Description
This Spooky Halloween Side Dish features a colorful and festive salad perfect for fall gatherings. It combines vibrant dyed tortellini, mozzarella cheese shaped like skulls, pepperoni cut into fun shapes, fresh vegetables, and a tangy red wine vinaigrette for a playful and delicious treat.
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 (orange, green, and purple) for dyeing tortellini
- 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, combine the minced garlic, olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, dried oregano, kosher salt, and ground black pepper. Close the lid tightly and shake vigorously until the ingredients are emulsified and the dressing has thickened slightly. Set aside.
- Prepare the Mozzarella Skulls: Blot mozzarella pearls dry with 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. Using the back of a spoon, press the cheese down to fill the crevices of the molds. Transfer the molds to the fridge and chill for about 5 minutes until the cheese has cooled and re-solidified. Carefully pop the cheese skulls out of the molds.
- Dye the Tortellini: Cook tortellini according to package directions and drain well. In three separate bowls, dissolve a few drops of gel food coloring into ¾ cup of cool water in each bowl (one color per bowl). Divide tortellini evenly among the bowls and let sit for 5 minutes. After dyeing, drain the tortellini and rinse with cold water to set the colors. Gently pat dry with paper towels.
- Assemble the Salad: Just before serving, combine the spring mix or arugula, shaped pepperoni, halved tomatoes, sliced mini sweet peppers, sliced kalamata olives, mozzarella skulls, and dyed tortellini in a large bowl. Toss everything together lightly. Dress the salad with the red wine vinaigrette to taste, reserving any extra dressing for serving on the side.
Notes
- Eat this Halloween side dish on the same day it’s assembled with dressing to avoid sogginess.
- If you expect leftovers, drizzle dressing over each serving individually and store the salad and dressing separately in airtight containers for up to one day in the fridge.
- Use fresh tortellini for best texture and ease of coloring.
- If you do not have skull-shaped molds, you can skip the shaping step and simply add mozzarella pearls to the salad.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 280 kcal
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 550 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 10 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg
