Happy Monday everyone!!  Have you ever tasted Black Spaghetti before?  Well, I haven’t until today and I just had to blog about it.  For as much as I love Italian food, I have never seen it before.  I honestly can’t describe it.  It is a combination of looking creepy and almost disgusting so it’s perfect for a Halloween dish.  I can see this at a party, sitting in a big bowl mixed with chunks of extra sharp cheddar, green olives, and doused with Italian Dressing with lots of herbs.  As for the taste, it is rich, briny flavor with the faint hint of sea saltiness, which makes it absolutely perfect for pairing with seafood.  Why the saltiness?  Black pasta is colored with squid ink and made from a pasta dough (typically from durum wheat semolina flour) that has ink from squid or cuttlefish mixed into it.

You know I love creating tablescapes which leads me to matching my food with my dishes.  These sunflower dishes are from Home Goods a few years ago and the color of the pasta pairs well with the black and yellow in these dishes.  Check out my previous post September Sunflower Table.  This table was one of my first that I ever did.  I had just started getting into creating tables and didn’t even have glasses yet.  This is also one of older posts and now have wine glasses I found at Home Goods and Dollar General :-). I also love a beautiful centerpiece but this dish can be the centerpiece all on it’s own.  Lay down a bed of dried flowers, seeds, and fruit, surround the bowl with small candles and you have yourself a centerpiece.  Lay large decorative serving spoons on top and let your guests dig in!  Don’t forget to add the condiments like different dressings, extra sauces, and even shredded cheeses for a topping and mix in the bowls in with the candles (just be careful not to burn yourself so spacing them apart will help).

If squid ink makes you queazy, immediately after pouring in the pasta, pour a tablespoon of black food coloring into the boiling water. The water should tint completely black when you stir it with a spoon.  I think I like this option better.  As much as I cook, I never think to add food coloring.  Some of these pictures may look cloudy but it is the steam coming off of pasta.  I ended up liking how the photos looked because it was perfect for this time of year.  How about a tablescape with a mini fog generator?  Wouldn’t that be spooky?

Another party favor would be to create small cups of pasta and layer with your favorite toppings.  Add a small party fork and you’ve got the most convenient appetizer for your guests to pick up and enjoy.  I chose to make this pasta as our main dish with capers, fresh garlic, fresh squeezed lemon juice, olive oil, and diced tomatoes.  I normally fill a pot with water, boil my noodles, drain the water and add my sauce.  This time, I boiled the pasta in 3 1/4 cups of water, added the fresh ingredients, let it all cook down, and added 1/4 cup of water right before I plated the dish.  I normally add many different herbs but this time I added a dash of hot pepper flakes to give this more color and kick!  Want to create a cream sauce instead of red, try my Homemade Fettuccini Alfredo Sauce recipe!

If you are interested in more tablescape posts, check them out here.

Looking for more food related posts, scroll down to the bottom.  As an Amazon Affiliate I earn a small commission from all purchases from this blog at no extra cost to you.

If you have tried black pasta before and want it again or you are curious, you can find it on Amazon, Walmart, and Whole Foods.  Comment below and let me know what you think of it or if you have any recipes that you have used it in.  Personally, I don’t think I will try it again but I might make it for a party as an appetizer.  This is such a fun recipe for the fall especially celebrating Halloween which is one of my favorite holidays!