Turn fresh egg pasta into irresistible Sweet Crispy Easter Pasta Nests which are deep fried till golden brown and drizzled with honey and then topped with candy coated chocolate Easter eggs.
Pasta not only makes a comforting first course meal but also can be transformed into a rather playful dessert.
Italians have been making various types of pasta desserts for centuries and this comes as no surprise considering the love we all share for the ever popular noodle.
You can actually give your children permission to play with their food by involving them in shaping these pasta nests. These fun treats are incredibly easy to put together however you may want to keep the young ones away from the hot oil.
I used fresh egg fettuccine pasta to make this sweet treat however any other fresh long strand of pasta would work as well. It’s almost a non recipe as there is no mixing, beating or kneading involved here. You simply take 3 fresh strands of pasta noodles, twirl it around your index and middle fingers to shape the nests.
You’ll want to have all your pasta nests readily shaped before you start dunking them in the hot oil. This allows you to fully concentrate on frying them once they are all assembled. All that’s left to do afterwards is a simple drizzle of your favorite honey and then top with the candy coated Easter eggs. Pretty simple and straight forward right?
Some of my pasta nests turned out to look a little bit like an alien gone mad but I assure you it was quite a delicious docile alien…lol!
While other’s were perfect little nests simply waiting to cradle the candy coated Easter eggs.
Although the chocolate Easter eggs adds a festive appeal to the pasta nests, chopped pistachios or any other favorite nut would also work here. In addition you can infuse the honey with brandy however as a result this would make them strictly adult-friendly.
Plain honey is delicious enough on its own but since I had a jar of lemon honey in my pantry that is what I used.
You need not look any further then your own pantry for some easy and truly yummy pasta treats. My family thoroughly enjoyed these sweet crispy Easter pasta nests and devoured them in no time at all. They will most certainly be making a reappearance for Easter Sunday.
Sweet Crispy Easter Pasta Nests
Ingredients
- 200 grams fresh egg fettuccine or tagliatelle
- Canola oil for frying
- 1 cup of warm honey I used organic lemon honey
- Mini candy coated chocolate Easter eggs I used 3 per pasta nest
Instructions
- Have 2 baking sheets nearby.
- Using 3 strands of pasta at a time, twirl between your index and middle fingers shaping into a nest.
- Carefully place the pasta nest onto the baking sheet and repeat with the remaining fresh pasta.
- In a sauce pot, heat about 1 inch of oil to 375 degrees. (use a thermometer)
- Carefully drop in the pasta nests, frying 3 at a time until they are light golden brown in color.
- Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a tray lined with paper towels to drain.
- Continue frying the remaining pasta nests.
- Arrange the fried pasta nests on a serving platter and drizzle them with warm honey.
- Place 3 candy coated chocolate Easter eggs onto each nest.
- Keep the pasta nests covered with plastic wrap until ready to serve.
joandsue
April 7, 2017 at 8:00 amWhat a fabulous idea. I would never have thought to use deep fried pasta as a dessert but it sounds amazing – and looks really pretty!
Marisa
April 7, 2017 at 8:10 amSurprisingly there are quite a number of sweet treats that can be made with pasta and I’ll be exploring more for sure. The young ones got a real treat out of these! Thanks for dropping by and commenting 🙂
Dulce
April 7, 2017 at 8:07 amMarisa looks like a fun delicious cooking activity for the family….thank you for sharing! !!
Marisa
April 7, 2017 at 8:13 amDulce they are so much fun to make, so playful and little ones will simply adore them! Thanks for dropping by and commenting 🙂 xxx
Marisa
April 7, 2017 at 8:08 amI had so much fun making these and were devoured quite greedily I might add! Thank-you for commenting 🙂
allergygirleats
April 7, 2017 at 8:55 amWhat a totally fun way to use pasta! I have never thought to fry pasta, but I can only imagine how fantastically crispy and sweet these are.
Marisa
April 7, 2017 at 10:55 pmThey are definitely crisp, sweet and so addictive…hope you get to try them. Thanks so much for commenting 🙂
Charlotte
April 7, 2017 at 9:07 amI’ve never thought so make sweet treats with pasta! You’ve blown my mind.
Marisa
April 7, 2017 at 11:09 pmHi Charlotte, there are so many ways to have pasta as dessert. Deep fried pasta has been around for centuries in Italy and there are so many innovative ways of using pasta in desserts. Do give it a try and thanks for dropping by 🙂
Tasty Eats Ronit Penso
April 7, 2017 at 1:16 pmWow, this is really new to me and I love the idea and texture. Crunchy and sweet – can’t beat that! Hope to try it soon. Thanks for the inspiration. 🙂
Marisa
April 7, 2017 at 11:11 pmRonit I am sure what ever you come up with will be outstanding…looking forward to seeing your creation! No pressure 🙂
Hilary from Cocoa Bean, The Vegetable
April 7, 2017 at 6:43 pmWhat a perfect Easter dessert! I would imagine that they would taste somewhat like a crunchy doughnut. Yum!
Marisa
April 7, 2017 at 11:25 pmHi Hilary, in texture I would say that its more like a crispy cracker but sweeter and so addictive. Am looking forward to making another batch for Easter Sunday. Thanks so much for commenting.
pblevitt
April 9, 2017 at 6:00 pmThis are absolutely adorable, so festive for Easter. Actually they could be used as some sort of table decoration, centerpiece or place card holder. That being said, I am sure they are irresistible and might not last until dessert.
Marisa
April 10, 2017 at 6:25 pmPaula your right they didn’t last very long….we very happily and greedily gobbled them up? thanks so much?
Starr @ The Misfit Baker
April 9, 2017 at 7:15 pmThese are the prettiest Easter Nests I’ve ever seen!!! I’ve never heard of nor considered pasta as a dessert ingredient before, but I’m excited to explore this further!
Marisa
April 10, 2017 at 6:28 pmStar there are many ways to enjoy pasta as dessert! More popular are the ravioli stuffed with chocolate and then deep fried…all yummy? thanks so much?
Karen
April 10, 2017 at 12:52 pmThese are so cute Marisa. Can I ask how you suggest storing the little nests?
Marisa
April 10, 2017 at 11:36 pmHi Karen, if your serving them the same day you make them then simply place them in a single layer onto 2 serving trays covered with cling wrap. For longer storage I would place them in an air tight container and cool dry place. Make sure to place wax paper between the layers as they can get quite sticky. I can’t attest to how long they stay fresh because mine do not last very long. Hope this helps?
Karen
April 11, 2017 at 7:03 amThanks so much Marisa.
Marisa
April 12, 2017 at 12:05 amYou’re most welcome Karen?
nahdalaskitchen
April 12, 2017 at 1:59 pmI love how creative those are and they look so delicious! Great job!
Marisa
April 12, 2017 at 6:22 pmThanks so much, we thoroughly enjoyed them ?
Lili
April 12, 2017 at 4:06 pmThese look so good Marisa! A friend once made me some deep fried pasta with honey and it really was delicious! Such a great idea to make them into pretty nests for Easter. 🙂
Marisa
April 12, 2017 at 6:25 pmHi Lili, they’re really quite yummy and you can experiment with different flavours of honey and a sprinkle of chopped nuts! Thanks so much?
Lili
April 13, 2017 at 4:44 amOooh, the chopped nuts on it sound delicious too. 🙂
Marisa
April 13, 2017 at 7:47 amPistachios and honey go especially well together….hope you get to try them Lili?
NoPlateLikeHome.com
April 14, 2017 at 7:17 amGreat idea! I love the honey and presentation. So cute for Easter!
Marisa
April 14, 2017 at 8:16 amThe are fun and festive and really yummy!
Lynz Real Cooking
April 21, 2017 at 9:30 amWow so pretty!
Marisa
April 21, 2017 at 10:00 amThanks Lynn, they are fun to make??