This squid ink pasta looks like something from a restaurant menu, jet black noodles, a rich cream sauce, shrimp on top, but it comes together in one pan in about 30 minutes. Adventurous without being complicated.
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I'd had a bag of squid ink pasta sitting in my pantry for months before I finally built a recipe around it. Once I did, it became one of my go-to Halloween dishes, right alongside Tinumis, a Filipino dish made with pork cooked in blood. Both look dramatic on the table and neither is hard to pull off.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Unique appearance: That bold black color does all the work. No plating tricks needed, it just looks like something you tried harder on than you actually did.
- Flavorful: The squid ink brings a subtle brininess that plays off the sweetness of the shrimp instead of fighting it.
- Quick to make: Under 30 minutes, start to finish. It doesn't look like a weeknight dish, but it is one.
- Creamy and rich: Heavy cream and parmesan give the sauce enough body to hold its own against the ink.
- Works for more than one occasion: Halloween, a dinner party, or just a random Tuesday you want something different. Same recipe covers all of it.
What is Squid Ink Pasta
In Italian, it's called "pasta al nero di seppia," pasta made with squid ink. The ink gives the noodles their black color and a mild brininess close to fresh seafood, most common in Italian and Spanish cooking.
It started in Italy's coastal regions, where squid and fresh seafood were always close at hand. It's since shown up on plenty of restaurant menus, but it's just as easy to make at home.
Ingredients
Here's what you'll need:
- Squid ink pasta noodles (also called cuttlefish ink pasta): This is where the black color and briny edge come from. Look for it near specialty or imported pastas.
- Shrimp: Go with large, fresh shrimp if you can. Their sweetness plays off the brininess of the ink.
- Tomatoes: Cherry tomatoes here, mostly for the acidity, so the sauce doesn't feel too heavy.
- Heavy cream: Pulls the whole sauce together and gives it body.
- Olive oil and butter: Cooks the shrimp evenly and keeps the sauce silky.
- Pecorino cheese: Adds a savory, nutty depth once it melts in.
- Beef cubes: Optional, but they round out the sauce and make it taste more savory.
- Garlic: The base note that ties the seafood and cream together.
- Lemon: A little brightness so the sauce doesn't sit too flat.
- Red pepper flakes: Optional, if you want a bit of heat.
- Parsley: Optional, mostly for color on top at the end.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitution and Additions
- Linguine or spaghetti: Regular pasta works fine here. You lose the dramatic black color, but the dish still holds up on flavor.
- Clams, mussels, or scallops: Swap out the shrimp for other shellfish. All three pair well with the brininess of the squid ink.
- Vegetarian option: Skip the shrimp and beef cubes, and bulk it up with more tomatoes, spinach, or mushrooms instead.
- Coconut milk: For a dairy-free version, use this in place of the heavy cream. It adds a slight tropical note while keeping the sauce rich.
- Spicy variation: Add red pepper flakes or a dash of hot sauce for some heat. It holds up well against the creaminess of the sauce.
- Pasta water swap: Use chicken broth or white wine in place of pasta water if you want more flavor in the sauce itself.
How To Make Squid Ink Pasta
- Cook the pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the package instructions, usually about 8-10 minutes. Drain and set aside. Don't forget to set aside some pasta water.
- Cook the shrimp: In a large pan, add some olive oil. Add the shrimp to the pan and cook until pink and opaque, about 3-4 minutes per side. Remove shrimp from the pan and set aside.
- Sauté the aromatics: In the same pan, add butter and let it melt. Add minced garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Prepare the sauce: In the same pan, add chopped tomatoes and beef cubes. Stir until the tomatoes soften and release their juices, about 5 minutes. Pour in the heavy cream and let it simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, about 3-4 minutes. Add the pasta water if the sauce gets too thick.
- Combine: Return the shrimp to the pan and stir to coat them in the sauce. Add the cooked pasta and toss everything together to ensure the pasta is fully coated.
- Finish and serve: Stir in the grated cheese, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately, garnished with extra cheese or fresh herbs if desired.
Variations
- Lobster: Swap in lobster tails for a richer, more special-occasion version of the same dish.
- Squid ink risotto: If you want to use the ink a different way, it works just as well stirred into a creamy risotto, same seafood flavor, different texture entirely.
- Make it vegan: Skip the shrimp and beef cubes, swap the butter for olive oil, and add roasted vegetables like bell peppers, zucchini, or mushrooms instead.
- Herb and garlic pasta: Stir in fresh basil or parsley along with extra garlic for a more aromatic version.
What To Serve With This
- Garlic bread: Good for soaking up the extra sauce once the pasta's gone.
- Caesar salad: The acidity in a lemon vinaigrette cuts through the richness of the sauce and balances the brininess of the ink.
- Roasted vegetables: Asparagus, bell peppers, or zucchini add some color and texture next to a dish that's mostly one shade of black.
- White wine: A crisp, dry white like Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio cuts through the richness of the sauce.
- Sautéed spinach: Simple, garlicky, and a good counterweight to how rich the pasta is.
- Crispy chicken strips: Adds extra protein if you want to round the meal out further.
How to Store Leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The sauce is cream-based, so it may separate slightly once reheated, that's normal, not a sign anything went wrong.
To reheat, warm it gently on the stovetop over low heat rather than the microwave, and add a splash of cream, milk, or reserved pasta water to bring the sauce back together. Stir it as it heats so it re-emulsifies instead of breaking further.
This isn't a great dish to freeze. Cream sauces tend to separate and turn grainy once thawed, and you'll lose the texture that makes this one worth reheating in the first place.
Rose's Tips
- Don't overcook the pasta. Pull it right at al dente. It keeps cooking a little once you toss it into the hot sauce, so overdone pasta going in means mushy pasta on the plate.
- Use fresh seafood if you can. Frozen shrimp works in a pinch, but fresh holds its texture better and doesn't water down the sauce as it cooks.
- Save some pasta water before you drain it. A splash of it loosens the sauce if it gets too thick and helps everything coat the noodles evenly instead of clumping.
- Don't rinse the pasta after draining. The starch left on the noodles is what helps the sauce cling to them. Rinsing washes that away.
- Have the sauce ready before the pasta's done. Squid ink noodles cool fast, and a sauce that's still coming together means lukewarm pasta by the time you toss them.
Recipe FAQs
The color, mainly. Squid ink turns the noodles jet black and adds a mild, briny flavor close to fresh seafood, something regular pasta doesn't have on its own.
Specialty grocery stores and Italian markets often carry it, and it's also available on Amazon if you don't have a specialty shop nearby.
Briny and slightly salty, closer to the ocean than to a typical tomato or cream pasta. It's a background flavor, not an overpowering one.
Squid ink itself is gluten-free, but the pasta is usually made from wheat. Look specifically for a gluten-free squid ink pasta if you need one.
More Pasta Recipes
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Squid Ink Pasta with Shrimp
Equipment
- 1 large pot for boiling pasta
- 1 skillet
Ingredients
- 230 grams squid ink pasta
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound shrimp shells removed, deveined
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon beef buillion/ beef powder
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ¾ cup pecorino romano
- 2 teaspoon lemon juice
- ¼ cup parsley optional
- salt and pepper optional
Instructions
- Cook the pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the package instructions, usually about 8-10 minutes. Drain and set aside. Dont forget to set aside some pasta water.230 grams squid ink pasta
- Cook the shrimp: In a large pan, add some olive oil. Add the shrimp to the pan and cook until pink and opaque, about 3-4 minutes per side. Remove shrimp from the pan and set aside.1 pound shrimp
- Sauté the aromatics: In the same pan, add butter and let it melt. Add minced garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.2 tablespoon olive oil, 3 cloves garlic, 2 tablespoon butter
- Prepare the sauce: In the same pan, add chopped tomatoes and beef cubes. Stir until the tomatoes soften and release their juices, about 5 minutes. Pour in the heavy cream and let it simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, about 3-4 minutes. Add the pasta water if the sauce gets too thick.1 cup cherry tomatoes, 1 teaspoon beef buillion/ beef powder, 1 cup heavy cream
- Combine: Return the shrimp to the pan and stir to coat them in the sauce. Add the cooked pasta and toss everything together to ensure the pasta is fully coated.
- Finish and serve: Stir in the grated pecorino romano cheese, lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately, garnished with extra cheese or fresh herbs if desired.¾ cup pecorino romano, ¼ cup parsley, salt and pepper, 2 teaspoon lemon juice
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Notes
- Save some pasta water before draining. It's the easiest way to loosen the sauce if it thickens too much.
- Don't rinse the pasta after draining. The starch helps the sauce stick to the noodles instead of sliding off.
- Pull the pasta right at al dente. It keeps cooking a little once it hits the hot sauce.
- Have the sauce ready before the pasta finishes. Squid ink noodles cool fast, and a sauce still coming together means lukewarm pasta by the time you toss them in.
- Frozen shrimp works if that's what you have, but fresh holds its texture better in the sauce.
- Leftovers keep for up to 3 days in the fridge. The sauce may separate slightly on reheating, that's normal. Reheat gently on the stovetop with a splash of cream or reserved pasta water. Not recommended for freezing.
