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Indian style masala pasta
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5 from 1 vote

Instant Pot Masala Pasta

Indian Style Desi Masala Pasta is a delicious ,one-pot pasta loaded with veggies and seasoned with indian spices.
Course lunch, Main Course
Cuisine Indian
Keyword indian, instant pot, masala pasta, nut-free, pasta, pressure cooker recipe, vegan, vegetarian
Method Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 4
Author Bhavana Patil

Equipment

Ingredients

Measuring cup used ,1 cup = 250ml

For Garnish:

  • 2 tablespoon coriander leaves (cilantro)
  • 2 tablespoon shredded cheese(optional)

Instructions

Instant Pot Method:

  • In a pot, boil water add whole tomato to blanch. Take out tomato after 5 mins.Once tomato has cooled ,peel of the skin and puree in a blender without adding water.Keep aside.*You can also use 1.5 cups or 12 oz of crushed canned tomato
  • Press SAUTE mode on Instant Pot. Add olive oil and once it’s hot add cumin(jeera) seeds, let them crackle.Then add chopped onions and minced ginger garlic and saute till the onions are soft and translucent.
  • Then add water or veggie broth ,salt and de-glaze the pot.Make sure there’s no brown bits stuck at the bottom.
  • Then add dry pasta, mixed vegetables ,garam masala, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, tomato ketchup, salt to the instant pot.Spread tomato puree on top. Gently push all pasta under liquid. Do not mix it.Most of the pasta should be covered in the sauce and water. If it is not, add some more water. 
  • Press CANCEL button on Instant Pot.Close the lid on the pot, and turn valve from VENTING to SEALING position.Set the pot to MANUAL/PRESSURE COOK (High Pressure) and set timer to 4 minutes.Let the pressure release naturally for 3 minutes and then quick release the pressure.
  • Using Farfalle Pasta in this recipe which has 10 minutes for cooking on stove top. So to cook on Instant Pot – Divide the cook time by half and minus one for al dente pasta.So its 4 minutes.For softer pasta do 5 minutes.
  • Then quickly stir the pasta and garnish with cilantro(coriander leaves).
  • Indian Style Masala Pasta is ready to be served.

Stove Top Method:

  • Firstly, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add some salt to the water and cook the pasta, according to the package instructions. I used Farfalle, but you can use your favorite pasta. Other good pasta options are: penne , spaghetti or even tortellini!.Reserve some pasta water for later use.
  • While the pasta is cooking, Blanch tomato and make the tomato puree.
  • Add olive oil and once it’s hot add cumin(jeera) seeds, let them crackle.Then add chopped onions and minced ginger garlic and saute till the onions are soft and translucent.
  • Next add tomato puree & sauté it for about 2-3 minutes till the oil separates.
  • Then add the mixed vegetables and cook till they are tender.
  • Next add in the turmeric powder, red chilli powder, garam masala powder ,salt and tomato ketchup and saute for a minute.
  • Add cooked pasta, reserved pasta water and mix well.Cover and cook for 2-3 mins, so that pasta absorbs in flavor. Garnish with cilantro(coriander leaves).You can also add some cheese on top.
  • Indian Style Masala Pasta is ready to be served.

Notes

This recipe was created in 6qt Instant Pot DUO60 Multi-use Pressure Cooker. 
 
Variations:
  1. If you don’t have olive oil, you can use butter or regular cooking oil as well.
  2. You can use any kind of pasta’s like macaroni ,penne.
  3. Try using Whole wheat ,Lentils or Veggie pasta for kids.
  4. You can also add sweet corn, broccoli for this pasta.
  5. If you dont have time prepare tomato puree, you can just use canned crushed tomato.
  6. You can add pav bhaji masala instead of garam masala to give it a twist
Tips:
  1. You can also add cheese in the Pasta after cooking.
  2. Pasta sauce should not be too thick else after mixing pasta they become dry when eaten later.
  3. The sauce will seem thin when you start to mix in the pasta. Don’t worry, just keep tossing. The starches from the pasta will mix into the sauce to give the the perfect consistency.
  4. BURN ALERT ? If your instant pot has shown BURN in the past, add ½ cup of extra water while making this pasta.Tomato based sauces easily stick to the bottom of the pot during sauteing.So thats the reason we are just spreading sauce on top of the pasta.