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Eyeball Pasta

Eyeball Pasta features tender spaghetti served with savory meatballs, each topped with a creepy, bloodshot eye made from olives or similar edible ingredients. The dish is prepared by cooking the pasta and shaping meatballs, then assembling everything with a flavorful tomato sauce that envelops the dish, giving it a spooky appearance and satisfying texture.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings: 4
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Halloween
Calories: 550

Ingredients
  

  • 400 g spaghetti uncooked
  • 500 g ground beef for meatballs
  • 1 cup breadcrumb for meatball binding
  • 1 egg egg to help bind meatballs
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 cups tomato sauce for pasta and sauce
  • 0.5 cup parmesan cheese grated, for flavor
  • 12 green olives stuffed with pimentos for eyeball centers
  • 12 black olives sliced, for bloodshot effect
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil for cooking
  • to taste salt and pepper for seasoning

Equipment

  • Large pot for boiling pasta
  • Mixing bowls
  • Baking sheet
  • Skillet or frying pan
  • Small spoon or piping bag

Method
 

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the spaghetti according to package instructions until al dente. Drain and set aside.
  2. Preheat your oven to 200°C (400°F). In a mixing bowl, combine ground beef, breadcrumb, egg, half of the minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Mix until just combined but not overworked.
  3. Shape the mixture into roughly 12 small meatballs and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until browned and cooked through.
  4. While the meatballs bake, heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the remaining garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Pour in the tomato sauce and bring to a gentle simmer, then add cooked meatballs to the sauce, simmering for another 10 minutes to meld flavors.
  5. Slice black olives thinly to resemble bloodshot veins and set aside. Carefully cut the green olives stuffed with pimentos in half to form the eerie eyeball centers; reserve any excess stuffing in case you want to add more details.
  6. Drain the cooked pasta and toss it into the simmering sauce, coating evenly. Spoon the pasta onto serving plates.
  7. Top each serving with a meatball, then carefully place a pimento-stuffed green olive on top of each meatball as the eyeball. Surround the eyeballs with slices of black olives to give a bloodshot appearance.
  8. Sprinkle grated parmesan cheese over the pasta for added flavor. Optionally, drizzle a little extra olive oil and season with more salt and pepper to taste.
  9. Serve hot, enjoying the creepy presentation and flavorful, spooky pasta.

Notes

For extra gore, add a drizzle of tomato sauce to mimic blood or use red food coloring in the sauce.