How to Make Coloured Pasta

Ingredients

Although the instructions calls for 1 cup of pasta, I usually make about 12 cups (about 1.3 kg) for a sensory bin.

• Makes 1 cup (about 110 g) colored pasta
• Large, resealable plastic bag, for mixing
• 1 cup (about 110 g) white pasta
• ¼ tsp hand sanitizer
• Several drops of gel or regular food coloring
• Spoon
• Baking sheet or large, shallow plastic container, for drying
• Parchment paper
• Airtight container or resealable plastic bag, for storage

Method

• In a large, resealable plastic bag, combine the pasta, hand sanitizer and food coloring. 
• Seal the bag carefully and mix and massage the contents thoroughly to distribute the color evenly. If you want your pasta to be more vibrant, add more drops of food coloring and a small amount of hand sanitizer.
• Line a baking sheet or plastic container with parchment paper. 
• Spread out the colored pasta on the parchment paper as thinly as you can, to help it dry faster. Allow it to dry overnight. As the pasta dries, use a spoon to carefully separate the pasta. 
• Repeat for each color, drying each color separately on its own baking sheet.
• Ensure that the pasta is completely dry before storing it or letting your child play with it. This will help prevent color transfer. Once dry, the color on the pasta should not transfer, but as your child plays with it, there may be some transfer of color onto their hands or clothing. Wear a smock or play clothing to help protect clothes and wash hands with soap and water to remove the color.
• Store the colored pasta in an airtight container.

Note: Since this recipe uses hand sanitizer, adult supervision is required when using the pasta in sensory bins with children who still put things in their mouth