Description
This Spooky Halloween Side Dish is a festive and colorful salad featuring dyed tortellini, mozzarella cheese skulls, pepperoni bats, and a tangy red wine vinaigrette. Perfect for adding a fun and spooky touch to your Halloween meal.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Red Wine Vinaigrette:
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
For the Halloween Salad:
- 4 ounces pearl size fresh mozzarella balls
- 8 ounces fresh or frozen tortellini
- Gel food coloring for dying tortellini (orange, green, and purple)
- 8 ounces spring mix or arugula
- 4 ounces thick-cut pepperoni cut into shapes with a bat cookie cutter or cubed
- 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes halved
- 6 mini sweet peppers thinly sliced crosswise
- ¼ cup pitted kalamata olives sliced crosswise
Instructions
- Make the Red Wine Vinaigrette: In a jar or dressing bottle with a tight-fitting lid, add garlic, olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, dried oregano, kosher salt, and ground black pepper. Close the lid and shake vigorously until the ingredients are emulsified and the dressing is thickened. Set aside.
- Prepare the Cheese Skulls: Blot the mozzarella pearls dry with a paper towel. Place one pearl in each opening of a 1-inch skull-shaped silicone mold. Microwave on high for 30 seconds, watching carefully to avoid browning; the cheese should soften and become melty. Use the back of a spoon to press the softened cheese down into the crevices of the molds. Transfer the mold to the fridge and chill for about 5 minutes until the cheese cools and re-solidifies. Carefully pop the cheese skulls out of the molds.
- Cook and Dye the Tortellini: Cook the tortellini according to package directions and drain. In three separate bowls, add a few drops of gel food coloring to ¾ cup of cool water in each bowl, stirring to dissolve a different color in each. Divide the cooked tortellini evenly among the three bowls and let them sit for 5 minutes to absorb the colors. Drain and rinse the tortellini with cold water, then gently pat dry with a paper towel.
- Assemble the Salad: Just before serving, combine the spring mix or arugula, pepperoni shapes or cubes, halved cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced mini sweet peppers, sliced kalamata olives, cheese skulls, and dyed tortellini in a large bowl. Toss gently to mix.
- Dress and Serve: Lightly dress the salad to taste with the prepared red wine vinaigrette, tossing to coat evenly. Serve immediately with any remaining dressing on the side.
Notes
- Eat this Halloween side dish the same day it’s dressed to prevent sogginess of the salad greens.
- If you expect leftovers, drizzle dressing over individual servings instead of the entire salad and store salad and dressing separately in airtight containers in the fridge for up to one day.
- Use a silicone mold for easy removal of cheese shapes without damaging them.
- The gel food coloring works best for vibrant tortellini colors; use food-safe colors only.
- Be careful not to overheat the mozzarella to avoid browning or melting too much.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 580 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 13 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 10 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg
