Black And Orange Pappardelle Returns To Trader Joe's In Time For Halloween

Halloween is about as clear cut a candy holiday as you can get, but Trader Joe's is looking to inject a little Italian into the mix with the return of black and orange pappardelle. Trader Joe's is always stocked with interesting limited-time treats, but like with Starbucks and so many others, fall may be the ultimate time to find seasonal specialties. And while fall is always pumpkin spice season, Trader Joe's also goes all-in on pasta, with pumpkin ravioli and frozen butternut squash mac & cheese being among their most recognizable fall products. The black and orange pappardelle doesn't quite have the pedigree of some of its other favorites, but as a celebratory product, it's still a lot of fun.

The festive and colorful pasta was first released last year and gets its flavor and color from squid ink and paprika. Now it looks like it's back for a second year, as Trader Joe's fan account @traderjoesobsessed announced the find on Instagram from a store in Monrovia, California. The discovery was made alongside other fall pasta shapes, like their pumpkin-shaped fall zucchette pasta, which is made with butternut squash. Unlike so many of Trader Joe's other specialty products, the black and orange pappardelle is made by a third-party brand, Di Bari, an Italian pasta manufacturer from the Puglia region of southeastern Italy.

While the Halloween color of this version is the main draw, TJ's pappardelle is generally regarded as one of its best pasta products and can make a great base for a variety of fall dishes. The most obvious pairing is a longtime seasonal favorite at the grocery store, the Autumnal Harvest Creamy Pasta Sauce, a creamy sauce that mixes tomato, pumpkin, and squash for a sweet and savory combination. Another warming option for fall you can grab right off the shelves is the Calabrian Chili Spicy Pasta Sauce, which has enough heat behind it to warm you up on a cool Halloween night.

If you are looking to make your black and orange pappardelle into something a little more special, a homemade Bolognese is a classic pairing that makes for a hearty, filling dinner. You could also swap in pappardelle in this sausage and butternut squash pasta recipe for something a little more robust and seasonal. Of course, the thick, broad pasta is plenty filling by itself, but if you don't want to distract from that black and orange color too much with any heavy sauces, butter and sage are a great, classic pairing with pappardelle. With something as fun and limited time as Halloween pasta, you should feel free to experiment with a wide variety of dishes.