Description
This Halloween Pasta Recipe combines vibrant grated beetroot pasta with mozzarella and black olives shaped like eerie eyeballs, topped with crunchy walnut halves resembling brains. A fun and spooky dish perfect for Halloween celebrations, it features a flavorful cumin-infused beetroot sauce and simple ingredients that come together quickly on the stovetop.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Eyeballs and Topping
- 125 g mozzarella pearls
- 50 g black olives, halved
- 60 g walnut halves
Beetroot Pasta Sauce
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- Pinch salt and black pepper
- 300 g beetroot, peeled and finely grated
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
Pasta
- 300 g dried linguine spaghetti or tagliatelle
- Salt, for pasta water
Instructions
- Prepare the eyeballs: Arrange the mozzarella pearls on a plate and top each pearl with a halved black olive to resemble eyeballs. Cover and set aside while preparing the pasta.
- Cook the pasta: Bring a medium pan of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook for about 10 minutes until al dente.
- Prepare the beetroot sauce: While pasta cooks, warm olive oil in a nonstick frying pan over low to medium heat. Add cumin seeds, a pinch of salt and black pepper, frying for about a minute until fragrant.
- Sauté beetroot and garlic: Add grated beetroot and minced garlic to the pan. Sweat for 5 minutes until beetroot softens, adding a splash of reserved pasta water and stirring to combine. Continue cooking gently until pasta is ready.
- Combine pasta and sauce: Drain the pasta, reserving one cup of pasta water. Add the pasta to the pan with the beetroot sauce and stir through well. If the mixture seems dry, add a splash of reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce.
- Season and serve: Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if needed. Plate the pasta, then top with the prepared mozzarella eyeballs and walnut halves to mimic brains, serving immediately.
Notes
- Grated beetroot cooks quickly; avoid overcooking to retain some texture and vibrancy.
- Reserve pasta water to adjust sauce consistency easily.
- Use tagliatelle instead of linguine if preferred for a wider noodle option.
- For a creamier sauce, a spoonful of cream cheese or mascarpone could be stirred in at the end (optional).
- Ensure mozzarella pearls are dry to prevent watery sauce.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 plate (approx. 1/4 recipe)
- Calories: 380 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 250 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 42 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 14 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg
