This is a far better, more healthful option than mashed potatoes. The vegetable side dish is excellent.
| Prep Time: | 10 mins |
| Cook Time: | 1 mins |
| Total Time: | 11 mins |
| Servings: | 6 |
| Yield: | 12 octodogs |
Ingredients
- 6 hot dogs
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil.
- Cut hot dogs in half. To make the ‘legs’ of the octodog, make 3 cuts on 1 side of each hot dog, leaving about 1/3 the rounded top of the hot dog for the ‘head’. Turn hot dog over and make 3 more cuts, so you have 8 ‘legs’.
- Place the octodogs in the boiling water until cooked through and the ‘legs’ curl up, about 1 minute.
- You can use sesame seeds or bits of nori (dried seaweed) to create little faces on the octodogs if you wish. These guys have a lot of character on their own though! Use different sizes of hot dogs to create different sized octodogs!
Reviews
This is such a funny idea ! Lol I love making these
so cute… it was a huge hit with the kiddos
Like Jayelle I found these in Taste of Home years ago and made them for my grandkids. I also used tinted Ramen noodles . It is a cute idea. Don’t remember if the grandkids really liked them but it made a cute display. I only have it a three rating because I thought it was a little trouble to make. Nothing wrong with the recipe, I just wouldn’t do it unless it was a special occasion.
I started making these in 1989 when my kids were little and now make them for the grandkids. I cut in eyes and a smile which open up when boiled. I serve them on a bed of spinach noodles with cauliflower and broccoli “coral”. I have found through the years that the cheaper hot dogs curl better than more expensive, all beef dogs.
Not a fan of boiled hotdogs as they tend to loose flavor. 2/3 kids liked them and would eat them again. Easy fun way to prepare hotdogs for school lunch using a Thermos. I used Hebrew National hotdogs which are narrow and difficult to cut eight legs, but the coarse real meat, once cooked, looked like the tentacles had suckers all over them!
My grandsons LOVED these. I set one over a bowl of chili, and the other on top of the hot dog bun. So cute.
Octodogs are cute! I love them, you can customize them anyway you want.
bought mustaches to put on…
My 3-year old just loved these! He already likes hot dogs but making crazy animals with them just made it more fun. Thanks for the great idea!
Rating a five for cuteness! My grandkids love hot dogs and what kid wouldn’t get a kick out of these?
Our whole family loved this cute idea. We floated ours in a sea of chili!
I grew up on these things… i’ve been having them for approx. 30 years now! Heck, I even make them when i’m having hotdogs alone sometimes at home… this is a recipe that will never leave my repertoire and will be passed on to the generations 😉
I’ve been making these for 12 years since I first saw the recipe in the TOH May/June 2001 issue (a LONG time ago lol). The only difference is I don’t cut them in half and I serve them on top of ramen noodles that have been colored with a drop of green food coloring. The recipe in the magazine was called, ‘Octopus and Seaweed’. My kids love this!
What a fun way to do hotdogs. The kids loved them. If you cut them the wrong way, as we did with one, it looks like a palm tree. Hubby said he would prefer his served on a sea of chili next time.