Halloween Recipes That'll Haunt Your Taste Buds 🎃

Halloween is creeping up on us, and there's no better way to celebrate than with a ghoulishly good feast. Whether you're hosting a spooky soirée or just craving a Halloween recipe to delight your family. At Plate Up, we have some delicious recipes that'll make your taste buds scream with delight. So, grab your cauldron and let's get cooking!

This Halloween season we’ve created a new recipe for you which combines roast butternut squash with our current go-to pasta - orzo! But what makes it truly enchanting is the combination of sweet butternut squash and a medley of colourful vegetables. This dish is perfect for an easy family midweek dinner. Check out our Roast Butternut Squash & Mixed Veggies Orzo recipe. Roast squash and veggies are covered in a sticky wholegrain mustard dressing, topped with crunchy pumpkin seeds and stirred through orzo. Top tip - make a double batch of this classic dressing to have on standby - it’s fab drizzled on roast potatoes.

One of our other favourite Halloween recipes is our Roast Butternut Squash & Feta Pasta Traybake. This recipe has caramelised chunks of sweet butternut squash mingling with al dente pasta. This dish has a delightful blend of textures and flavours that's simply irresistible. To add a spooky twist, we crumble some creamy feta cheese over the top. As it bakes, the feta becomes beautifully golden and adds a salty contrast to the sweet squash. It's like a Halloween costume party for your taste buds! With a drizzle of olive oil and a dash of herbs, it's a flavour combo that is so moreish. Plus with it being a traybake, it's a quick and easy meal to make during the week that the whole family will love, go on give it a try!

If you dare to indulge in a bit of Halloween luxury, our Butternut Squash Risotto is a perfect choice. Creamy, rich, and velvety, this dish is comforting on a chilly autumn night. This recipe begins with Arborio rice, and then the roasted butternut squash, with its blend of natural sweetness and nutty undertones, infuses every grain of rice with the very essence of autumn's magic. As you stir in the cheese and herbs, the risotto transforms into a symphony of flavours. Easy to make and even tastier to eat!

We have also put together some of our top tips to make the most of your Butternut Squash:

Plate Up Pointers: Cooking with butternut squash

Find peeling it a bit of a chore? Prick it all over with a fork and pop in the microwave for a few minutes before peeling.
You can also opt not to peel it - simply slice in half lengthways and scoop out the seeds (you can give the seeds a quick wash then roast them too!). Drizzle with olive oil and season well then roast cut side up until soft. This works well as a side dish sliced into chunks or you could stuff the halves with wholegrains and feta for a tasty vegetarian option.
It’s a great veg for batch cooking - roast 1 or 2 whole butternut squash (chopped into chunks) then add to meals during the week to up your veg intake. We love it with paired with sage, tarragon and parsley.
Spice it up - add a touch of spice when roasting, try smoked paprika, ground cinnamon, Chinese 5 Spice or oregano.
Use is as a base for a pasta sauce, blend roast/air-fried/steamed or microwaved butternut with a dash of cream or creme fraiche, add your favourite herbs and spices then stir into cooked pasta.

Get ready for the Halloween season with these tasty, warming yet comforting recipes that are so easy to make and make for the perfect mid-week family meal.

Helping you plate up delicious dinners, hassle-free.

‍

Want to read more stories like this ?