Halloween is easily one of my favorite holidays – firstly because I love scary movies and candy but secondly because it marks the start of my favorite time of the year! The holidays make me so happy and I’m so excited that we get to celebrate another year of them!

Back to the dish – I was so excited to see Trader Joe’s come out with this very on theme, Halloween colored parpadelle and even more excited to try it out. It goes great in the famous spicy pasta and is a delicious meal for those looking to add a little Halloween flare to their meals this weekend.

What does the Trader Joe’s black and orange parpadelle pasta taste like?

This black and orange pasta pretty much tastes like any normal pasta, but it does have a slight bit more flavor because of the added spices and squid ink used for color. It is not too much additional flavor and pretty much takes on the flavor of the sauce that you add.

One tip that I forget more times than I like to admit, is to always save that 1/4 cup of pasta water. It makes the dish that much creamier and gives it that perfect pasta look. I also love to top almost all of my pastas with a little bit of parmesan cheese to give it that extra bite (you can garnish with whatever you’d like and I’d suggest a bit of fresh basil to top it off). Another common variation with this dish is to make a spicy vodka pasta and that would be incredible – if you have it, definitely try it out! I’m actually going to be going to Carbone soon in NYC and I’m so excited to try out the spicy rigattoni vodka when I’m there!

As always, if you give this one a try, let me know what you think and let me know what you think of this new Halloween themed pasta!

Halloween Black and Orange Spicy Pasta

3.12 from 237 votes

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Servings: 3 servings

Course: Main Course

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x?

• 8 ounces Black and Orange Parpadelle I used this Halloween themed pasta from Trader Joe's, but any pasta will work!
• 1 Yellow Onion, diced
• 4 cloves Garlic, minced
• ¼ cup Heavy Cream
• 1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
• ¼ cup Pasta Water
• 3 tbsp Parmesan (garnish as desired)
• 2 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 tbsp Butter
• ½ tsp Salt
• 3 tbsp Tomato Paste

Method

 

1. Boil your water and salt the water when it starts to boil. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Make sure to reserve ¼ cup of the pasta water to add to the dish later.
2. Dice your onion and mince your garlic. While the pasta cooks, in a large skillet, over medium high heat, add the olive oil and butter until the butter melts. Once melted, add the onion and garlic.
3. Cook the onion and garlic until fragrant (about 2 minutes). Then stir in the tomato paste and cook this for an additional 3 minutes until the tomato paste caramelizes.
4. Add in the salt and red pepper flakes and stir to combine. Pour in your heavy cream and stir until this mixture comes together. Add the cream in slowly to make sure it is the consistency that you like.
5. Once the pasta is done cooking, add in your pasta and the reserved pasta water. Again, stir this until fully combined. Plate this and top with your desired amount of parmesan – enjoy!

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If you like this recipe and want more, check out my other Cookbooks!

• Cooking Through Trader Joe’s Cookbook Favorites
• Cooking Through Trader Joe’s Cookbook
• The 10/10 Air Fryer Cookbook

Also, if you want to check out these cute milk carton water bottles, here’s a link:

• Milk Carton Water Bottle