4 Spooktacular Halloween Party Food Ideas & Recipes

[dropcap]S[/dropcap]truggling with what to serve at your Halloween bash? Well we have taken all the stress out of planning your menu with these four fun and frighteningly delicious Halloween Party treats your guests are going to love. Our easy to follow recipes include savory foods like mini Pumpkin Turkey Pasta Bowls to refreshing Margarita spritzers and more. These Halloween party foods are so easy, they’re scary!

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Mini Pumpkin Turkey Pasta Boowls

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Infused with a subtle taste of pumpkin, these mini pasta bowls are easy, delicious and offer guests a hearty dish that they eat while standing (or sitting).

What You Need

Pumpkin Turkey Balls

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• 1 to 2 cup of spaghetti pasta
• 1/2 lb of lean ground turkey
• 2 tbsp of pumpkin puree
• 1/4 cup of onion
• 1/4 cup of cilantro

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• 1/2 tsp of garlic salt
• 1/2 tsp of pepper
• 1/2 tsp of dried oregano
• pinch of cayenne (optional)
• pinch of paprika

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Marinara

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• 16 oz can of whole tomatoes
• 1/2 cup of chopped spinach
• 1 tbsp of pumpkin puree

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• 1 to 1 1/2 tbsp of plain yogurt
• 2 to 3 sprigs of fresh mint
• Grated Mozzarella or Parmesan for garnish

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Yields: 8 small ramekin bowls.

Directions

Pour the whole can of tomatoes in a blender or food processor. Pulse a few times for a chunky tomato sauce. 

In the meantime, it’s time to make the mini Pumpkin Turkey Meatballs.

In a large bowl, combine your ground turkey, onions, cilantro, pumpkin puree, salt, pepper, dry oregano, paprika and cayenne together until everything is well combined. Tip: Feel free to use your hands to mix everything together. Once every is combined, you’re going to want to start making the mini meatballs. The meatballs should be no bigger than a teaspoon and a half.

Transfer the chunky tomato sauce into a pot and bring it to a boil. Once it’s boiling, you’re going to want to lower the heat to low. Add the spinach and pumpkin puree. Stir until well combined. Let the sauce simmer for 10 minutes, making sure to stir it every so often so avoid it burning. After the 10 minutes, add the plain yogurt and fresh mint. Stir. Let it simmer for another 5  minutes.

Next heat up a tablespoon of olive oil (or any oil of your preference) in a pan. Place a couple of meatballs in the pan to cook, making sure to work in batches. Cook each side for 3 minutes or until fully cooked. Transfer the cooked meatballs to the marinara sauce and let them simmer in the sauce for 5 to 6 minutes.

Make sure to cook the pasta according to the instructions on the box. Set aside until the sauce and meatballs are done.

Time to plate the dish.

Lay the cooked spaghetti into small ramekins as the first base of the dish. Next, carefully ladle the turkey balls and marinara over the pasta. Garnish with shredded mozzarella or Parmesan. Serve warm.

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Strawberry & Walnut Spring Mix Salad with Pumpkin Vinaigrette

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Fresh and light, this spring mix salad offers the perfect respite from all those sweets you’re sure to indulge in during Halloween. Crisp green apple, walnuts, strawberries and carrots adorn the bed of fresh spring mix along with a sweet and tangy pumpkin vinaigrette. Perfect for those wanting a healthy alternative.

What You Need

For the Salad

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• 2 to 3 cups of spring mix greens
• 1/2 cup of shredded carrots
• 1 green apple, cut and cubed

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• 1/4 cup of chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup of sliced strawberries
• 4 large orange or red bell peppers

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For the Pumpkin Vinaigrette

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• Juice of 1 small lemon
• 1 to 2 tbsp of Trader Joes Pumpkin Cookie butter

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• pinch of pepper
• 1/4 cup of olive oil

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Yields 8 bell pepper salad bowls

Directions

In a large bowl, toss together the spring mix greens, carrots, apples, walnuts and strawberries. Set aside.

Next, take a small bowl and whisk together the lemon juice and pumpkin cookie butter until well combined. Season with pepper. Slowly pour in the olive oil while whisking it until thoroughly combined.

Pour  the vinaigrette over the salad and give it a toss. Take the large orange (or red) bell peppers and cut them in half, making sure to clean out any seeds. Tip: Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds to avoid making any dents.

Fill each half bell pepper with the salad mixture. And that’s it. Enjoy!

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Spooky Margarita Spritzer

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Sip on this delicious and easy-to-make margarita spritzer with hints of fresh mint and garnished with fun, festive sugar skull ring candy. The Perfect non-alcoholic drink for your Halloween party. Or make it an adult version by simply adding a shot of your favorite tequila.

What You Need

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• 4 to 5 cups of premade Margarita Mix
• 2 cans of La Croix Grapefruit Sparkling Water
• red food coloring
• 7 to 8 mint leaves

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• 1 lemon, thin slices
• ice
• sugar skull ring candies (or similar candy)
• straws

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Directions

In a large pitcher or bowl, pour in the margarita mix and grapefruit sparkling water. Squeeze a few drops of red coloring until you’ve achieved the desired color. Whisk until fully combined. Add the mint leaves and slices of lemon. Store in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

When you’re ready to serve, simply add crushed ice to classic champagne glasses (or martini), and pour the spritzer in each glass. Garnish with the sugar skull ring candy, a mint leaf, slices of lemon and a mini festive straw.

Enjoy!

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Happy Bat-oween Cupcakes

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Nothing says Happy Halloween like these fun and festive cupcakes. And with the help of a  cupcake mix, you can can pop these out of the oven in no time.

What You Need

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• 1 Pillsbury Golden Butter Cake Mix
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup of water
• 1/2 cup of oil
• 1 tsp of pure vanilla extract

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• Purple Food coloring
• 1 to 2 Funfetti Frosting in Orange All Star Vanilla
• Cupcake liners
• A pack of plastic Bat rings for garnish

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Yields: 18 to 20 cupcakes

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In large bowl, combine the cake mix, eggs, oil, water  and vanilla extract. Take a hand held mixer and beat at low speed until smooth. You can also use a large wooden spoon to mix everything together.  Squeeze in a few drops of purple food coloring until you achieve the desired color. Line your muffin tin with cupcake liners. Carefully pour batter into each one, making sure to not fill them more than three quarters of the way. Depending on the size of your muffin tin, you may need to make two batches.

Pop them in the oven and bake them for 15 to 25 minutes or until toothpick (or fork) inserted in the center comes out clean. Once they’re all done, take them out of the oven and set them aside to cool completely.

Time to decorate!

Use a spoon to transfer the frosting in a pastry bag or large zipblock bag. Twist the end to secure it. If using a zipblock bag, you’ll need to snip the tip to begin frosting. We created small swirly patterns that connected with each other for a loose yarn look. But feel free to frost, however you like. The funfetti frosting we chose comes with star shaped sprinkles so we sprinkled a generous amount on each cupcake. And to add a finishing touch, we inserted the plastic bat rings on top of the cupcakes.

You’re done!

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Check out our Collection of Quick & Easy Halloween Inspired Bites for more inspiration.

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Let us know if you give one of these recipes a go. Also make sure to tell us in the comments below what your Halloween plans are because we’d love to know! Happy Halloween!