Spooky Black Spaghetti
This festive Halloween pasta dish transforms classic spaghetti into a spooky, fun dinner! Featuring dramatic black noodles, a rich beefy marinara sauce, and mozzarella 'eyeballs,' it’s a guaranteed hit with kids and adults alike before trick-or-treating or at a Halloween party.
Equipment
- Large pot
- Dutch oven or saucepan
- Colander
- Wooden spoon
Ingredients
- 1 lb spaghetti or linguine
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 jar (24 oz) marinara or spaghetti sauce
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp black gel food coloring
- 12 small fresh mozzarella balls (bocconcini)
- 12 slices black olives
Instructions
- In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium-high. Add chopped onion and sauté 5 minutes until softened. Stir in garlic and cook 1 more minute.
- Add ground beef and cook until browned, breaking it up with a spoon. Drain excess grease.
- Pour in marinara sauce, stir, reduce heat to low, and let simmer while preparing the pasta.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add black gel food coloring and stir to create an inky-black color.
- Add spaghetti to the black water and cook until al dente according to package directions. Drain.
- Divide pasta among plates. Top with meat sauce. Add mozzarella 'eyeballs' by placing bocconcini on top and pressing an olive slice into each one.
Notes
For a natural option, substitute squid ink pasta instead of dyeing regular spaghetti. Best served immediately with mozzarella 'eyeballs' for maximum spooky effect.