This Pretty Pink Pasta Changes Colors Before Your Eyes

Science is a big part of cooking and baking, but sometimes we’re so focused on getting that 30-minute meal on the table after a crazy-busy day at work that we lose our sense of childlike wonder in the kitchen. But this pretty-in-pink pasta is here to remind you of it. With some red cabbage and lemon juice, you can watch this simple fettuccine dish change color right before your eyes.

To naturally tint your pasta water, you’ll first need to boil some red cabbage in a large pot of water for 20 minutes. While that’s boiling, you can get your pan sauce — shallot and garlic sautéed in olive oil and finished with lemon juice, salt, and pepper — going on a neighboring burner.

After you boil your pasta in the cabbage-dyed water, you’ll notice that it only has a slight pink hue. But once you drop the pasta into the pan sauce, the acid from the lemon turns it the most beautiful shade of bright pink.

This is a great meal to make with kids. It’s like a fun science project that you can eat at the end — and it happens to taste delicious. Garnish with fresh herbs and plenty of fresh Parmesan and dig in to your masterpiece.

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→ Get the Recipe: Magic Color-Changing Pasta from Fooduzzi