Indian Style Desi Masala Macaroni Pasta is a flavorful, one-pot recipe packed with veggies and seasoned with aromatic Indian spices. It's super easy to prepare in the Instant Pot, ready in under 20 minutes!
Macaroni and cheese is undoubtedly a beloved and flavorful dish enjoyed by people of all ages. It's a go-to choice for a convenient and swiftly prepared snack for kids.
Today, I am sharing another macaroni pasta recipe inspired by Indian cuisine—it's called Masala Macaroni. This dish combines the goodness of onions, tomatoes, fresh herbs, and some crisp veggies with a pool of spices, resulting in a dish packed with bursting Indian flavors.
It takes 20 minutes to prepare in the Instant pot pressure cooker. In addition to eating it as a snack in the evening, you can also prepare it as a quick breakfast or kids school lunch box.
The best part of cooking this pasta is, you dont need to have either marinara (tomato-based) sauce, herbs (Italian seasoning), or cheese. I am sure your kids will love this twist.
I have also shared how to make this desi macaroni pasta on a stovetop pan below. You may also like my macaroni salad recipe.
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Masala Macaroni Ingredients
- Pasta: I used macaroni pasta. But feel free to use your favorite pasta of your choice, like chickpea pasta, quinoa pasta, spaghetti, linguine, pasta shells, or any grain-free, gluten-free pasta.
- Ginger and garlic: Use freshly minced or ginger paste and garlic paste.
- Vegetables: I used veggies like onions, tomatoes, carrots, colored bell peppers, and sweet corn. You can also swap for other vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, and green peas.
- Dry Spices: Used turmeric, red chili powder, garam masala, salt and pepper.
- Tomato Ketchup: For extra flavor, it is optional. You may also use red chili sauce or schezwan sauce.
- Cheese: Optional. I used mozzarella cheese.
How to Make Masala Macaroni Pasta in Instant Pot
Press SAUTE mode on Instant Pot. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, and once it’s hot, add 1 tablespoon minced ginger and garlic. Saute for a few seconds.
Then add 1 medium onion (finely chopped), and 1 green chili, and saute till the onions are soft and translucent.
Then add 2 medium finely chopped tomatoes (about 1 cup) and cook until they turn soft and mushy. Add spices like ¼ teaspoon turmeric, ½ teaspoon red chili powder, ½ teaspoon garam masala, salt, and pepper. Give a quick stir.
Then add 1.5 cups mixed vegetables (carrot, bell pepper, corn) and cook for another minute.
Add 2 tablespoons tomato ketchup and give a quick stir.
Add 8 oz of macaroni pasta (about 2-2.5 cups), 2 cups water (or veggie broth), and de-glaze the pot. Make sure there are no brown bits stuck at the bottom.
Close the lid on the pot, and turn the pressure valve to the SEALING position. Set the pot to MANUAL/PRESSURE COOK (High Pressure) and set the timer to 4 minutes.
Let the pressure release naturally for 2-3 minutes, and then quick release the pressure.
I used macaroni Pasta in this recipe, which has 8 minutes for cooking on the stovetop. So to cook on Instant Pot – Divide the cooking time by half and minus one for al dente pasta. So it's 3 minutes. For softer pasta, do 4 minutes.
Then, quickly stir the pasta and garnish with 2 tablespoons coriander leaves. You can also add 2 tablespoons of shredded cheese on top.
Indian Style Instant Pot Masala Pasta is ready to be served.
Stovetop Pot Method
Firstly, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add salt to the water and cook the pasta, according to the package instructions. I used Macaroni, but you can use your favorite pasta. Other good pasta options are penne, spaghetti, or even tortellini. Reserve some pasta water for later use.
Add olive oil, and once it’s hot, add minced ginger and garlic. Saute for a few seconds.
Then add onions and green chilies, and saute till the onions are soft and translucent.
Then add finely chopped tomatoes and cook until they turn soft and mushy. Add spices like turmeric, red chili powder, garam masala, salt and pepper. Give a quick stir.
Then add the mixed vegetables and cook till they are tender. It takes about 2-3 minutes.
Add some tomato ketchup and give a quick stir. You may also add hot sauce if needed.
Add cooked pasta, and reserved pasta water, and mix well. Cook for another 1-2 minutes so that the pasta absorbs the flavor. Garnish with coriander leaves. You can also add some cheese on top. Indian Style Masala Macaroni Pasta is ready to be served.
Serving Suggestions
You can serve masala macaroni as a main dish with stuffed garlic bread, or sweet corn soup.
You may also pack it for kids school lunch box, picnics, or potlucks.
Storage Suggestions
- Make-Ahead: You can prep the veggies and boil the pasta, a day before and store them in an airtight container if you are making it on a stovetop. When you are ready to serve, toss everything well.
- Storage: You can store the leftovers for 1-2 days in the refrigerator in an air-tight container.
- Reheat: You can reheat it in the microwave or stovetop pan.
Variations
- If you don’t have olive oil, you can also use butter or regular cooking oil.
- You can use any kind of pasta like penne, shell, or rigatoni.
- Try using whole wheat, lentils, or veggie pasta for kids.
- You can also add sweet corn, mushrooms, and broccoli to this pasta.
- You can use canned crushed tomatoes instead of fresh tomatoes.
- You can add pav bhaji masala instead of garam masala to give it a twist.
Tips to Make the Best Masala Macaroni Pasta
- You can add cheese to the pasta after cooking. Make sure the pasta sauce isn't too thick, as it can dry out when mixed with the pasta and eaten later.
- After the pressure cooking time, the sauce might seem thin when you start mixing in the pasta. Don't worry; just keep tossing. The starches from the pasta will blend into the sauce, giving it the perfect consistency.
More Instant Pot Pasta Recipes
Instant Pot Masala Pasta (Indian style Macaroni)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 oz macaroni pasta (about 2-2.5 cups) (or any pasta)
- 1 tablespoon ginger and garlic minced
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 1 green chili finely chopped
- 2 medium tomatoes (about 1 cup)
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ½ teaspoon red chilli powder
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- salt, pepper to taste
- 1.5 cups mixed vegetables(carrot, bell pepper, corn)
- 2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cups water
- 2 tablespoons coriander leaves
- 2 tablespoons shredded cheese optional
Instructions
Instant Pot Method
- Press SAUTE mode on Instant Pot. Add olive oil, and once it’s hot add minced ginger and garlic. Saute for few seconds.
- Then add onions and green chilies, and saute till the onions are soft and translucent.
- Then add finely chopped tomatoes and cook until they turn soft and mushy. Then add spices like turmeric, red chili powder, garam masala, salt and pepper. Give a quick stir.
- Then add mixed veggies and cook for another minute.
- Add some tomato ketchup and give a quick stir.
- Add macaroni pasta, water (or veggie broth), and de-glaze the pot. Make sure there are no brown bits stuck at the bottom.
- Close the lid on the pot, and turn the pressure valve to the SEALING position. Set the pot to MANUAL/PRESSURE COOK (High Pressure) and set the timer to 4 minutes.Let the pressure release naturally for 2-3 minutes, and then quick release the pressure.I used macaroni Pasta in this recipe, which has 8 minutes for cooking on the stovetop. So to cook on Instant Pot – Divide the cooking time by half and minus one for al dente pasta. So it's 3 minutes. For softer pasta, do 4 minutes.
- Then quickly stir the pasta and garnish with cilantro (coriander leaves). You can also add some cheese on top.
- Indian Style Masala Pasta is ready to be served.
Stovetop Method
- Firstly, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add salt to the water and cook the pasta, according to the package instructions. I used Macaroni, but you can use your favorite pasta. Other good pasta options are penne, spaghetti, or even tortellini. Reserve some pasta water for later use.
- Add olive oil, and once it’s hot, add minced ginger and garlic. Saute for a few seconds.
- Then add onions and green chilies, and saute till the onions are soft and translucent.
- Then add finely chopped tomatoes and cook until they turn soft and mushy. Add spices like turmeric, red chili powder, garam masala, salt and pepper. Give a quick stir.
- Then add the mixed vegetables and cook till they are tender. It takes about 2-3 minutes.
- Add some tomato ketchup and give a quick stir. You may also add hot sauce if needed.
- Add cooked pasta, and reserved pasta water, and mix well. Cook for another 1-2 minutes so that the pasta absorbs the flavor. Garnish with cilantro (coriander leaves). You can also add some cheese on top.
- Indian Style Masala Pasta is ready to be served.
Notes
Variations
-
- If you don’t have olive oil, you can also use butter or regular cooking oil.
- You can use any kind of pasta like penne, shell, or rigatoni.
- Try using Whole wheat, Lentils, or Veggie pasta for kids.
- You can also add sweet corn, and broccoli for this pasta.
- You can also use canned crushed tomatoes.
- You can add pav bhaji masala instead of garam masala to give it a twist.
Tips
- You can add cheese to the pasta after cooking. Make sure the pasta sauce isn't too thick, as it can dry out when mixed with the pasta and eaten later.
- After the pressure cooking time, the sauce might seem thin when you start mixing in the pasta. Don't worry; just keep tossing. The starches from the pasta will blend into the sauce, giving it the perfect consistency.
Nutrition
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Margie
Delicious and easy. This serves 1 big and 1 medium eater if you are going super simple for dinner and only serving fresh carrots and bell peppers on the side too. I added an additional tsp of garam masala as well as one tsp cumin. I added 1 can of chick peas to make it heartier and used lentil rotini.