This Black Squid Ink Pasta is loaded with calamari, a little bit of spice, and tons of flavor. Don't be intimidated by this fancy-looking dish. This dish can be on the table in 30 minutes.
I've you've never tried squid ink pasta, you're in for a treat. The black color comes from cuttlefish ink, so it's a stunning natural food dye.
Treat it the same as regular pasta, but try pairing it with seafood, like calamari to pair with the slight brininess and salty flavor of the pasta.
If you love simple pasta recipes, make sure to check out this creamy mozzarella shrimp pasta, this chicken bacon mushroom pasta, or this lemon garlic pasta.
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❤️Why we love this recipe
- Stunning black pasta - This recipe is stunning for both special occasions, but is simple to whip up for every day. You may even enjoy serving this dish for Halloween parties! You can hollow out the insides of a pumpkin and place the pasta inside for a special serving dish. You may also enjoy swapping out the spaghetti in this Halloween pasta with meatball eyeballs with squid ink spaghetti!
- Quick and easy - Cook up squid quickly in the oven, while you make a tasty homemade tomato sauce on the stove. Add in the cooked pasta, and voila! You can add toasted breadcrumbs if you like, as it's quick and easy and only takes a few extra seconds.
- Customizable - Don't like calamari? No problem. Swap for shrimp or scallops instead. Outside of the pasta itself, there are no special ingredients for this recipe.
🦑Ingredients
Here are the ingredients we used for this dish. You can find full quantities and nutritional information in the recipe card.
✏️Ingredient notes
- Squid ink linguine or spaghetti - This type of pasta is made from the ink of a squid. It can be found at some grocery stores, at Italian markets and delis, and online. We usually purchase ours on Amazon.
- Reserved pasta water - This helps bring the sauce together.
- Olive oil & unsalted butter - We use both in this recipe for the best flavor. You can use all olive oil if you prefer.
- Garlic - Freshly minced.
- Calamari - Also known as squid. We use both rings and tentacles like we did, or you can use one or the other. You can use any sort of seafood you prefer in this recipe if you don't like calamari. But since we are using cuttlefish ink pasta, calamari is a perfect match.
- Fresh lemon juice & lemon zest - Use organic if possible, since we will be using the zest.
- Kosher salt & black pepper
- Oregano - Optional, but recommended.
- Red pepper flakes - Add as much or as little as you like to suit your personal preference. This pasta isn't spicy, but rather it has a little kick.
- Shallots - You can use yellow onion if you like as well. We leave the shallots in strips, but you can dice them if you prefer.
- Cherry tomatoes - We use fresh tomatoes when they are sweet and in season, but you can also use high-quality canned tomatoes (affiliate link), tomato paste, or store bought red sauce.
- White wine - We love making a citrusy white wine sauce for this dish, but you can also use chicken or seafood stock. Choose something light, dry, and citrusy. Pinot grigio is always a safe bet, and you should avoid oaky chardonnays. Choose something you'd actually enjoy drinking, but go for an affordable option. There's no need to spend a ton of money on a solid-quality bottle.
- Basil - Optional. We use it for garnish, but we also add it to the sauce for more flavor.
- Fresh parsley - Optional, to garnish, and to add to the breadcrumbs.
- Panko breadcrumbs - Technically optional but we highly recommend this crunchy and tasty addition.
- Parmesan cheese - Optional, for garnish.
📖Instructions
📋Prep work
- Add salt to boiling water. Cook pasta al dente according to package directions. Make sure to save at least 2 cups of pasta water, as you will need it later. Rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process, and set aside.
- Mince garlic.
- Cut shallots into thin strips or dice.
- Halve cherry tomatoes.
- Dry calamari with paper towels.
- Zest and juice the lemons.
- Grate parmesan.
- Chop parsley.
- Preheat the oven to 475°F, with a baking sheet inside (we will add the calamari to this pan later).
Step 1 - Marinate the squid
In a large bowl, add calamari, some lemon juice and zest, olive oil, garlic, salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and oregano. Set aside to marinate while you prepare the pasta and breadcrumbs.
Step 2 - Toast the breadcrumbs (optional)
In a skillet over medium heat, add one tablespoon of olive oil. Add the panko breadcrumbs, and stir constantly for 3-5 minutes.
You want to keep the breadcrumbs moving around the pan to ensure they don't burn. Once the breadcrumbs are golden, remove the skillet from the heat right away.
Add a pinch of minced parsley and salt. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
Step 3 - Cook the calamari
Add calamari to the hot baking sheet. Don't worry, your sheet will sizzle and the pan may warp a bit momentarily. Roast for 8-10 minutes. Set aside.
Step 4 - Make the sauce
Meanwhile, while the calamari is roasting, start the sauce. In the same skillet, melt butter. Add remaining minced garlic, and cook until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add shallots and halved tomatoes with a good pinch of salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and remaining oregano. Cook for 4-5 minutes to allow tomatoes to soften.
Add white wine to deglaze the pan. Add in fresh basil. Bring to a boil, and boil for roughly 10 minutes, stirring frequently until the sauce begins to thicken.
Step 5 - Assemble
Add pasta, the cooked calamari, and some of the pasta water. Toss to combine.
Step 6 - Serve and enjoy
At pasta with squid to a large serving plate. Top with breadcrumbs, fresh parsley, basil, and parmesan. Enjoy!
✨Tips & tricks
- Make every ingredient count. This dish is made up of simple ingredients to develop delicious flavor, use fresh garlic, shallots, and in-season tomatoes whenever possible.
- Cook pasta al dente. Make sure to not over cook your pasta! No one likes soggy pasta. Cooking the pasta al dente will make sure it holds up well once the sauce is added. The time needed heavily depends on the brand and type of pasta you use, so make sure to read the provided instructions from the package.
- Don't forget to heavily salt the water! Make sure you add plenty of salt (think at least 2 tablespoons of kosher salt) to the pasta water. This will ensure there is some flavor injected into the pasta itself.
- Don't skip marinating the squid. This really helps increase the tenderness of the squid. Squid can get a little tough, so marinating it really helps with that. Plus, it adds a ton of flavor to the squid, and the liquid that we add to the pasta after the squid cooks.
- Don't overcook the squid. Squid cooks very quickly, so it doesn't need much time in the oven. Overcooking will cause the squid to become rubbery.
✏️Substitutions & variations
The ingredients are pretty straightforward, but here are a few simple swaps you can make.
- Dairy free - Use all olive oil, and skip the added parmesan.
- Spicy - Love spice? Add extra red pepper flakes, or even a tablespoon of crushed Calabrian chilis (affiliate link).
- Add or swap the protein- Super hungry? Add more proteins like shrimp or scallops. Alternatively, you can simply swap calamari for either of these proteins if you don't like squid.
- Without any added protein - If you're looking to to just prepare the pasta with sauce, you can definitely omit the seasoned calamari and use the pasta as a base for any meal you like.
💭Frequently asked questions
Cuttlefish (squid) ink is used in the pasta-making process, and that's what creates the deep black color. The flavor in the pasta is neutral, with a small hint of brininess and salt, so the ink doesn't add a ton of flavor itself.
Since there are only a few basic ingredients in this recipe, we highly recommend using fresh garlic if possible.
However, you can use garlic powder if that is all you have on hand. One garlic clove is equivalent to ¼ of a teaspoon of garlic powder, so keep this in mind.
The water reserved from the pasta has some starches in it, which helps us to create a silky smooth sauce to coat the noodles.
Yes! If you don't salt the water, the noodles will become bland and flavorless. Use at least 1.5 tablespoons of kosher salt per every pound of pasta. We know it seems like a lot, but since the pasta is only in the water for a few minutes, it needs to make an impact.
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⏲Equipment
Luckily, this recipe is pretty standard and you really don't need much to make it.
- We love our enameled cast iron skillet (affiliate link) as it's super easy to clean, but you can use any skillet you'd like to bring this dish together.
- We also love our enameled dutch oven to cook the pasta, but any stock pot will work.
- If using enameled cast iron, make sure to use silicone or wooden utensils, so you don't scrape the bottom of the pan.
- We use a microplane to finely grate the parmesan cheese, and zest the lemons.
- Don't forget a baking sheet to roast the calamari on in the oven.
🥣Storage
This pasta is most definitely enjoyed fresh, while it's nice and hot. However, it will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. We don't recommend freezing this recipe.
♨️Reheating
To reheat on the stovetop, we'd recommend adding a little bit of water, and more olive oil or butter with the pasta to your skillet. Move around constantly to prevent any sticking or burning, and remove from the skillet as soon as the noodles are warmed through, as the calamari will continue to cook.
In the microwave, add a few tablespoons of water to the noodles, and reheat in 15-second intervals, stirring in between until the noodles are warmed through.
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📖 Recipe
Squid Ink Pasta with Calamari
Equipment
- 1 enameled cast iron skillet (or any large skillet)
- 1 enameled dutch oven (or any stock pot)
- 1 baking sheet
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds calamari, rings and tentacles
- 1 large lemon, juice and zest
- 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 8 cloves garlic, minced and divided
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, divided (optional and to taste)
- 4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided (to taste)
- 1 tablespoon oregano, divided
- 1.5 teaspoons black pepper
- 16 ounces squid ink pasta (cooked according to package directions in salted water)
- 2 cups reserved pasta water
- 45 grams panko breadcrumbs (½ cup)
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped (optional)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 12 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved
- 3 medium shallots, thinly sliced
- handful of fresh basil
- 12 ounces dry white wine (use something citrusy like pinot grigio, avoid oaky chardonnays.)
- parmesan, basil, and parsley to garnish
Instructions
Make the pasta
- Add salt to boiling water. Cook the squid pasta al dente according to the package directions. Make sure to save at least 2 cups of pasta water, as you will need it later. Rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process, and set aside. Preheat the oven to 475°F with a baking sheet inside.
Marinate the calamari
- In a large bowl, add calamari, lemon juice, and zest, 4 tablespoons of olive oil, half of the garlic, 2 teaspoons salt, ¾ teaspoon black pepper, ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, and ½ a tablespoon of oregano. Set aside to marinate.
Prepare the breadcrumbs (optional)
- If serving the dish with breadcrumbs, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs, and stir constantly to brown for 3-5 minutes until a golden brown color is achieved.
- Remove immediately from the heat, then stir in parsley and a pinch of salt. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
Roast the calamari
- Once the oven is preheated. Add calamari to the hot baking sheet. Don't worry, your sheet will sizzle and the pan may warp a bit momentarily. Roast for 8-10 minutes until the squid has cooked through and the tentacles have curled up. Set aside while you make the sauce.
Make the sauce
- Meanwhile, while the calamari is roasting, start the sauce. In the same skillet, melt butter. Add remaining minced garlic, and cook until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add shallots and halved tomatoes with a good pinch of salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and remaining oregano. Cook for 4-5 minutes to allow tomatoes to soften. Add white wine to deglaze the pan. Add in fresh basil. Bring to a boil, and boil for roughly 10 minutes, stirring frequently until the sauce begins to thicken.
Assemble
- Add cooked pasta with pasta water, and calamari with all the juices to the skillet. Toss to combine. Plate, and top with crispy breadcrumbs, fresh parsley, basil, and parmesan. Enjoy!
- Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat gently in the microwave or on the stovetop with added liquid. Do not freeze.
Notes
- Make every ingredient count. This dish is made up of simple ingredients to develop delicious flavor, use fresh garlic, shallots, and in-season tomatoes whenever possible.
- Cook pasta al dente. Make sure to not over cook your pasta! No one likes soggy pasta. Cooking the pasta al dente will make sure it holds up well once the sauce is added. The time needed heavily depends on the brand and type of pasta you use, so make sure to read the provided instructions from the package.
- Don't forget to heavily salt the water! Make sure you add plenty of salt (think at least 2 tablespoons of kosher salt) to the pasta water. This will ensure there is some flavor injected into the pasta itself.
- Don't skip marinating the squid. This really helps increase the tenderness of the squid. Squid can get a little tough, so marinating it really helps with that. Plus, it adds a ton of flavor to the squid, and the liquid that we add to the pasta after the squid cooks.
- Don't overcook the squid. Squid cooks very quickly, so it doesn't need much time in the oven. Overcooking will cause the squid to become rubbery.
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