These recipes are packed with the goodness of veggies and bursting with colour. Here's how to make them.

Coloured pasta ingredients:

• 1/2 cup veggie puree (see below: spinach, beetroot, carrot, etc.)
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 2 1/2 cups plain flour
• pinch of sea salt
• 1 tbsp olive oil

To make the coloured pasta:

1. Pop eggs, veggie puree and salt into a food processor and whiz until combined. 
2. Add the flour and whiz until a dough just forms. 
3. Remove dough from the food processor and place on a well-floured surface.
4. Knead until it’s smooth. 
5. Rub a little olive oil over the dough and cover in plastic wrap. 
6. Leave to rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
7. Feed the dough through a pasta machine set on the widest setting. As the sheet comes out, fold it into thirds and feed it through the rollers again, still on the widest setting. Repeat this 4 times.
8. Continue to feed the pasta dough through the rollers, gradually reducing the settings, one pass at a time, until the pasta is at your chosen thickness. Your sheet of pasta dough will get pretty long, so, if you’re struggling to control it, you can cut the sheet in half and feed each piece through separately.

9. Once the sheets of pasta dough are at a thickness, you’re happy with, hang them over the back of a chair or a (clean) broom handle to dry a little—this makes cutting easier. Or, if you’re in a rush, dust the pasta with a little flour and let it rest for at least 30 minutes.
10. Now you’re ready to make whichever pasta you like, see below.

Carrot puree

• 2 medium carrots (you could also use pumpkin)

To make the puree:

1. Pop carrots in a medium saucepan, and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until tender–about 20 minutes. Drain.
2. Whiz carrots in a food processor until smooth and set aside.

Beetroot puree

• 1 large beetroot

 To make the puree:

1. Rinse beetroot in cold water, remove greens, and peel with a veggie peeler. 
2. Chop into small chunks.
3. In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil, reduce heat, and cook beetroot until tender–about 10–15 minutes. 
4. Drain, and rinse with cold water.
5. Whiz beetroot in a food processor until smooth and set aside.

 Leafy green puree:

• 2 handfuls of leafy greens (basil, spinach, rocket, kale, etc.)

 To make the puree:

1. Remove stems and soak in cold water for 2 minutes. Rinse thoroughly under cool water and pat dry.
2. Steam leaves until tender–about 5 minutes. 
3. Drain and rinse with cool water. 
4. Squeeze as much water as you can from the leaves.
5. Whiz leaves in a food processor until smooth and set aside. ///

How to make coloured pasta shapes.

Pappardelle [pap·par·del·le]

(broad flat noodles)

• Dust the top of the dough sheet with flour and loosely roll into a cylinder.
• Using a sharp knife, cut into 2cm-thick slices.
• Unroll the noodles, dust with semolina, and gently toss to separate.
• Place on a baking tray and cover with a tea towel until ready to cook.
• Cook pappardelle for no longer than 3–4 minutes.
• To dry the pasta for storage, hang over a chair or broom handle until completely dry. Drying times vary greatly, depending on humidity and temperature. Store in an airtight container. 

Garganelli [gar-ga-nel-li]

(tubes)

• With a sharp knife, cut the sheet of dough into 3.5cm squares.
• With the square facing you as a diamond, lay a pen or a pencil across the corner closest to you, lengthways. Wrap the corner of the pasta around the pen or pencil, and, with a little pressure, push it away from you, until you have made a tube. Slide the pasta off and repeat.
• Place on a baking tray and cover with a tea towel until ready to cook.
• Cook garganelli for no longer than 3–4 minutes.
• To dry the pasta for storage, leave covered until completely dry, turning over now and then to dry both sides. Drying times vary greatly, depending on humidity and temperature. Store in an airtight container. 

Farfalle  [farh-fah-leh]

(butterflies)

• With a sharp knife, cut the sheet of dough into rectangles, about 3.5cm x 1.5cm.
• Pinch the center of the long side of each rectangle to create little bows.
• Place on a baking tray and cover with a tea towel until ready to cook.
• Cook farfalle until it rises to the top of the water. To dry the pasta for storage, leave covered until completely dry, turning over now and then to dry both sides. Drying times vary greatly, depending on humidity and temperature. Store in an airtight container.

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Recipe and photography Kate Berry for Lunch Lady Magazine Issue 5

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