This year prepare yourself for a really disgusting Halloween. “Halloween zombie guts” is a perfect party snack which will gross your friends out. It looks horrifying yet it tastes delicious. This bloody guts snack is simply some puff pastry filled either with meat, cottage cheese or both and some added special effects.
Also, October is the only time of the year when you can serve some gross dishes and snacks. Last few years I created some fun stuff for Halloween. For instance, I made a delicious cranberry punch with some zombie eyes in it, the very popular and gross sweet cigarette snacks, colourful deviled eggs, cute mummies and the spooky finger cookies. But this year, I decided on something really gross.
Furthermore, here is the reason and the inspiration why I decided on making this Halloween snack. It’s Halloween season and my boyfriend makes me watch a lot of disgusting horror movies. Therefore, I decided to “turn the table” and give him some nightmares with these disgusting-looking Halloween zombie guts.
The great thing about this recipe is, besides looking “repulsively disgusting”, you can make either a vegetarian or a meat version. They both taste delicious. Moreover, not only you can make a savoury version but you can also make a sweet version. In other words, you can eat zombie guts for lunch and dessert. Muahaha.
The savory guts version
However, let’s stay with our savory version for now. The first great tip for some gross Halloween zombie guts is to prepare the meat filling already one day ahead. As a result, the dough will stay cold, easy to handle and it won’t break so easily.
Moreover, to create long intestines or guts you can either attach the puff pastry strips before stuffing them (but that requires a lot of space on your kitchen counter and some help by transferring it to the baking dish) or attach the pieces of the guts one by one in the baking dish, after being stuffed, as I did. That’s way easier; you don’t need a big working space and transferring it to the baking dish is quick and easy.
The cold filling makes the work easier
Also, preparing the filling ahead makes the preparations for your party way easier. On THE day, you only need to fill up, form it and bake it. That takes just 25 minutes, from which 15 minutes is baking time. When shaping the Halloween zombie guts, try to make it curvy and make sure to hide the seal at the bottom.
In order to get the right blood effect, I did a quick experiment with ketchup, tomato sauce and food colour. As a result, I used tomato sauce for a pinker coloured effect and the food colour for the really bloody parts. In addition, I suggest brushing the dough after being baked and adding colour on the spots which look like being cut off. Just use your imagination or watch some bloody horror movie. Wink.
Try this fantastic Halloween recipe for the next to get together party. The best thing about this recipe is, that you can’t mess it up. You are actually looking for a bloody mess! Wink.
Ingredients for Halloween zombie guts (6-8 portions):
- 2 rolls of puff pastry (store-bought)
- 100 g grated cheese (Edam, Gauda)
- 500 g minced beef or any meat
- 1 red onion (chopped)
- 2 garlic cloves (chopped)
- 1 red bell pepper (diced)
- 2 tsp of sweet paprika
- 150 ml tomato sauce (keep 2 Tbsp aside)
- 1/2 leek (chopped; half for each filling)
- 150 g cottage cheese
- salt, pepper
- 1 egg (egg wash)
- red food colour (Wilton colour gel)
In a larger frying pan, heat the olive oil. Once it gets hot, add the onion and garlic. After the onion becomes glossy, add the meat and brown it until all of the liquids have evaporated. At this point, stir in the bell pepper, leek, sweet paprika and the tomato sauce. Remember to keep some tomato sauce for later.
Cook it for 15 minutes and then put it aside to cool down, at least to room temperature. Meanwhile, you can prepare the other filling. For the vegetarian filling, you can use either raw or slightly sauteed leek. Mix it with the cottage cheese and add some pepper and salt. In case you don’t fancy meat at all, you can use the cottage cheese-leek filling for the whole recipe.
Once you have both fillings ready and the meat is cold, preheat the oven to 200º C and take one puff pastry roll out of the fridge. Also, prepare the baking dish you are going to use (either lay a parchment paper in it or grease it).
How to fill and form the zombie’s guts
Furthermore, unroll the dough with the long side facing you. Cut it lengthwise in three strips (which each will be ca 30 cm long). They don’t need to be perfectly straight. Therefore, simply cut them free handed, no rulers are needed. Also, you want to make sure, you don’t over-fill it or not use enough of the filling. In the first case, you won’t be able to close it properly and in the second case, there will be just too much dough.
In order to be able to “close” the dough, try to place the filling in the middle of the strip, leaving 1 cm at the bottom and top. Now, first, place some cheese and then add the filling on the first strip. Then, starting at one end, lift the sides (top and bottom) and seal them together at the top.
Simply pinch the dough together with your fingers until both ends, leaving them open. Then, with the seal placed at the bottom, carefully transfer the first piece to the baking dish (with parchment paper or only greased) and continue with the next strip. When done, attach it to the first piece in the baking dish. Also, try to make it curvy as much as possible.
How to make a realistic bloody look
Then, brush the dough with egg wash (egg mixed with 1 spoon of water) and put to bake for 15-20 minutes. Don’t worry if some of the stuffing seeps out. That will make it look even more realistic. After the baking time, brush it with some tomato sauce that you kept aside, to add some “natural” colour.
Moreover, use some red food colouring for the final touches. In order to get that bloody look, brush the red colour at the ends and on the curves. Just follow your instinct and make everything look like a mess. Wink.
Finally, you can surprise your friends with the disgusting Halloween zombie guts. For a more authentic look, you can add some food colouring on the knife too. In case somebody has a weak stomach, he or she should eat it with their eyes closed. Wink.
Enjoy and happy Halloween!
