Need a filling dish before the little ghouls and goblins hit the streets with their candy buckets? This one’s a lifesaver. “Bats in Cheese” is hearty, cheesy, and the perfect pre–trick-or-treat fuel. Plus, it’s so easy you can whip it up while juggling costumes, face paint, and last-minute candy runs.
Ingredients (makes 1 11x9 casserole): • 1 (16 oz.) box bowtie pasta (the wings of our bats!) • 1 container unsalted chicken broth • 1 (10 oz.) jar crushed tomato sauce • 1 small container ricotta cheese • ½ Tbsp Italian seasoning • 1 package shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions: 1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease or prep your 11x9 casserole dish. 2. Pour in the bowtie pasta, then add tomato sauce, chicken broth, ricotta cheese, and Italian seasoning. Stir gently to coat everything. 3. Sprinkle mozzarella over the top like a cozy cheese blanket. 4. Bake for 30 minutes until the edges are bubbling and golden.
Serve it straight from the oven to your hungry monsters. The bowtie pasta looks like a swarm of cheesy little bats taking flight across the casserole—delicious and spooky in equal measure!
🎃 Halloween Fact: Bats have been linked to Halloween for centuries because of their connection to old harvest festivals. During Samhain, huge bonfires attracted insects, which in turn brought out bats—earning them a permanent spot in spooky folklore.
👻 Spooky Serving Idea: Before baking, scatter a few black olive halves on top so that when it comes out of the oven, they look like bats’ tiny bodies among the “flying pasta wings.” You can even poke in two sesame seeds for little glowing eyes.
