This super spooky 'Severed Finger' pasta makes a fun Halloween dinner for kids or adults. The 'fingers' are made from frankfurter sausages - with some easy clever cutting they become fingers and then nestled in the red sauce pasta they look fabulously scary. The sauce (with hidden veg) is so easy to make and adds to the dramatic effect of this Easy Halloween dinner. Halloween is so packed full of candy it is nice to have an easy Halloween meal idea up your sleeve.
Add the olive oil to a large frying pan, skillet or saute pan.
Add the onions, carrots, bell peppers and salt. Cook these for 10-15 minutes over medium heat until soft.
Add the chopped garlic and oregano, then cook over low heat for a further 5 minutes.
Tip the contents of the pan into the blender or food processor, add the canned tomatoes, sugar, black pepper, and red food coloring if using. Then whizz until the sauce is smooth.
Return the sauce to the pan and bring to a simmer, keep the sauce warm until the pasta and fingers are cooked.
For the "Severed Fingers"
Cut small squares from the onion for fingernails.
Cut each frankfurt/hotdogs in half.
Make three small indents about ⅓ up from the cut end.
In the rounded end of the frank, turn your knife horizontally and cut off a small square nail indent. (see the main post for pictures of these cuts).
Bring a pan of water to the simmer and then cook your onions and franks for 5 minutes until heated through.
Use a little tomato sauce to 'glue' the onion nails onto the fingers.
To cook the pasta
Bring a large pan of water to a boil, add 1 tablespoon of salt and cook the pasta for 1 minute less than the packet suggests.
Reserve a cup of the pasta cooking water and then drain the pasta.
Return it to the pan and add 3 or 4 spoonfuls of the red pasta sauce.
Stir gently over low heat to combine the pasta, add a splash of the cooking water. Add more sauce until coated to your liking.
Serve with the severed fingers nestled amongst the pasta.
Notes
When chopping the onion cut your 16 'fingernails' out and set to one side, this saves you having to use a second onion for just a few pieces.
Canned tomatoes can vary in sweetness, so I like to balance the acidity with some sugar. Feel free to leave it out or use less if your tomatoes are sweet enough.
I like to use chicken and pork frankfurter sausages but use your favorite brand of hotdog/frankfurter.
Any pasta will work here, rigatoni, ziti fusilli, shells or long pasta like spaghetti or linguine.