Tomato soup with pasta bones, grilled cheese bats, and chocolate pudding with whipped cream ghosts.
At Halloween, kids can dress up, act silly, be scary—or scared—and eat lots of junk food, all in the name of fun. This healthy meal will fuel childrens’ imagination—as well as their tummies—before starting out on their evening of trick-or-treating.
This traditional meal is tweaked with a little creativity, starting with tomato soup and pasta “bones,” grilled cheese sandwiches shaped like bats with currants for eyes, and a chocolate pudding for dessert that comes with a whipped cream ghost on top.
Tomato Soup With Pasta Bones
Makes 4 servings
25 ml (2 tbsp) olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
750 ml (3 cups) tomatoes, diced (fresh or canned)
25 ml (2 tbsp) tomato paste
750 ml (3 cups) chicken stock
5 ml (1 tsp) sugar
15 ml (1 tbsp) fresh basil, minced
1 ml (1/4 tsp) salt
250 ml (1 cup) penne pasta
Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Sauté the onions and garlic until the onions are soft and translucent. Add tomatoes and tomato paste and simmer for 10 minutes. Puree mixture in a food processor or blender and strain, discarding seeds and skins. Add the chicken stock, sugar, basil and salt. Bring to a boil and add the pasta. Lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes until the pasta is cooked.
Grilled Cheese Bats
Makes 4 servings
8 slices bread (use a large loaf, such as sourdough, to fit size of cookie cutter)
4 slices of processed cheese slices
16 currants
Butter for grilling
Top 4 slices of bread with cheese and place another slice of bread on top. Use a bat-shaped cookie cutter to cut a bat shape from the centre of the bread and cheese. Butter the outside of the bread and grill in a frying pan over medium heat until the cheese melts and the bread is toasted. Use currants for eyes.
Chocolate Pudding With Whipped Cream Ghosts
Makes 4 servings
4-99 g (3 1/2-oz) chocolate pudding
Chocolate cookie crumbs (for dirt)
Whipped cream
8 mini chocolate chips for eyes
Scoop pre-made chocolate pudding into serving glasses, sprinkle cookie crumbs on top, swirl a mound of whipped cream on top of crumbs and use the mini chocolate chips for eyes.
