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Description
A vibrant and nutritious pasta salad perfect for Halloween, featuring fun jack-o’-lantern cucumbers and a colorful mix of vegetables. This recipe is easily customizable with your favorite pasta and dressing.
Ingredients
- 1 box whole wheat penne pasta (or other pasta)
- Natural purple food coloring (or red + blue) OR 1 box black bean pasta
- 1 cucumber, sliced
- 1/2 head of broccoli, chopped
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 cup shredded cheese (Parmesan or cheddar, optional)
- Your favorite Italian salad dressing, to taste
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions.
- While pasta cooks, use a knife to cut out jack-o’-lantern faces in some cucumber slices.
- If coloring pasta: Add about 1/4 cup water to a large Ziploc bag and squeeze in about 10 drops of purple food coloring. Add cooked pasta to the bag and toss to coat. Let sit a couple minutes, drain, and rinse with cold water.
- Transfer pasta to a large bowl and add the sliced cucumber (some with carved faces), chopped broccoli, halved cherry tomatoes, and shredded carrots. Add shredded cheese if using.
- Add Italian salad dressing to taste and toss to coat all ingredients.
- Refrigerate for a couple of hours or overnight for best flavor. Add a bit more dressing before serving if needed.
Notes
- For a deeper purple color, you can add a few more drops of food coloring.
- Black bean pasta is a great alternative for a natural dark color and added protein.
- Feel free to add other Halloween-themed vegetables like chopped bell peppers of orange or green.
- This salad can be made ahead of time, making it convenient for parties.