Servings: 4

20oz spinach 20oz spinach
1.5 Tbsp butter 1.5 Tbsp butter
1 clove garlic, smashed 1 clove garlic, smashed
8oz ricotta 8oz ricotta
2 eggs, lightly beaten 2 eggs, lightly beaten
3oz finely grated parmesan 3oz finely grated parmesan
Nutmeg Nutmeg
6oz flour 6oz flour

To make enough for four people-or two hungry ones-cook 20 oz. fresh or frozen spinach in a large pot of boiling salted water just until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes (make it 8 to 10 if using frozen). Drain, let cool, then squeeze out any excess water, and chop them coarsely with a knife or a blender (skip the cutting if your frozen spinach came prechopped). The squeezing is really the only must when making malfatti: If the spinach retains too much water, chances are you’ll have trouble working the dough later. So give them a powerful squeeze!
In a pan, melt 1½ Tbsp. butter, add 1 smashed garlic clove, and then add the spinach. Sauté the greens gently for 5 minutes, turning them occasionally-this helps bump up their flavor and staves off additional moisture. Remove from the heat, discard the garlic, and set aside to let cool.
Take a large bowl, and dump in 8 oz. fresh ricotta, 2 lightly beaten eggs, 3 oz. finely grated Parmesan, and reserved spinach. Add a pinch of nutmeg and a generous amount of salt and pepper and use a spatula to combine all the ingredients. Lastly, tip in 6 oz. all-purpose flour (about 1⅓ cups). It’s important to always add the flour last-you’re after a silky, soft texture here, and adding the flour last prevents the dough from getting too dry. Now mix everything with your hands until you form a malleable dough ball (don’t worry if it’s still pretty sticky), about 3 minutes.
Once that’s done, start shaping your malfatti. Flour a work surface, then take pieces of dough and roll them into an oblong shape (think gnocchi, but a bit bigger and longer). Roll each malfatti into the flour as needed to prevent sticking, then place on a lightly floured baking sheet. You’ll get somewhere between 20 to 30 pieces. (You can also take the gnocchi approach: Divide the dough into four big pieces, roll each into a long log, and cut into nuggets.) Congratulations, you’ve just accomplished homemade pasta.
To cook the malfatti, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and drop them in. Once they rise to the surface (4 to 5 minutes), remove them from the pot with a slotted spoon or skimmer and transfer them into a saucepan where you’ll have your sauce going.