Boo-Sketti (spooky Halloween Dinner Idea)
Boo-Sketti turns a basic spaghetti and meatballs dinner into a Halloween-themed meal by adding cheese eyes and olive pupils to each meatball, making them look like little monster eyeballs. It’s an easy way to make a weeknight dinner feel a little more festive without changing the actual flavors.
This works well as a quick weeknight dinner throughout October or as the main dish for a Halloween-themed family meal. It’s barely more work than regular spaghetti and meatballs, since the only extra steps are cutting cheese circles and placing olives.
For more easy Halloween dinners, be sure to try my Monster Mac & Cheese, Ghost Pizza, and Monster Meatball Sliders. They’re all simple recipes that turn familiar dinners into something a little more Halloween-appropriate.
What You’ll Love About This Recipe
Ingredients
You’ll need the following ingredients to make this Boo-Sketti:
Ingredient Notes
Spaghetti: Regular spaghetti works best here since it gives you that classic base to build the monster meatballs on top of. Cook it just shy of al dente if you’re reheating later.
Red Sauce: Use your favorite jarred marinara or homemade sauce. A thicker sauce will cling to the meatballs better than a thin, watery one.
Meatballs: Frozen pre-cooked meatballs save the most time, but homemade meatballs work great too as long as they’re round and a similar size.
Mozzarella Cheese: Use sliced mozzarella, not shredded, so you can cut clean little circles for the eye whites.
Olive Slices: Canned sliced black olives are the easiest option and already roughly the right size for a pupil.
Recipe Variations
Make It Spicy: Use a spicy marinara or arrabbiata sauce for some heat.
Swap the Protein: Try Italian sausage meatballs instead of regular beef or pork meatballs.
Add Vegetables: Stir sauteed mushrooms or spinach into the sauce for extra texture.
Make It Gluten-Free: Use gluten-free spaghetti and gluten-free meatballs.
Go Vegetarian: Use plant-based meatballs in place of regular meatballs.
How To Make Boo-Sketti: Step by Step
Here are quick visual instructions. Be sure to check out the full instructions with exact ingredients in the printable recipe card below.
Step 1: Combine the cooked spaghetti with the red sauce.
Step 2: Coat the meatballs in sauce and place them on top of the spaghetti.
Step 3: Add the mozzarella and olive eyes, then heat just until the cheese melts.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
Use a small round cutter for the cheese circles so all the eyes look consistent.
Heat the bowls in short bursts in the microwave so the cheese melts without overcooking the meatballs.
If using the oven, broil for just a minute or two to melt the cheese quickly without drying out the spaghetti.
Make the cheese eyes ahead of time and store them between sheets of parchment paper in the fridge.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! You can cook the spaghetti, sauce, and meatballs ahead of time and store them separately. Assemble the cheese eyes and olives right before reheating so they look fresh.
For the eyeball look, yes. Sliced cheese lets you cut clean circles. Shredded mozzarella will still taste fine, but it won’t give you the same defined eye shape.
Absolutely. The microwave works great for melting the cheese quickly, especially if you’re making individual bowls instead of one big dish.
Boo-Sketti
Ingredients
- 1 lb spaghetti
- 24 oz red sauce marinara
- 12 1.5 oz meatballs cooked
- 6 slices mozzarella cheese
- 12 black olive slices
Instructions
- Cook the spaghetti according to package directions, then combine with the red sauce.
- Divide the sauced spaghetti into serving bowls.
- Coat the meatballs in sauce and place 2-3 meatballs on top of the spaghetti in each bowl.
- Cut small circles out of the sliced mozzarella to make eye whites, using 2 circles per meatball.
- Place 2 cheese circles onto each meatball.
- Top each cheese circle with a black olive slice for the pupil.
- Heat in the oven at 375°F for 5-7 minutes, or microwave in short bursts, until the cheese melts.
