Spooky Halloween Ghost and Skull Pasta
If you think normal spaghetti is too boring to excite your family, this creepy dish is here to save dinner. By transforming basic items like mushrooms, meatballs, and cheese slices into floating ghosts and tiny skulls, you will easily trick everyone into thinking you spent hours on a gourmet holiday meal.
EQUIPMENT (PAID LINKS)
- Small round tool or metal straw
- Toothpick
- Saucepan
- Plates
- Tweezers
Ingredients
- 8 ounces white button mushrooms
- 16 ounces spaghetti
- 24 ounces marinara sauce
- 8 cooked meatballs
- 4 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 8 slices American cheese
- 1 black olive
Instructions
- Carve Mushroom Skulls: Cut the bottom stems off the white button mushrooms so they can rest flat on a surface. Use a small round tool or a metal straw to press into the mushroom cap and pop out two eye holes. Take a toothpick to gently score a few vertical lines under the eyes to create the teeth of the skull.8 ounces white button mushrooms
- Boil Ingredients: Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a boil. Toss in the carved mushroom skulls and cook them for about three minutes until soft, then scoop them out with tongs. Drop the spaghetti into the same boiling water and cook it until it is perfectly tender, then drain it using a colander.16 ounces spaghetti
- Warm Sauce and Meatballs: Pour the marinara sauce into a saucepan over medium heat and add the cooked meatballs. Stir the mixture gently until the sauce is simmering and the meatballs are heated completely through.24 ounces marinara sauce, 8 cooked meatballs
- Layer the Pasta: Pile the drained spaghetti onto your plates. Pour the warm marinara sauce over the noodles, leaving the meatballs in the saucepan for just a moment, then evenly dust the top of the sauce with grated parmesan cheese and dried parsley.4 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese, 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- Shape the Ghosts: Place your heated meatballs and cooked mushroom skulls across the pasta plate. Lay a square slice of American cheese flat over each individual meatball, allowing the natural heat to melt and drape the cheese so it looks like a spooky floating ghost.8 slices American cheese
- Decorate and Serve: Slice a black olive into tiny round dots for eyes and little vertical ovals for mouths. Use tweezers or a toothpick to carefully stick these olive face pieces onto the draped cheese ghosts, then serve this creepy meal immediately while it is still warm.1 black olive
