Description
Creepy and delicious, this Spooky Pasta with Mushroom Skulls is the ultimate Halloween dinner—squid ink spaghetti tangled in creamy bacon sauce with eerie little mushroom skulls staring back at you.
Ingredients
400g (14 oz) squid ink spaghetti
16 small oval button mushrooms
2½ tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small brown onion, finely diced
100g short cut/Canadian bacon, chopped
2–3 garlic cloves, minced
125ml (½ cup) dry white wine
125ml (½ cup) thickened cream
85g (3 oz) finely grated parmesan cheese
½ bunch fresh thyme (leaves only)
Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
1. Carve mushroom skulls: use straw for eyes, skewer for nostrils and teeth. Cut each mushroom in half vertically.
2. Boil salted water in a large pot for pasta.
3. In a skillet, melt 1½ tbsp butter and olive oil. Add mushrooms cut-side down, caramelize, then flip and remove.
4. Melt remaining butter, sauté onion until translucent.
5. Add bacon, cook for 2–3 minutes.
6. Stir in garlic, then pour in white wine. Simmer to reduce by half.
7. Add thickened cream and let the sauce thicken slightly.
8. Mix in most of the parmesan. Season with salt and pepper, add fresh thyme.
9. Cook pasta al dente, reserve ½ cup of pasta water.
10. Toss pasta with sauce, add pasta water if needed.
11. Add mushroom skulls and gently mix to combine.
12. Serve with remaining parmesan and fresh thyme.
Notes
You can prepare the mushroom skulls and sauce a day ahead. Reheat sauce gently with a splash of pasta water.
For a vegetarian version, substitute bacon with shiitake mushrooms.
Kids may prefer regular pasta instead of squid ink spaghetti.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 plate
- Calories: 850
- Sugar: 6g
- Sodium: 615mg
- Fat: 43g
- Saturated Fat: 21g
- Carbohydrates: 83g
- Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 27g
- Cholesterol: 99mg