Bring Halloween to you dinner table with this Spider Spooky Pasta! A savory Halloween recipe idea for the holiday.
Table of Contents
Why You Will Love This Recipe
I just love Halloween themed food and this recipe is a perfect option for a Halloween dinner for both adults and kids!
The bold colors of black and orange just SCREAM Halloween and everything looking like a spider web is just perfect for the holiday.
We get the bright orange flavor from a pumpkin sauce, staying on theme, that is savory and not sweet.
Ingredients
Here is what you need for this recipe:
- Spaghetti (or another long pasta)
- Black Food Coloring
- Pumpkin Pasta Sauce
- Sour Cream (or plain Greek yogurt)
- Olives
Black Food Coloring – This can be found rather easing in your local store’s baking section or online.
Pumpkin Pasta Sauce – The sauce is another recipe on my site that is perfect for fall, and the perfect orange color! You can also use any other pasta sauce you prefer.
Sour Cream – This is only used for making the web. A healthier option is plain Greek yogurt.
How to Color Pasta
We use food coloring to make this dark black pasta.
You can also choose to buy a squid ink spaghetti, which is already dyed black from the squid ink itself.
Squid ink pasta has a strong seafood taste, so keep that in mind for whether you would enjoy it and for the pasta sauce you use.
Instruction Overview
Have your sauce made and ready to go!
Boil a large pot of water, add the black food coloring, and then the pasta. As it cooks, it will turn black!
When the pasta is done, drain and toss with some oil to prevent it from sticking if desired.
Put the pasta on plates or bowls. Add the orange sauce on top.
Use the sour cream with just a little bit of water to make circles on top of the sauce. Then use a toothpick, dragging from the middle to the edges, to make the pointed web structure.
Cut your olives (see below) and add to the spider webs. Serve.
How to Cut the Olives
This is the same technique I use for my Halloween Pizza Potato Skins – a fan favorite every year!
To cut olives and make spiders, follow this process:
First cut a whole olive in half lengthwise.
Then cut each piece in half lengthwise again, giving you 4 long pieces.
Again, cut each piece in half lengthwise, ending with 8 long pieces. These are your legs! You need 8 legs (one olive) for each spider.
Cut another olive in half lengthwise just one time and these two pieces are the bodies for your spiders.
Overall, for 2 spiders for each of the 4 plates, you want to cut 4 olives in half for the bodies and 8 olives into leg pieces. Make more or less spiders as desired!
YouTube Video
FAQs
What Can I Use for Spiders Instead of Olives?
Not a fan of olives?
You can choose to cut up other foods into similar shapes.
Pepperoni would be a great option to give you red spiders. Onions (even pearl onions) can give you white spiders. Think of ingredients that you love and how you can make a spider with them!
Modifications and Substitutions
This creepy Halloween food idea is easy to switch up and make your own as well!
This recipe would also be great with our Mummy Meatballs on top!
Don’t want to use olives? Use pepperoni or cut up any other topping you like.
Don’t want pumpkin sauce? Any pasta sauce is fine!
Spider Spooky Pasta
Equipment
- Colander
- Knife
- Toothpick
Ingredients
- 1 pound spaghetti or other long pasta
- 1 Tablespoon black food coloring (½ ounce)
- 1 batch Pumpkin Pasta Sauce (click name for recipe)
- ¼ cup sour cream (or plain Greek yogurt)
- 12 black olives whole
Instructions
- Make your Pumpkin Pasta Sauce per recipe directions. This takes about 35 minutes and can be done in advance.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. When boiling, add the black food coloring. Then add the pasta.
- Cook per package directions until al dente, approximately 8-10 minutes.When done, drain and drizzle with oil, then toss, to prevent it from sticking.
Spiders and Spider Webs
- When serving, put the black pasta on the plates or in serving bowls.
- Top with the pumpkin sauce across much of the pasta.
- Mix the sour cream with just a little bit of water in a small resealable bag. You want just enough to thin the sour cream without it being runny.
- Cut a small tip off the corner of the bag and use as a piping bag to pipe two circles, like a target, in the orange sauce.
- Using a toothpick, put the toothpick tip in the center of the web and pull it outwards, dragging it through the sauce and white circles. Repeat around the circles. This will give you the pointy web tips.
- Cut the olives for the spiders.First cut a whole olive in half lengthwise.Then cut each piece in half lengthwise again, giving you 4 long pieces.Again, cut each piece in half lengthwise, ending with 8 long pieces. These are your legs! You need 8 legs (one olive) for each spider, a total of 8 olives cut as legs.
- Cut the other 4 olives in half lengthwise just one time and these 8 pieces are the bodies for your spiders. Overall, for 2 spiders for each of the 4 plates, you want to cut 4 olives in half for the bodies and 8 olives into leg pieces. Make more or less spiders as desired!
- Place two spider bodies on each serving/web, cut side down.
- Place 8 spider legs on each body, 4 on each side.
- Serve!
Video
Notes
- This is enough black olives for two spiders on each of the 4 servings. Use more or less as desired.
- An alternative to olive spiders is pepperoni or other vegetables/meats as desired cut up.
- Get the pumpkin pasta sauce recipe by clicking on the ingredient name.
Nutrition
More Halloween Recipes
Halloween Recipes
Celebrate Halloween with these fun holiday recipes!
Jack Skellington Chocolate Covered Oreos
Jack Skellington Chocolate Covered Oreos candy coated cookies decorated like your favorite Nightmare Before Christmas lead!
Halloween Pizza Potato Skins
Gluten free and vegetarian Halloween themed potato skins! Perfect finger food, snack, or meal for a Halloween party.
Poison Apple Halloween Cocktail
A twist on an apple daiquiri, this apple cocktail is flavored with cinnamon poison for a fun color changing effect.
Purple People Eater Halloween Popcorn Balls
This fun Purple People Eater Halloween Popcorn Balls recipe is a great monster to bring to your holiday table!
Wow! This pasta recipe is just something else! Great creativity and a twist! A perfect treat for this coming Halloween festivity! Loved it!
I have never tried to make this kind of pasta, but it looks delicious, and I love your creativity in making this.