Spooky Sweet Potato “Worms” with Oozing Beef “Eyeballs”

Today feels like a Monday. While I didn’t have “off” yesterday, it still felt like...

Spooky Sweet Potato “Worms” with Oozing Beef “Eyeballs”

Today feels like a Monday. While I didn’t have “off” yesterday, it still felt like a three day weekend, because Lu worked from home and we saw Gone Girl after the gym and work.

Yes, I saw Gone Girl. I immediately regretted not reading the book first, since I loved the movie and I could only imagine what a nail biter the book would have been. And I was just in search for a new book!

Alas, it’s not a Monday, it’s now a Tuesday and I have a special treat for you: a Halloween inspired spiralized dish AND a giveaway from my friend at Wild Mint Shop!

Spooky Sweet Potato “Worms” with Oozing Beef “Eyeballs”

Hannah is a girl I went to college with and she started her own online shop, Wild Mint. I did a giveaway for her months ago and I’m welcoming her back today! Scroll to the bottom of this post to enter the giveaway.

Now, making Halloween-themed spaghetti dishes is a bit tough, but luckily, I found this adorable oozy eyeball recipe when literally Googling “scary Halloween pasta.” Kraft definitely nailed this one!

Spooky Sweet Potato “Worms” with Oozing Beef “Eyeballs”

I decided to recreate the recipe, using  sweet potato noodles or “worms.” The sweet potato noodles break apart as they simmer in the flavorful tomato sauce, making them look more like tiny worms, which is perfect! Remember – boiling or simmering sweet potato noodles in a sauce will cause them to fragment. You still get the same sweet taste, though!

These oozing beef eyeballs are gluten-free and easy to assemble. I took some process shots to help you.

First, after you make your golf ball shaped meatballs, you’ll need to press your finger into the center of each “eyeball” and make a small indentation:

Spooky Sweet Potato “Worms” with Oozing Beef “Eyeballs”

Second, you will fill these cavities with a half-teaspoon of the tomato sauce:

Spooky Sweet Potato “Worms” with Oozing Beef “Eyeballs”

Third, you will add in the tiny halved mozzarella pearls over the tomato sauce.

Spooky Sweet Potato “Worms” with Oozing Beef “Eyeballs”

Finally, you top the cheese with a jumbo sliced olive:

Spooky Sweet Potato “Worms” with Oozing Beef “Eyeballs”

After you bake these in the oven, they’ll become very oozy and really look like eyeballs! So, whether you’re making a special Halloween dinner for your kids or you’re having friends over to watch Hocus Pocus, drink wine and want to serve them something themed, this is the dish. It’s tasty, healthy and very Instagrammable a la this shirt.

Let’s talk about these stainless steel wine glasses. Obviously, they’re perfect for a Halloween bash with adults and wine or for kids with some grape juice.

Spooky Sweet Potato “Worms” with Oozing Beef “Eyeballs”
According to my friend Hannah at Wild Mint, they are made of 18/8 stainless steel which is a high quality grade of stainless steel that helps protect against rust and corrosion. Also, if you use these glasses for white wine, your wine stays chilled much longer than if you were using a glass or plastic cup, which is ideal if you don’t have your wine on ice.

The best part for me? They’re pretty much unbreakable. There’s nothing worse than when you’re cleaning the inside of a beautiful wine glass and it breaks or if you drop it and it shatters – you always find shards of glass for a week!

Spooky Sweet Potato “Worms” with Oozing Beef “Eyeballs”

These wine glasses are different, fun and definitely a great conversation starter – I had never really seen stainless steel wine glasses beforehand. If you love them like I do, you’re in luck – because Wild Mint is offering Inspiralized readers a giveaway!

Note: Although Wild Mint Shop provided these stainless steel wine glasses for photographing, all opinions are my own. 

Nutritional Information & Recipe

Inspiralized

Spooky Sweet Potato “Worms” with Oozing Beef “Eyeballs”

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 3

Ingredients

  • For the meatballs:
  • ½ pound 90% lean ground beef
  • 1 tablespoon freshly minced parsley
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano flakes
  • 1.5 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 garlic clove finely minced
  • For the eyeballs:
  • 3 small mozzarella pearls sliced in half (about ½ inch in diameter)
  • 3 jumbo pitted black olives sliced width-wise into two hollow circles
  • For the pasta and sauce:
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • ½ cup diced red onion
  • 1 15 oz cans crushed tomatoes
  • 2 teaspoons tomato paste
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano flakes
  • ½ teaspoon dried basil flakes
  • 1 large sweet potato peeled, Blade C, noodles trimmed

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
  • Place all of your ingredients for the meatballs into a bowl and mix together. Using your hands, mold into slightly larger than golfball sized meatballs, about 6. Arrange on the baking tray. In each meatball, press your fingertip into the center to create a cavity for the “eyeball.” Set aside.
  • In a large saucepan over medium heat, add in the olive oil. Once the oil heats, add in the garlic. Let garlic cook for 30 seconds and add in the red pepper flakes and onions. Let cook for 2 minutes or until onions begin to soften. Add in the tomatoes, tomato paste and season with salt, pepper, basil and oregano.
  • Stir to combine the seasonings, lower heat to a simmer and cook for about 2 minutes to allow flavors to develop. Reserve 3 teaspoons of the sauce in a bowl and then turn off the heat on the stovetop, but leave the skillet there.
  • Place a half-teaspoon of the reserved sauce into the eyeball cavities of the meatballs. Top with a mozzarella piece and top with an olive slice. Cook for 18-20 minutes or until meatballs are cooked through and eyeball cheese is oozing.
  • Five minutes into cooking the meatballs, turn the heat back to a low simmer and then add in the sweet potato noodles, toss and cook for 10 minutes or until sweet potato noodles are cooked through.
  • Divide the noodles onto plates and top with 2 meatballs.

Recipe Notes

Inspired by http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/spaghetti-oozing-eyeballs-114097.aspx
with love, Ali

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Recipe Rating




comments

  • Looks delish!
    • This looks so good! Will definitely make for my grand kids when they come for trick or treat!
  • cute idea : ) also a themed hocus pocus night is OBVIOUSLY a must at halloween!
  • Whaaaaaat, this recipe is awesomeness! I definitely want to try sweet potato noodles now, I bet they're divine with carmelized onions, yummy. If I won the $100 gift certificate, I would REALLY want the American Kitchen Cookware 10" Stainless Steel Covered Saute Pan! I have been dying for a big, covered stainless steel pan to replace my old, flaking non-stick ones...I know--so bad! I can't afford the upgrade right now (thanks, college), but I need one! Since that's only $75, I'd also snag the PackIt Freezable Lunch Bag in Ziggy, because my sad little lunch bag is so stained and old, but again, financial priorities--rather spend the money on the food than the container for the food! :)
  • Yum!
  • love the Halloween theme dinner! Super cute and looks delicious!
  • yum! Meatballs without bread crumbs, oh my. Very cute presentation.
  • Great shop! Not sure what I'd get. So many amazing choices!!
  • Hocus Pocus with friends.. Yes I think that is a great idea and I will definitely try this recipe!
  • I love the wine glasses. So pretty and I can't break them!
  • I wish people review the recipe AFTER they make it. This way they could give any suggestions for any tweaking.
  • This is amazing! It reminds me of a recipe from a cookbook I had when I was a child: Mr. Twit's Beard Food from "Roald Dahl's Revolting Recipes". Total throw back to my childhood :)
  • I love the wine glasses! they are amazing!
  • i would definitely buy a new water bottle! and maybe some lunch bots!
  • Very yummy and a cute idea!
  • Thanks for the giveaway! My little guy is you g to love this recipe!
  • Will definitely be trying this recipe for a group dinner I have planned coming up!
  • This looks amazing!!! I will definitely be recreating for Halloween! Wildmintshop.com is an awesome site! Today was my first time on the site and I would love to stock up on some stainless steel LunchBots containers to bring healthy meals to work!:)
  • If I won I would buy some lunch gear. Love the stainless steel lunch boxes, insulated ones too. I hate eating out so this would be so helpful!
  • So cute and fun! Love this blog and how easy your recipes are!
  • OK.. I want EVERYTHING at Wild Mint.. but since I am not independently wealthy I would get the stainless steel cookie sheets!
  • I love Halloween-themed recipes!
  • Ali, you're rockin it girl! I've been following your blog for over a year now and you have done some amazing creative work with your recipes and your blog! My boyfriend just surprised me with a spiralizer and I can't wait to get to work with all of your recipes! :)
    • That's so sweet of you, Ali! Thanks so much! I'm so excited to see what you make first!! Keep me posted :)
  • Love cute recipes like this! And I'd get some cast iron cookware or maybe the food storage containers.
  • I love this idea! So great to have healthy festive food!
  • The sweet potatoes look great! And what awesome wine glasses! I would definitely use them!
  • I think I'd like some of the silicone containers to use in my kids lunchboxes, very cute!
  • I haven't used my spiralizer for fall vegetables yet but this seems like a good one to try!
  • Can't wait to make this! And love the wine glasses (who cares about finger prints with these?)
  • Great idea with the meatballs...Checked out wildmintshop.com...I'm always a sucker for kitchen gadgets!:)
  • If I won the gift card I would definitely put it toward some cast iron cookware. That's been on my wish list for awhile! :)
  • Looks great as usual, Ali! From Wild Mint Shop I would definitely purchase all the glass bakingware!! Looks fantastic!
  • This looks really fun! My family will love this. Thanks
  • This looks amazing, I don't have kids but I'm totally going to make this anyway!
  • Looks delicious, fun, & easy
  • What a fun idea! And a fun giveaway!!! Can't wait to try the recipe! And can't wait to shop if I win the $100! Tx!!!
  • Looks
  • Looks easy, delicious, & fun
  • AMAZING!!
  • Ali, these are great!!! Perfect Halloween dinner!
  • I was looking at the wild mint website. If I were to win the gift certificate, I would purchase baby items for my friends, I have 5 dear girlfriends all having babies around the same time this spring. There are so many cute baby items on the site. On a side note; I love hocus pocus!
  • Definitely some water bottles and stock up on some Christmas Gifts!!
  • A Dutch oven and a cast iron skillet!! I've just been wanting those.
  • Looks delicious, easy, and fun!
  • I would definitely buy a new water bottle...can never have too many of them!
  • As a white wine drinker, these glasses would be great. I also loved her selection of pans as I'm always in need of a new pan or two.
  • It's like a spooky Sesame Street character! Definitely will try this one. Yummy and fun :)
  • Very fun!
  • Ooh! So many choices! I think I would give cast iron another try. My great-grandmother always used a cast iron skillet and she is the best cook I can remember in my family.
  • Hi, I am having the hardest time trying to spiralize sweet potatoes! Do you have any tips on how to do it easier, or is there a way to soften them up before trying? Thanks!
  • I'd definitely get more storage containers. I am in love with glass storage.
  • I would get gear for the kids' lunches. Freezable lunch bag and food storage containers.
  • I want those lunchbots thermal containers for my kiddos, and a life factory water bottle for me!
  • Wow! So hard to choose. Something for the kitchen for sure, probably a baking dish or pot!
  • so many great items.. i'd love a nice stainless steel water bottle!
  • I would get a Lunchbot thermal container or some of the glass storage containers!
  • Love the stainless steel food containers - all of them - and the Wild Mint coffee cosies!