How to Make Rainbow Pasta Noodles
I really like those multi-colored pasta mixes you can buy at the store. You know, like green spinach noodles, red beet noodles, and some regular noodles all in one bag. Having all those colors in one bowl instantly makes any pasta dish look more festive.
But there are a couple of problems with these fancy mixes. First, they’re a lot more expensive than regular pasta. And second, they don’t have enough color. Sure, there’s red and green, but what about orange, blue, and purple? Well, it turns out there’s an easy way to fix that. All you need is some Ziploc bags and food coloring.
Here’s how it works: cook up a pot of noodles just like normal. After draining them, divide them up into portions and put each one in a plastic bag with a different color of dye. I used six bags to make a whole rainbow of noodles, from red to purple.
These colorful Rainbow Pasta Noodles turn any pasta dish into a real work of art. Even plain old spaghetti with tomato sauce becomes magical when there’s an actual rainbow on your plate.
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How to Make Rainbow Pasta Noodles
- Bring pot of water to a boil, add past and cook pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta in a colander and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking.
- You will need 1 ziploc bag for each color you plan to make. I used 6 colors.
- Place 3 tablespoons of water in the bottom of one ziploc bag and add food coloring (see chart below) to the water.
- Scoop equal amounts of noodles into the bag, squish noodles around until completely covered. Allow noodles to sit in bags for 5 minutes, or longer.
- Repeat steps 4-6 for each additional color.
- After noodles have soaked in the color, rinse each color separately in a colander under cold water.
Food Color Chart
- Red: 40 drops
- Orange: 34 drops (yellow) and 30 drops (red)
- Yellow: 40 drops
- Green: 40 drops
- Blue: 50 drops
- Purple: 40 drops (blue) 34 drops (red)
Can you make this recipe with kids?
- Can you? This is a great recipe to make with kids! Even the littlest ones can handle jobs like squishing around a batch of noodles in a Ziploc bag to get them completely soaked in the color. It’s a recipe and a craft project in one!
- And if your kids are picky eaters, letting them help create a rainbow of colorful pasta is a great way to guarantee they’ll eat their dinner.
What kind of sauce goes best with Rainbow Pasta Noodles?
- You can use them in literally any pasta dish you like, from good old spaghetti and meatballs to Classic Tuna Noodle Casserole. But if you really want those rainbow colors to shine through, choose a light topping that doesn’t cover them up, like aglio olio (olive oil with garlic) or the dressing in my Thai Spaghetti Pasta Salad.
Do you have any colorful desserts to round out this rainbow-themed meal?
- Of course! This Honey Glazed Fruit Salad has a whole rainbow of colorful fruits in it, from red strawberries to purple grapes. Or you could do a Sugar Cookie Cake with rainbow sprinkles.
How to Make Rainbow Pasta Noodles
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Ingredients
- 1 pound dry pasta I used fettuccine noodles
- Food coloring red, yellow, blue, green
Instructions
- Bring pot of water to a boil, add past and cook pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta in a colander and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking.
- You will need 1 ziploc bag for each color you plan to make. I used 6 colors.
- Place 3 tablespoons of water in the bottom of one ziploc bag and add food coloring (see chart below) to the water.
- Scoop equal amounts of noodles into the bag, squish noodles around until completely covered.
- Allow noodles to sit in bags for 5 minutes, or longer.
- Repeat steps 4-6 for each additional color.
- After noodles have soaked in the color, rinse each color separately in a colander under cold water.
Video
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer: Family Fresh Meals is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
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How would you recommend heating the noodles back up after coloring them?
Stove top or microwave will work great for reheating 🙂
Hi I didn’t make this yet. I am going to make the rainbow pasta for my granddaughters candy land party. Can you just tell me if it is better to use liquid food coloring, liquid gel food coloring or gel food coloring. Thanks.
I prefer gel, but I think either will work just fine.