Macaroni Desi style

Author Notes

Recipe
Cook Macaroni
1. Heat 3 cups of water and ½ a teaspoon of salt in a saucepan or pot. Bring to a boil.

boiling water in a saucepan
2. Add 1 heaped cup (125g) of macaroni or elbow macaroni to the saucepan or pot.

1 cup of macaroni in boiling water
3. Stir with a fork.

macaroni and salted water in a saucepan
4. Cook macaroni on a medium to high heat.

macaroni cooking
5. Cook macaroni until they are al dente. This means that it should not be too soft and should have bite.

macaroni with bite
6. Drain the water and set the cooked macaroni aside.

cooked macaroni

Cook Vegetables
7. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan. Lower the heat, add ½ a teaspoon of minced or finely chopped garlic.

Alternatively, you can add ½ a teaspoon of ginger paste or ginger-garlic paste instead.

minced garlic and oil in a pan
8. Sauté on a low heat for some seconds, until the garlic is light brown or until the raw aroma goes away.

garlic cooking in oil
9. Next add ⅓ cup of finely chopped onions.

chopped onion, garlic and oil in a pan
10. Mix well and sauté onions on a medium to low heat. Stir often.

stirred onions, garlic and oil in a pan
11. Sauté until the onions soften and turn translucent.

onions cooked until translucent
12. Next add 1 cup of finely chopped tomatoes.

onions, garlic, tomatoes and oil in a pan
13. Mix well.

tomatoes, onions, garlic and oil mixed in a pan
14. Cover the pan with a lid and check from time to time.

tomatoes, onions, garlic and oil with a lid
15. Cook tomatoes on a low to medium heat until they soften and become pulpy.

Then sauté without a lid for a few minutes until you see oil separating from the sides of the onion tomato mixture.

soften pulpy tomatoes
16. Add the below listed spices one by one:

¼ teaspoon black pepper powder
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder (ground turmeric)
¼ teaspoon garam masala powder
½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder or paprika
½ teaspoon coriander powder (ground coriander)
½ teaspoon cumin powder (ground cumin)
spices, tomatoes, onions, garlic and oil in a pan
17. Mix and sauté the spices powders for a few seconds until you smell a nice aroma.

tomatoes mixed with spices
18. Next, add 1.25 to 1.5 cups of mixed vegetables and ¼ cup of green peas.

I added baby corn, carrots, green beans, potatoes, capsicum and green peas. Some other great vegetable options are cauliflower or broccoli florets.

Feel free to add any other veggies of your choice. Do chop the veggies in small cubes, so that they cook quickly.

Baby corn, carrots, green beans, potatoes, capsicum and green peas
19. Season with salt to taste.

Baby corn, carrots, green beans, potatoes, capsicum, green peas and salt
20. Mix well.

vegetables mixed with salt
21. Pour 1 cup of water into the veggie mix.

veggie mix and water
22. Mix again.

veggies mixed with water
23. Cover the pan with a lid.

vegetables and water in a saucepan covered with a lid
24. Simmer on a low to medium heat until the vegetables are fork tender and cooked well. There should be a bit of curry sauce or gravy sauce in the veggie mixture – about 2 to 3 tablespoons.

Do check from time to time when the vegetables are cooking, to make sure the mixture does not burn. Add more water if necessary.

simmered vegetables

Make Macaroni Pasta
25. Once the vegetables are cooked and tender, add the cooked macaroni to the saucepan.

There should be some curry sauce in the vegetable mixture, about 2 to 3 tablespoons.

macaroni
26. Mix well.

macaroni and cooked vegetables
27. Simmer macaroni and vegetables on a low to medium-low heat for a few more minutes until all the curry sauce is absorbed or very little is left behind.

Stir gently occasionally or from time to time.

cooked macaroni and vegetables
28. Finally add 1 teaspoon of mixed dry herbs (basil, thyme, oregano, parsley) and a few pinches of red chilli flakes.

Feel free to add any dried herbs of your choice. For example, add Italian herbs, Italian seasoning or fresh herbs.

dried herbs
29. Mix again, taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

macaroni, vegetables and dried herbs.
30. Serve Indian style Macaroni Pasta hot or warm. Top with grated cheddar, vegetarian parmesan cheese or cream before serving.

Garnish pasta with finely chopped coriander leaves, parsley or any fresh herb of your choice. Additionally, you can sprinkle chili flakes on top too.

Indian style macaroni pasta in a bowl on a red checkered napkin with fork at right side.

Expert Tips
Vegetables: This macaroni is adaptable and can be loaded with any vegetables of your choice. Add baby corn, carrots, green beans, potatoes, capsicum, green peas, broccoli or cauliflower. If you are not in the mood for vegetables then feel free to skip them all together. The macaroni will taste just as delicious plain!
Vegan macaroni: As is, this Indian style macaroni is vegan, but you can add some plant based cream or cheese to it.
Pasta: My go-to pasta of choice is elbow pasta but feel free to use fussili, penne, spaghetti or rigatoni instead if you don’t have elbow pasta. Follow the same recipe steps to make this mouth-watering pasta dish.
Tomatoes: Go for ripe, red, juicy and sweet tomatoes for this recipe. Make sure the tomatoes are diced evenly before adding them to the saucepan and cook them on a low to medium heat until they become soft and pulpy.
Herbs: Adding herbs really lifts the flavors in this dish. I like to add a dried herb mixture that includes basil, thyme, oregano, parsley. Alternatively, you can add fresh herbs, or any other dried herbs of your choice. —Aliya Mughal