Description
A festive and spooky Halloween side dish featuring colorful dyed tortellini, spooky mozzarella cheese skulls, and a tangy red wine vinaigrette, perfect for adding a playful touch to your holiday meal.
Ingredients
Scale
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
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
- Prepare the Vinaigrette: In a jar or dressing bottle with a tight-fitting lid, combine the minced garlic, olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, dried oregano, kosher salt, and ground black pepper. Close the lid and shake vigorously until the mixture emulsifies and thickens. Set aside.
- Create Mozzarella Skulls: Blot the mozzarella pearls dry with a paper towel. Place one pearl into each opening of a 1-inch skull-shaped silicone mold. Microwave on high for 30 seconds, watching carefully to avoid browning. Once softened, press the cheese down into the mold crevices using the back of a spoon. Transfer the mold to the refrigerator and let the cheese cool and re-solidify for about 5 minutes before popping the cheese skulls out.
- Cook and Dye Tortellini: Cook tortellini according to package instructions, then drain. In three separate bowls, add ¾ cup cool water each and dissolve a few drops of gel food coloring (orange, green, purple) into each bowl. Divide the cooked tortellini evenly among the bowls and let them soak for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse the tortellini with cold water, then pat dry gently with paper towels.
- Assemble the Salad: Just before serving, combine spring mix, pepperoni shapes or cubes, halved cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced mini sweet peppers, sliced kalamata olives, mozzarella skulls, and the dyed tortellini in a large bowl. Toss lightly to mix all ingredients evenly.
- Dress and Serve: Lightly dress the salad with the prepared red wine vinaigrette to taste, tossing gently to coat. Serve immediately with any remaining vinaigrette on the side.
Notes
- For best texture and freshness, eat the salad on the same day it is dressed.
- If you anticipate leftovers, store the salad and dressing separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to one day to prevent sogginess.
- You can drizzle dressing over individual servings just before eating instead of tossing the whole salad ahead of time.
- The mozzarella skull molds can be substituted with any small silicone molds for fun shapes.
- Use fresh pearl-size mozzarella balls for the best melting and shaping results.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 14 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 12 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg
