Halloween Pasta

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This halloween pasta recipe is spooky fun and a perfect meal to serve before Trick-or-Treating! Spooky black pasta is served with a quick beef ragu and pretend eyeballs made of mozzarella and olives.

This halloween pasta recipe is spooky fun and a perfect meal to serve before Trick-or-Treating! Spooky black pasta is served with a quick beef ragu and pretend eyeballs made of mozzarella and olives.
overhead view of bowl of halloween pasta with fake spider and spiderwebs
two bowls with black pasta, beef ragu and fake eyeballs

I LOVE fun and spooky Halloween food! It’s the only time of year I get super into making themed and cutesy food. I just can’t help it when it’s my favorite holiday! But I still want to serve my kids actual food, not just buckets of candy and food coloring.

That’s why this creepy pasta is so great! It looks spooky and cool, but its really just pasta with meat sauce! This is an easy 30 minute, meal, too, which makes it perfect to serve before trick-or-treating

close up of halloween pasta in bowl with olive and cheese for eyes

How to make this spooky spaghetti

This quick pasta recipe is really easy to make, which makes it perfect to serve before trick-or-treating! For the full set of directions, please make sure you scroll down to the recipe card below.

Make the beef ragu

  1. Heat a large pan over medium heat. Add 1 Tablespoon of oil.
  2. Add the ground beef to the pan and use a wooden spoon to break up the beef.
  3. Cook, stirring frequently, until the beef has cooked through and is no longer pink.
  4. Drain any grease from the pan and add in the dried minced onion and Italian seasoning.
  5. Pour in the marinara sauce and simmer for 5-10 minutes, allowing the sauce to heat and the flavors to come together.

Cook the pasta

  1. Cook the pasta according to package directions. 
  2. Drain, and return the noodles to the pan.
  3. Toss with olive oil.

Assemble

  1. To assemble the pasta, divide the black noodles equally between the plates.
  2. Top the pasta with the beef ragu mixture. 
  3. Slice the mozzarella balls into slices lengthwise to make nice circles.
  4. Arrange a few of the mozzarella slices onto the top of the ragu.
  5. Place black olive slices on top of the mozzarella slices to create “eyeballs”.
  6. Serve to your little goblins and witches.

Prepping ahead of time

This meal is easy and quick to make, but if you need to make it even quicker, try these tips:

  • Cook the ground beef ahead of time and store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
  • You could combine the cooked ground beef with the marinara and allow it to heat all day in the slow cooker on low to really bring together the flavors and be ready to eat when you are.

How do you make black pasta color?

This pasta is a special pasta that I purchased specifically for this meal. This pasta is made with squid ink, so it is naturally black! You can purchase it on Amazon or through specialty food stores.

You can also find pasta that has been dyed with food coloring, or you can dye your own.

To dye your own pasta with food coloring, add 1 Tablespoon of black food coloring into the boiling water after you have added your pasta, and then continue cooking to package directions.

overhead image of halloween pasta in bowls with fake spiders and spiderwebs

Kids in the kitchen: How your kids can help you cook

Inviting your kids into the kitchen with you is an important way to not only teach them important life skills but to also help them be more curious and confident about the foods you serve at mealtimes – which helps them be more willing to try new foods.

This halloween pasta recipe is perfect for kids to help make because it is easy and quick and has simple steps.

  • Kids aged 1-3 can help you do measure ingredients and add the seasoning to the ground beef.
  • Kids aged 4-6 can do everything above plus help you add the marinara to the beef, slice the cheese and olives and garnish the plates .
  • Kids aged 7-10+ can help you do everything above, plus help you cook the pasta.

*Please note that these recommendations are generalized, and to please use your personal discretion with your child’s skill level. And always, always supervise! Read more about how to have your children help you in the kitchen.

two bowls of squid ink pasta with ragu with olives as eyes
overhead view of bowl of halloween pasta with fake spider and spiderwebs

Food tastes better when its shared! If you try this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment and rate below! Love and links are always appreciated! If you’d like to share this post, please link to this post directly for the recipe, please do not copy and paste or screenshot. Thanks so much for supporting me! xoxo

overhead view of bowl of halloween pasta with fake spider and spiderwebs

Halloween Pasta Recipe

This halloween pasta recipe is spooky fun and a perfect meal to serve before Trick-or-Treating! Spooky black pasta is served with a quick beef ragu and pretend eyeballs made of mozzarella and olives.
5 from 6 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: 30 Minute Meal
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 598kcal
Author: Jenni – The Gingered Whisk

Ingredients

  • 1 lb squid ink pasta
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 Tablespoon dried minced onion
  • 1 Tablespoon Italian herb seasoning mix
  • 4 ounces Cielegine Mozzarella 1/3 ounce “Cherry sized”
  • 2 ounces sliced black olives
  • 24 ounces marinara sauce

Instructions

Make the beef ragu

  • Heat a large pan over medium heat. Add 1 Tablespoon of oil.
  • Add the ground beef to the pan and use a wooden spoon to break up the beef.
  • Cook, stirring frequently, until the beef has cooked through and is no longer pink.
  • Drain any grease from the pan and add in the dried minced onion and Italian seasoning.
  • Pour in the marinara sauce and simmer for 5-10 minutes, allowing the sauce to heat and the flavors to come together.

Cook the pasta

  • Cook the pasta according to package directions.
  • Drain, and return the noodles to the pan.
  • Toss with olive oil.

Assemble

  • To assemble the pasta, divide the black noodles equally between the plates.
  • Top the pasta with the beef ragu mixture.
  • Slice the mozzarella balls into slices lengthwise to make nice circles.
  • Arrange a few of the mozzarella slices onto the top of the ragu.
  • Place black olive slices on top of the mozzarella slices to create “eyeballs”.
  • Serve immediately.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 598kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 47g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 127mg | Sodium: 9693mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 14g

One Comment

  1. This dish is such a fun and creative meal to enjoy for Halloween. On top of that it’s also super delicious!

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