Name: Slime Green Pesto Pasta
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Italian-American
Ingredients: 12 oz (340 g) spaghetti (or fettuccine); 2 cups (60 g) packed fresh basil leaves; 1 cup (30 g) fresh baby spinach (the "slime" booster — makes it extra neon green); 1/3 cup (40 g) pine nuts (or walnuts); 1/2 cup (50 g) freshly grated parmesan, plus more for serving; 1/3 cup (80 ml) extra-virgin olive oil; 2 garlic cloves; 1/2 tsp fine sea salt, plus more for the pasta water; Juice of 1/2 lemon

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By Tasty Loom | Ready in 15 minutes | Serves 4

Forget dinner plans — serve a bowl of slime and watch the kids lose their minds. This Slime Green Pesto Pasta is vivid, glossy, bright-green spaghetti tossed in a fresh basil pesto that takes five minutes in a blender and ten minutes on the stove. It looks like something the Witches Brew Punch crowd would drink — but it tastes like the best Italian dinner: garlicky, nutty parmesan, olive-oil rich. It is the fastest Halloween dinner on the planet: one pot, eight ingredients, fifteen minutes. Pair it with Mummy Hot Dogs for a full spooky spread, or let the green bowls sit next to Spider Deviled Eggs and Jack-o’-Lantern Stuffed Peppers at your Halloween party — then finish the night with Ghost Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate.

What You Need

12 oz (340 g) spaghetti (or fettuccine)
2 cups (60 g) packed fresh basil leaves
1 cup (30 g) fresh baby spinach (the “slime” booster — makes it extra neon green)
1/3 cup (40 g) pine nuts (or walnuts)
1/2 cup (50 g) freshly grated parmesan, plus more for serving
1/3 cup (80 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp fine sea salt, plus more for the pasta water
Juice of 1/2 lemon

How To Make It

Boil the pasta. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a rolling boil. Cook the spaghetti until just al dente, 8–10 minutes. Before draining, scoop out 1 cup of the starchy pasta water — it is the secret to a silky sauce.
Blend the slime. While the pasta cooks, add the basil, spinach, pine nuts, parmesan, garlic, salt, and lemon juice to a blender or food processor. Pulse 3–4 times, then blend while drizzling in the olive oil until the pesto is bright, glossy, and almost neon green.
Toss it green. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot off the heat. Add all the pesto and 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water. Toss hard with tongs for 1 minute — the starch emulsifies the sauce so it clings to every strand in a glossy slime coating. Add more pasta water a splash at a time until it looks almost glowing green.
Serve it spooky. Pile into bowls, finish with extra parmesan, torn basil, and a crack of black pepper. Dinner is done — 15 minutes start to finish.

Tips & Variations

Neon-green guarantee: The spinach is the trick — it boosts the color without changing the flavor at all. For the wildest slime green, use 1 1/2 cups spinach and skip none of the pasta water.
Keep it green: Blend the pesto while the pasta cooks and toss immediately — pesto darkens if it sits. The lemon juice also keeps the basil bright.
Nut-free version: Swap the pine nuts for 1/4 cup sunflower seeds — same creamy texture, safe for school parties.
Make it ahead: The pesto keeps 3 days in the fridge with a thin olive-oil layer on top (stops browning). Just cook fresh pasta and toss.
Vegan swap: Use 3 tbsp nutritional yeast instead of parmesan and keep everything else the same — still vivid, still slimy.

Estimated nutrition per serving: ~480 cal | protein 15g | carbs 55g | fat 22g.