This Halloween Pasta Salad is spooky and delicious! We use a combination of everyday and speciality ingredients and equipment to make this side dish delicious and festive for any Halloween party. Your guests and ghouls will be coming back for more! BONE-appetit!
Everyone loves pasta salad! This Halloween Pasta Salad is ghoulishly delicious and is perfect to serve at this year's Halloween party. I've made a few tweaks to my Tortellini Caprese Salad to make this fa-BOO-lous! We're using festive pumpkin shaped pasta, skull shaped mozzarella and a parmesan balsamic vinaigrette. Then, you can add in any additional vegetables of your choice to fully customize this pasta salad to your liking.
If you're looking for more Halloween treats and sweets for your next party or scary movie night check out my Halloween Caprese Skewers and Ghost Rice Krispie Treats.
Why You'll Love this Recipe
- Easily customizable
- A festive twist on classic pasta salad
- Can be made ahead
- Perfect for halloween parties and gathering
Ingredients
- Pasta - I used a local Colorado brand I found at Whole Food's. They are zucca shaped pasta which are mini pumpkin shaped which made sense for this fall holiday. However, you can use whatever your favorite medium shaped pasta is.
- Tomatoes - I grabbed a variety of cherry tomatoes. I love the color they bring to this side dish.
- Mozzarella - For this recipe, I used fresh mozzarella balls (not in water). These can be found in the specialty cheese section of your grocery store. For my sized mold I used the ciliegine sized (cherry size, ⅓ ounce) mozzarella balls.
- Basil - I used fresh sweet basil for this recipe. I love the pop of color.
Parmesan Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Olive Oil - use fresh and high quality extra virgin olive oil for richness and body.
- Balsamic Vinegar - for bold flavor and sharp acidity, use a high-quality balsamic vinegar from Italy. White balsamic vinaigrette is a great variation made with sweeter and milder white balsamic vinegar instead.
- Dijon Mustard - used as an emulsifier/ binds our dressing ingredients together.
- Parmesan - I used grated parmesan for a subtle cheesy flavor that compliments the pasta salad.
- Garlic - I prefer fresh, but you can substitute with garlic powder.
- Salt, Pepper + Chili Flakes - to balance the acidity and add a kick of spice.
Step-by-Step Instructions For Creating Mozzarella Skulls
- Pre-heat oven to 350°F. While oven is preheating, put several sheets of paper towel on a large plate. Then, spread out the mozzarella balls and place several more sheets of paper towel on top of the mozzarella. Finally, place a large book or cast iron skillet on top, to act as a weight and let it sit for 5-10 minutes.
- Once oven is pre-heated, take a small ceramic baking pan and add in 8 pieces of mozzarella to the pan. Bake in the oven for about 6-7 minutes.
- Remove pan when the cheese if softened and some of the liquid is released/slightly melted but not completely melted or cooked! Place pan on a cooling rack.
- Using a spoon(s) or mini tongs, carefully pick up one piece of mozzarella at a time and add it to the mold. Then, using the back of one spoon press down on the mozzarella for 20-30 seconds until it molds more to skull. Repeat with remaining mozzarella. If the mozzarella isn't taking to the mold. Put back mozzarella back into the pan and place back into the oven for a few more minutes and try again. Once all the mozzarella is pressed in the molds, place the molds in the fridge for 10 minutes.
- Pop mozzarella skulls out of the mold and into a bowl or airtight container if storing for later. Keep in the fridge. Rinse and dry our molds and pan and repeat steps 2-5 until you have used all your mozzarella. (I had to do this a total of 3 times = 24 mozzarella skulls total)
Step-by-Step Instructions for Making Pasta Salad
- Cook pasta al-dente according to package directions. Once cooked al dente, drain in a colander and rinse with cold water to cool pasta.
- In a jar, add in all dressing ingredients and twist on lid. Shake for 30 seconds - 1 minute until dressing is combined and emulsified.
- Wash and slice tomatoes, as well as wash and chop or pull basil if serving right away.
- Toss cooled pasta salad with dressing, mozzarella skulls, tomatoes and let it sit in the fridge for 5 minutes for flavors to marinate. Toss again, add basil, taste and adjust seasoning as need. Serve and enjoy.
Expert Tips
- Season the pasta water well - The water should be salty to impart flavor on the pasta plus it keeps pasta from sticking together.
- Don’t overcook the pasta - Use the package directions of the pasta you choose as a guide and cook al dente. If done, drain the pasta and move onto our next tip.
- Rinse the cooked pasta under cold water before tossing with the dressing. If you’ve ever made pasta salad that turned sticky, not rinsing the pasta before tossing with the dressing could be the reason. The cooked pasta is coated in starches. By removing the starches, the salad won’t turn sticky or clump as much. Rinsing the pasta will also keep the pasta from continuing to cook.
- Check the seasoning!: The flavor of pasta salad changes when cold. Make sure to toss the pasta salad after refrigerating to evenly redistribute dressing. Taste and re-season as needed before serving.
Recipe FAQs
Rinsing the hot pasta in cold water until it's cooled stops the cooking process. No one wants mushy overcooked pasta salad. It'll also remove any extra starches on the pasta.
Yes, you can! I actually recommend making it a full day ahead of serving so the ingredients have plenty of time to blend their flavors! I would just recommend only putting about ½ the dressing on and saving the other ½ of dressing and basil on right before serving.
While these molds are primarily used for ice they can also be used for candy making, sugar, mousse and ice cream. I reached out to the seller/manufacturer and confirmed that these molds were safe to be in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius which equals roughly 356 degrees Fahrenheit. However, because some peoples ovens can run hot, etc. I decided it was better for me to add in a step of having the mozzarella softened in a baking pan then added to the mold.
What I love about how simple this pasta salad is how you really can add in a ton of different toppings and extras to make this pasta salad to your preference. Here's a list of some additional items you can add.
- Carrots, broccoli, spinach, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, marinated artichokes, cucumbers, red onion, bell pepper, avocado, corn, salami, arugula, chickpeas, grilled chicken.
The only thing I would note is to make more dressing if you are adding more ingredients in.
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Halloween Pasta Salad
Ingredients
- 8 ounces medium pasta shell of your choice I used zucca or mini pumpkin shaped
- 12 ounces cherry tomatoes
- .5 ounces basil
Parmesan Balsamic Vinaigrette
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- chili flakes, salt + pepper to taste
Instructions
Mozzarella Shaped Skulls
- Pre-heat oven to 350°F. While oven is preheating, put several sheets of paper towel on a large plate. Then, spread out the mozzarella balls and place several more sheets of paper towel on top of the mozzarella. Finally, place a large book or cast iron skillet on top, to act as a weight and let it sit for 5-10 minutes.
- Once oven is pre-heated, take a small ceramic baking pan and add in 8 pieces of mozzarella to the pan. Bake in the oven for about 6-7 minutes.
- Remove pan when the cheese if softened and some of the liquid is released/slightly melted but not completely melted or cooked! Place pan on a cooling rack.
- Using a spoon(s) or mini tongs, carefully pick up one piece of mozzarella at a time and add it to the mold. Then, using the back of one spoon press down on the mozzarella for 20-30 seconds until it molds more to skull. Repeat with remaining mozzarella. If the mozzarella isn't taking to the mold. Put back mozzarella back into the pan and place back into the oven for a few more minutes and try again. Once all the mozzarella is pressed in the molds, place the molds in the fridge for 10 minutes.
- Pop mozzarella skulls out of the mold and into a bowl or airtight container if storing for later. Keep in the fridge. Rinse and dry our molds and pan and repeat steps 2-5 until you have used all your mozzarella. (I had to do this a total of 3 times = 24 mozzarella skulls total)
Halloween Pasta Salad
- Cook pasta al-dente according to package directions. Once cooked al dente, drain in a colander and rinse with cold water to cool pasta.
- In a jar, add in all dressing ingredients and twist on lid. Shake for 30 seconds - 1 minute until dressing is combined and emulsified.
- Wash and slice tomatoes, as well as wash and chop or pull basil if serving right away.
- Toss cooled pasta salad with dressing, mozzarella skulls, tomatoes and let it sit in the fridge for 5 minutes for flavors to marinate. Toss again, add basil, taste and adjust seasoning as need. Serve and enjoy.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!