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Fresh Pasta with the Sana 707 Juicer: Spinach and Egg Pasta
Short answer. You can make fresh pasta with the Sana 707 using its homogenising screen and the noodle nozzles that come in the box. Mix 250 g of flour with 2 large eggs, add water a little at a time until the dough is smooth and soft, rest it for 30 minutes, then feed it through in small pieces and snip the strands as they come out. Fresh pasta cooks in 2 to 4 minutes. For green pasta, use 60 g of puréed spinach in place of the water.
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Which Sana juicers make pasta?
Pasta nozzles come in the box with the Sana 707, and it is the only model in the Sana range sold with them. The 707 manual describes a round noodle nozzle and a flat noodle nozzle that sit in the drum cap, at the front of the homogenising (processing) screen. That screen has no holes, so the auger carries the dough forward and presses it out through the nozzle in strands.
| Sana model | Pasta | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Sana 707 | Yes | Round and flat noodle nozzles in the box; used with the homogenising screen |
| Sana 727 Supreme | In development | A pasta attachment for the 727 is in development; its homogenising screen already handles nut butters, milks, sorbets and baby food |
| Sana 929 Ultimate | No | Same as the 727 |
| Sana 878 | No | Hands-free juicer; sorbet and nut milk are its extras |
| Sana 818 | No | Juice only |
If the 707’s homogenising screen has gone missing or been damaged, a replacement screen is sold separately.
Getting the dough right
The dough decides whether juicer pasta works. Get it right and the strands come out smooth and even. Get it wrong and the machine labours or the pasta clumps.
You will see two kinds of pasta dough in recipes. One is dry and crumbly, more like damp sand, and only holds together when you squeeze a handful in your fist. Some dedicated pasta machines are designed around that kind of mix. The other is a dough you knead into a smooth ball, the kind you would roll out with a pin.
For the 707, go for the smooth ball, and keep it on the soft side. The manual asks you to roll the dough into shapes that fit the feeding tube, which a crumbly mix won’t do, and it warns that the dough must not be too stiff because it may damage parts of the juicer. It doesn’t give a moisture level beyond that warning, so we err towards softer.
What you want:
- Smooth and pliable. It rolls into a sausage without cracking at the edges.
- Soft enough to dent. A fingertip pressed into it leaves a dent easily.
- Not sticky. It doesn’t cling to your hands or the board.
If the dough is dry, crumbly or hard to knead, work in water a teaspoon at a time. The 707 manual also suggests a little oil to soften a stiff dough. If it’s sticky, knead in flour a tablespoon at a time.
Flour. Cake flour, the everyday flour in most South African kitchens, works well and gives tender pasta. For a firmer bite, replace up to half of it with durum wheat semolina, which some larger supermarkets and Italian delis stock. Semolina takes up water more slowly, so a semolina dough may need an extra teaspoon of water. Keep a little semolina for dusting the finished strands too: it stops them sticking without turning gluey.
Resting. Wrap the kneaded dough and leave it at room temperature for 30 minutes. The flour finishes absorbing the liquid and the dough relaxes, so it feeds more smoothly and the strands come out cleaner.
How to make pasta with the Sana 707
- Set up. Take out the juicing screen and fit the homogenising screen. Put your chosen noodle nozzle into the drum cap and clip the cap on as the manual shows. Dust a tray or plate under the outlet with semolina or flour.
- Shape. Cut the rested dough into small pieces and roll each into a sausage about the thickness of your thumb, short enough to drop easily into the feed tube.
- Feed. Switch on and drop in one piece at a time. Let the auger take each piece before adding the next, using the pusher gently if needed. Never force it.
- Cut. Snip the strands with scissors as they come out, at about 20 to 25 cm. Toss them in semolina and lay them loosely on the tray or curl them into nests.
- Watch the clock. The manual limits continuous use to 30 minutes. One batch of this dough takes well under that. If the juicer ever stops mid-run, the manual asks you to let it cool for 60 minutes before carrying on.
- Clean straight away. Wash every part by hand in warm, soapy water, as the manual asks. Accessories don’t go in the dishwasher. Dough left to dry in the screen and nozzle is much harder to shift.
Fresh Egg Pasta for the Sana 707
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Mix the flour and salt in a bowl and make a well in the centre. Crack in the eggs and add 1 tbsp of water.
- Stir with a fork, drawing in the flour, until it forms a shaggy dough. Add more water a teaspoon at a time until all the flour is taken up.
- Knead for 5 to 8 minutes until the dough is smooth, soft and pliable. It should dent easily when pressed and roll into a sausage without cracking. If it is sticky, knead in a little flour.
- Wrap the dough and rest it at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Fit the homogenising screen to the 707, put the noodle nozzle in the drum cap and clip the cap on. Dust a tray under the outlet with semolina.
- Cut the dough into small pieces and roll each into a thumb-thick sausage that drops easily into the feed tube.
- Switch on and feed one piece at a time, letting the auger take each before adding the next.
- Snip the strands at about 20 to 25 cm with scissors. Toss them in semolina and lay them in loose nests.
- Cook in a large pot of well-salted boiling water for 2 to 4 minutes, tasting from 2 minutes.
- Drain, keeping a splash of the cooking water to loosen the sauce, and serve straight away.
Notes
Spinach pasta
Spinach is mostly water, so the purée takes the place of the water in the plain dough. That is why the amount matters: 60 g of squeezed spinach purée suits 250 g of flour and 2 large eggs. Too little and the colour is pale; too much and the dough turns sticky.
Blanch about 150 g of fresh spinach for 30 seconds, cool it in cold water and squeeze it hard in a clean tea towel. Weigh out 60 g, then blend it with the eggs using a stick blender until the mix is smooth and evenly green. Blending the spinach with the eggs, rather than on its own, gives the blender enough liquid to work with and spreads the colour evenly through the dough.
The kneading, resting and feeding are the same as for plain egg pasta. EU Juicers’ video below walks through spinach pasta on the 707 from start to finish.
Spinach Pasta for the Sana 707
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Blanch the spinach in boiling water for 30 seconds, then cool it in cold water.
- Squeeze it hard in a clean tea towel and weigh out 60 g.
- Blend the squeezed spinach with the eggs using a stick blender until smooth and evenly green.
- Mix the flour and salt in a bowl, make a well and pour in the spinach and egg mixture.
- Stir with a fork until it forms a dough, then knead for 5 to 8 minutes until smooth and soft. Add flour a tablespoon at a time if it is sticky, or water a teaspoon at a time if it is dry.
- Wrap and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Fit the homogenising screen and noodle nozzle to the 707 and dust a tray under the outlet with semolina.
- Roll small pieces of dough into thumb-thick sausages and feed them in one at a time.
- Snip the strands at about 20 to 25 cm, toss in semolina and lay in loose nests.
- Cook in well-salted boiling water for 2 to 4 minutes, tasting from 2 minutes.
Notes
Other colours work the same way. Smooth beetroot purée from cooked beetroot gives a deep pink pasta, and cooked carrot purée a soft orange. Start with about 60 g of purée, weigh it, and adjust with flour if the dough feels sticky.
Cooking, drying and storing fresh pasta
Cooking. Use a large pot of well-salted water at a rolling boil. Fresh pasta cooks in 2 to 4 minutes, depending on thickness, so taste a strand from 2 minutes. Lift it out into the sauce with a splash of the cooking water.
Keeping it fresh. Fresh egg pasta keeps for a day or two in the fridge, well dusted with semolina, in a covered container.
Freezing. Freeze nests on a semolina-dusted tray until firm, then bag them. They keep for about a month. Cook straight from frozen and allow an extra minute or so.
Drying. Hang the strands over a clean rod, or lay nests on a tray, in a dry, airy spot until they snap cleanly, usually within a day. Store them airtight and use within a couple of weeks. Dried pasta takes a few minutes longer to cook than fresh.
Troubleshooting
- The motor labours, or the dough sits in the feed tube without moving. The dough is too stiff or the pieces are too big. Switch off. If the drum is clogged, the manual suggests pressing the reverse button two or three times before switching on again. Take the dough out, knead in water a teaspoon at a time, and cut smaller pieces.
- The strands stick together in a clump. The dough is a little wet, or the strands weren’t dusted. Toss them in semolina as they come out and knead a spoonful of flour into the remaining dough.
- The strands look rough, crack or break. The dough is too dry or didn’t rest long enough. Cover it for another 15 minutes and knead in a little water.
- The cooked pasta is soft or gummy. It was overcooked, or the pot was too small to stay at a boil. Use plenty of water and start tasting at 2 minutes.
- The spinach pasta is patchy. The purée wasn’t smooth. Blend it with the eggs for longer next time.
Made with a Sana juicer
Sana 707 Juicer
R9899,00
Sana 727 Supreme Juicer
Price range: R12999,00 through R14999,00
Frequently asked questions
Can the Sana 727 or 929 make pasta?
No. The Sana 707 is the only model in the Sana range sold with pasta nozzles. The 727 and 929 have homogenising screens for nut butters, milks, sorbets and baby food, but they don’t come with pasta nozzles.
Which pasta nozzles come with the Sana 707?
The 707 comes with round and flat noodle nozzles. The round nozzle gives spaghetti-style strands and the flat one gives ribbons. Both fit into the drum cap in front of the homogenising screen.
What flour is best for juicer pasta?
Cake flour works well and gives a tender pasta. For more bite, replace up to half of it with durum wheat semolina and add a little extra water if the dough feels dry. Whichever flour you use, the dough should be smooth and soft rather than stiff.
Can I make pasta in the 707 without eggs?
Yes. A dough of durum wheat semolina and water is a traditional eggless pasta. Add the water gradually until the dough comes together into a smooth, soft ball, then rest it for 30 minutes and feed it through the same way.
How long does fresh pasta take to cook?
Fresh pasta cooks in 2 to 4 minutes in well-salted boiling water, depending on how thick the strands are. Pasta cooked from frozen needs about a minute more, and dried homemade pasta a few minutes more.
Can I freeze homemade pasta?
Yes. Dust the nests with semolina, freeze them on a tray until firm, then bag them. They keep for about a month and cook straight from frozen.
How long can I run the Sana 707 when making pasta?
The manual limits continuous use to 30 minutes. A batch made with 250 g of flour takes well under that. If the juicer stops during use, the manual asks you to let it cool for 60 minutes before you start again.
Sources
- Sana 707 user manual (English), Sana Products: noodle nozzles, dough warning, run-time limit, reverse button and cleaning. sanaproducts.com
- Sana 727 Supreme user manual (English), Sana Products: homogenising screen and what it is used for. sanaproducts.com
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Thanks Phyllis