Spooky Halloween Salad
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Spooky Halloween Salad is a fun and eerie side dish! It starts with a bed of fresh, crisp mixed greens as the base of this haunting creation.
Scattered throughout are button mushrooms, carved to look like mini skulls, giving the salad a creepy vibe. Mozzarella balls, with a drop of pesto and dotted with black olive slices, to resemble eerie eyes staring up from the greens, while cherry tomatoes add a bright pop of color like drops of fresh blood.
The whole salad is drizzled with a deep, tangy blood-red vinaigrette, made from red wine vinegar, olive oil, and a touch of tomato ketchup for that vivid, sinister hue.
Whether you’re hosting a party or having a quiet dinner, this spooky salad makes the perfect Halloween side dish!
Ingredients
Salad
Leafy greens set the stage for the perfect Halloween salad, and act as the canvas for the spooky elements you’ll add.
- Mixed Greens: A combination of baby spinach, mesclun, and arugula.
- Black Olives: Their dark hue makes them a mysterious addition that resembles cockroaches.
- Cherry Tomatoes: Look for bright orange or red-green combination to add to the spookiness.
- Button Mushrooms: If you slice them just right and add a couple of holes, they resemble tiny skulls
- Marinated Mozzarella Balls: Turn into eyeballs with the addition of pesto and small pieces of black olives.
Blood Red Vinaigrette
Top off your salad with a dressing that’s as creepy as it is delicious. A blood-red vinaigrette can add that perfect eerie finish. You can create it with these simple ingredients:
- Ketchup: Adds a thick, bright red base.
- Red Wine Vinegar: Gives this vinaigrette a tangy twist, and offsets the sweetness.
- Honey: Pure honey adds just a touch of sweetness.
- Paprika
- Worcestershire Sauce
- Olive Oil: Helps the dressing blend smoothly and coat the lettuce leaves.
- Kosher Salt & Black Pepper
Check out the printable recipe card below for the complete recipe and detailed instructions.
For even more spooky Halloween recipes, check out my Halloween Pasta Salad, Spooky Halloween Chili, and Toxic Mac and Cheese too!
How to make a Spooky Halloween Salad
To make mushroom skulls
Wipe mushrooms with a damp cloth to clean, removing any dirt and debris.
Trim off the end of the mushroom stem with a paring knife to get a nice, clean end.
Look at each mushroom and find the best shape for the skull. Place the mushroom with the stem facing up, and slice the mushroom in half.
Place the mushroom halves on a cutting board and use the end of a straw to cut out two round eyes. Carefully remove the “eyes” with a skewer or the end of a sharp knife.
Next, use the tip of a sharp pairing knife to cut two nostrils between the eyes, and small slices for “teeth” on each stem.
To make mozzarella eyeballs
Slice the black olives in half lengthwise. With the cut side facing up, use a straw to cut a hole in the center of each olive. Set the olive “pupils” aside and discard the leftover olive pieces.
Place the fresh mozzarella balls on a cutting board. Look at each one to find the best side to be the “top” of the of the eyeball. Cut a small circle in the top with a sharp paring knife, making a well to hold the pesto that is about one-quarter inch deep.
Use a small spoon to fill each eye with pesto almost to the top.
Place an olive pupil in the center of the basil pesto to create the eyeballs. Set aside.
To make blood vinaigrette
Add the ketchup, vinegar, honey, paprika and Worcestershire to a small bowl, and whisk to combine. Slowly stream the oil into the mixture while whisking, Add salt and pepper to taste, and whisk to combine.
To assemble salad
Place the mixed greens in a salad bowl, then add the black olives and cherry tomato halves.
Drizzle some of the dressing over the salad and toss to coat.
Top with mushroom skulls and mozzarella eyes and adjust so they are peeking out between the lettuce leaves.
Serve immediately with additional dressing on the side.
Creating a memorable Halloween salad is fun and easy. With just a few creepy touches, you can transform an ordinary bowl of greens into a spooky and delightful feature of your Halloween dinner.
Expert Tips
- For added texture, add crunchy nuts, crispy croutons, or creamy avocado pieces.
- Use mini cookie cutters to create orange pumpkins or jack o’lanterns out of cheddar cheese slices or orange bell pepper, pepperoni bats, or ghosts out of white cheese slices with a ghost cookie cutter.
- You can carve the mushrooms, prepare the mozzarella eyeballs, and make the vinaigrette a day ahead. Just keep everything refrigerated in an airtight container and assemble the salad right before serving for freshness.
Make it a meal
- Start your Halloween meal with a fun and delicious Liquefied Ghost Martini or Poisoned Apple Cocktail.
- Devil’s Snare Black Pasta is an eerie and light main dish. For a heartier meal, Feet Loaf makes is a ghoulish choice that is as delicious as it is spooky!
- Finish off your meal with Monster Cookies or Harry Potter Cauldron Cakes.
I created this Halloween salad recipe for two to be enjoyed while watching your favorite Halloween movies. This recipe can easily be scaled up to serve the entire family by clicking on the 2x or 3x button in the recipe card!
Did you try this recipe? I’d love to see it!
Tag @cookingwithcurls on Instagram & Facebook and leave a ⭐️⭐⭐⭐⭐ review below!
Enjoy!!
Spooky Halloween Salad
Ingredients
Salad
- 4 cups mixed greens I used spring mix
- 6 large black olives plus 2 more for eyeballs
- 3 cherry tomatoes look for orange or red-green ombre mix
- 3 button mushrooms
- 6 marinated mozzarella balls
- 1 tablespoon basil pesto
Blood-Red Vinaigrette
- 2 tablespoons ketchup
- 2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 0.25 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 0.25 teaspoon paprika
- 0.25 cup olive oil I used extra-virgin but any light colored oil will work
- kosher salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
Mushroom Skulls
- Wipe mushrooms with a damp cloth to clean, removing any dirt and debris. Trim off the end of the mushroom stem with a paring knife to get a nice, clean end.
- Look at each mushroom and find the best shape for the skull. Place the mushroom with the stem facing up, and slice the mushroom in half.
- Place the mushroom halves on a cutting board and use the end of a straw to cut out two round eyes. Carefully remove the “eyes” with a skewer or the end of a sharp knife.
- Next, use the tip of a sharp pairing knife to cut two nostrils between the eyes, and small slices for “teeth” on each stem.
Mozzarella Eyeballs
- Slice the black olives in half lengthwise. With the cut side facing up, use a straw to cut a hole in the center of each olive. Set the olive “pupils” aside and discard the leftover olive pieces.
- Place the fresh mozzarella balls on a cutting board. Look at each one to find the best side to be the “top” of the of the eyeball. Cut a small circle in the top with a sharp paring knife, making a well to hold the pesto that is about one-quarter inch deep.
- Use a small spoon to fill each eye with pesto almost to the top. Place an olive "pupil" in the center of the basil pesto to create the eyeballs. Set aside.
Blood Vinaigrette
- Add the ketchup, vinegar, honey, paprika and Worcestershire to a small bowl, and whisk to combine. Slowly stream the oil into the mixture while whisking, Add salt and pepper to taste, and whisk to combine.
Assemble Salad
- Place the mixed greens in a salad bowl, then add the black olives and cherry tomato halves. Drizzle some of the dressing over the salad and toss to coat.
- Top with mushroom skulls and mozzarella eyes and adjust so they are peeking out between the lettuce leaves.
- Serve immediately with additional dressing on the side.
Notes
- For added texture, add crunchy nuts, crispy croutons, or creamy avocado pieces.
- Use mini cookie cutters to create orange pumpkins or jack o’lanterns out of cheddar cheese slices or orange bell pepper, pepperoni bats, or ghosts out of white cheese slices with a ghost cookie cutter.
- You can carve the mushrooms, prepare the mozzarella eyeballs, and make the vinaigrette a day ahead. Just keep everything refrigerated and assemble the salad right before serving for freshness.
