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5 from 1 vote

Rainbow Pasta

Rainbow Spaghetti makes an easy colorful supper or fun sensory play activity for kids.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time8 minutes
Total Time23 minutes
Course: Dinner, Snack
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8
Calories: 226kcal
Author: Jennifer Fishkind

Ingredients

  • 1 pound dry spaghetti
  • Water for boiling
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • Food coloring drops red, yellow, blue, and green

Instructions

  • Bring the pasta to a boil over the stove and cook until fully done.
    1 pound dry spaghetti, Water for boiling
  • Drain the pasta and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Mix into the pasta well.
    1 tablespoon olive oil
  • Divide the pasta into 6 equal portions.
  • Use 6 Ziploc bags for the next steps. Add coloring to each Ziploc bag then add 1 portion of pasta to the bag. See coloring instructions above.
    Food coloring drops
  • Close the bag shut and massage the food coloring into the pasta until it fully bleeds into the noodles, dying it a solid color. Add more food coloring if needed. Allow the pasta to rest inside the bag for 5-10 minutes. Repeat steps 4 and 5 for each color and portion of pasta.
  • After the noodles have soaked in the food coloring, remove from the bag and rinse them separately in a strainer or colander. Pat dry. Enjoy the rainbow noodles with a spaghetti dinner or use them for a fun activity!

Notes

Tips:
  • Start on the lower ends of the food coloring, especially for the blue and purple colors. You can always darken the coloring but its very hard to lighten it.
  • Add a little bit of water to help distribute the dye into the bags. This will help the food coloring not be as concentrated and can help evenly coat the pasta.
  • Apply food coloring in multiple places in the pasta bags. This will help distribute the color evenly.
  • Really massage the coloring into the pasta. This may take 2-3 minutes per color to distribute the dye evenly.
Food Coloring Combinations To Create The Rainbow:
  1. Red - red (30-35 drops)
  2. Orange - red & yellow  (15-20 drops yellow, 15-20 drops red, equal parts)
  3. Yellow - yellow (35-40 drops)
  4. Green - green (30-35 drops)
  5. Blue - blue (15-20 drops)
  6. Purple - blue & red (20 drops red, 4-5 drops blue)

Nutrition

Calories: 226kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 0.4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 3mg | Potassium: 126mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Calcium: 12mg | Iron: 1mg