Are y’all ready for some HALLOWEEN PASTA?!
So festive right?!
Okay, I know what you’re thinking… where on earth did you find black pasta?! I’ll show you! Remember Al Dente Pasta Company that I talked about in my pumpkin fettuccine post?! Well… they sell SQUID INK fettuccine!!! So unbelievably perfect for Halloween.
Monique, the owner and founder of Al Dente plus good friend of my family, asked me to come up with a fun Halloween pasta recipe using their squid ink fettuccine and of course I said HELL YES. Since the pasta is black, we obviously needed an orange sauce… soooo clearly, I went straight for the butternut squash because 1) I’m obsessed and 2) roasted butternut squash creates such a creamy and hearty sauce that would complement the salty squid ink fettuccine perfectly. Though, if you are feeling creative, you could totally try this recipe with pumpkin or sweet potato or acorn squash for a different orange pasta sauce.
So we start by sautéing peeled, seeded, and diced butternut squash, chopped onions, minced garlic, red pepper flakes, nutmeg, and freshly chopped sage in olive oil in a large skillet for about 10 minutes. Next, we add veggie broth and bring the mixture to a boil then let it simmer until squash is soft. THEN WE BLEND EVERYTHING INTO A BEAUTIFUL ORANGE SAUCE. Drool. Finally, we pour that beautiful butternut squash sauce over our squid ink fettuccine (that only takes 3 MINUTES to cook, score!), top it with some shaved parmesan and EAT. Easy enough right? Totally. And so delicious and soooo Halloween-y.
Incase you didn’t think of this… you should totes make this for Halloween dinner. Just a thought 😉
p.s. I just discovered that Al Dente sells their products on Amazon… including the squid ink fettuccine!
halloween pasta (aka butternut squash squid ink fettuccine)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 lb butternut squash; peeled, seeded, and diced (about 3-4 cups)
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 heaping tablespoon freshly chopped sage + extra for garnish
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt (squid ink fettuccine is already salty)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 10 oz squid ink fettucine
- shaved parmesan, garnish
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onions and minced garlic then sauté about 2-4 minutes or until onions are beginning to soften and garlic is fragrant. Next, add in the butternut squash, red pepper flakes, sage, salt, pepper, and nutmeg to the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is fully translucent (about 8 minutes). Pour in the veggie broth and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the butternut squash is soft, about 15 to 20 minutes.
- While the squash mixture is cooking: make the squid ink fettuccine according to package instructions. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water before draining!
Once the squash mixture is done, remove it from heat and transfer the contents of the skillet to a high-speed blender. Puree the mixture until smooth (you could also puree it in using an immersion blender). Combine the cooked fettuccine and butternut squash puree back in the skillet (if sauce is too thick, add the reserved pasta water, 1/4 cup at a time, until sauce reaches your desired consistency). Cook over medium heat, tossing and adding more pasta water as needed, until the sauce coats the pasta, about 2 minutes. Season with more salt and pepper if necessary.
- Divide the Halloween pasta between bowls, top with extra chopped fresh sage and shaved parmesan then devour!!!
Like I say every Friday… happy FRIYAYYYYYYYYY foodies.
If you try this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment or tag a photo #appetitesanonymous on instagram!! I’d love to see your halloween pasta in action. Peace, friends!
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