Masala Macaroni is an Indian-style stir-fry pasta. It is spicy, vegan, and one of the ways to use all the leftover vegetables from the fridge. Be sure to watch the video!
The Story of Masala Macaroni
During the era of the ’90s, while I was growing up, masala macaroni was the only pasta my mother used to make. And we ( me and my brother ) used to love it.
Her version of desi macaroni pasta was inspired by Indian Chinese Cuisine , with a truckload of vegetables ( probably her way of sneaking veggies into our diet ), a few sauces like green chilli and ketchup, spices, and of course, the elbow pasta (macaroni).
Even to date, it is one of my favourite pasta dishes. I love anything with macaroni – whether it is creamy macaroni salad or spicy stir fry, I have a soft spot in my heart for macaroni pasta.
Over the years in India, masala macaroni has become a widely popular comfort food. It is part of the street food fair and restaurant menu and is commonly made for breakfast or lunch in many households.
Ingredients Required
When it comes to ingredients, this masala macaroni recipe is very flexible.
Pasta: As the recipe’s name suggests, elbow pasta or macaroni is a key ingredient. Many versions of masala pasta use penne as well.
Vegetables: I like to add onion, green peas , carrots, bell peppers, and cabbage to my masala pasta. Other vegetables like mushrooms, broccoli, baby corn, sweet corn, and zucchini can also be added.
Spiciness: The spicy flavour in this masala pasta comes from green chilli, green chilli sauce, black pepper, and my secret tomato chilli sauce.
Fresh Herbs: A mix of green or spring onion and coriander gives this pasta the right notes of freshness.
Other Ingredients: Refined or Vegetable Oil, Garlic, Salt
Optional Ingredients: Grated Cheese, Cream, Red Chili Flakes or Oregano, Fresh Basil
The Secret Sauce
The masala macaroni has a sweet, spicy, garlicky taste with a hint of tomato sourness. And you get it right with my secret sauce. It is an easy blend of – fresh tomatoes, dry red chilli, garlic, ginger, tomato ketchup, and water.
Trust me; once you try this secret sauce, you will not need an array of readymade sauces to make the BEST masala macaroni.
This secret sauce is easy to make, vegan, gluten-free, and meal-prep-friendly.
Watch Masala Macaroni Video
Storage Suggestion
It is very easy to store pasta dishes. Transfer the leftover masala macaroni to a container with the lid. Store in the refrigerator for 3 – 5 days.
As the days pass, the macaroni pasta becomes a bit dry. While reheating, add more of my secret sauce or cream to freshen it up. You can easily reheat this masala macaroni in a microwave or stovetop.
Hence it is perfect for lunch boxes , potlucks , or picnic meals.
More Pasta Recipes
- Basil Pesto Pasta
- Tomato Sauce Pasta
- Makhani Sauce Pasta
- Pink Sauce Spaghetti
- Summer Pasta Salad
- Chicken Pasta Salad
- Creamy White Sauce Pasta
If you try this recipe and love it, please leave a comment and a rating. This helps us grow and reach other food lovers like you.
Ingredients
For Masala Macaroni
- ▢ 4 Cup elbow macaroni (approx 500 gram)
- ▢ ¼ Cup vegetable oil
- ▢ 2 tablespoon garlic, finely chopped
- ▢ 1 tablespoon green chili chopped
- ▢ ½ Cup red onion, sliced
- ▢ ¼ Cup carrot, diced
- ▢ ¼ Cup capsicum, diced
- ▢ ¼ Cup cabbage, shredded
- ▢ ¼ Cup green peas (fresh or frozen )
- ▢ 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- ▢ 1 tablespoon green chili sauce
- ▢ ½ Cup secret sauce (see recipe)
- ▢ Salt & Pepper, to taste
- ▢ 2 tablespoon green onion, chopped
Ingredient for Secret Sauce
- ▢ 1 Cup fresh tomato, diced
- ▢ 2 dry red chili (subsitute with fresh red chili or chili paste
- ▢ 1 tablespoon ginger, roughly chopped
- ▢ 2 garlic cloves
- ▢ ⅛ Cup tomato sauce or ketchup
- ▢ ¼ Cup hot water
Instructions
Prepare Secret Sauce
- Combine all the ingredients in a blender. Grind to a smooth paste. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Prepare Masala Macaroni
- Cook macaroni according to packet directions in the salted water. Once cooked al-dente, transfer to a strainer, rinse with room temperature water, and set aside in the strainer itself to cool down completely.
- Heat oil in a stir fry pan. Add garlic, green chili, and onion. Sir fry for 1 minute. No need to brown the onion or garlic.
- Add vegetables, salt, pepper, and stir fry over high heat for 1 – 2 minutes. Do not cook the vegetables for too long.
- Add the secret sauce, white vinegar, green chili sauce, and combine all the ingredients together nicely.
- Simmer the sauce for 1 minute and then add boiled macaroni pasta. Combine with the sauce. Cook for 1 – 2 minutes for the pasta to absorb the sauces.
- Add green onion, stir to combine, and masala macaroni is ready.
- Serve Masala Macaroni warm.
Recipe Notes:
- Do not cook the vegetables/sauce/macaroni for too long. This pasta recipe is about the quick stir-frying technique to create a smokey flavour.
- You can moderate the quantity of each ingredient to suit your tastebuds.
Nutrition
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Indian Style Masala Macaroni Recipe
Equipment
- Blender
- Saucepan
- Mixing Bowl
- Stir Fry Pan
Ingredients
For Masala Macaroni
- 4 Cup elbow macaroni (approx 500 gram)
- ¼ Cup vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoon garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon green chili chopped
- ½ Cup red onion, sliced
- ¼ Cup carrot, diced
- ¼ Cup capsicum, diced
- ¼ Cup cabbage, shredded
- ¼ Cup green peas (fresh or frozen )
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon green chili sauce
- ½ Cup secret sauce (see recipe)
- Salt & Pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoon green onion, chopped
Ingredient for Secret Sauce
- 1 Cup fresh tomato, diced
- 2 dry red chili (subsitute with fresh red chili or chili paste
- 1 tablespoon ginger, roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves
- ⅛ Cup tomato sauce or ketchup
- ¼ Cup hot water
Instructions
Prepare Secret Sauce
- Combine all the ingredients in a blender. Grind to a smooth paste. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Prepare Masala Macaroni
- Cook macaroni according to packet directions in the salted water. Once cooked al-dente, transfer to a strainer, rinse with room temperature water, and set aside in the strainer itself to cool down completely.
- Heat oil in a stir fry pan. Add garlic, green chili, and onion. Sir fry for 1 minute. No need to brown the onion or garlic.
- Add vegetables, salt, pepper, and stir fry over high heat for 1 - 2 minutes. Do not cook the vegetables for too long.
- Add the secret sauce, white vinegar, green chili sauce, and combine all the ingredients together nicely.
- Simmer the sauce for 1 minute and then add boiled macaroni pasta. Combine with the sauce. Cook for 1 - 2 minutes for the pasta to absorb the sauces.
- Add green onion, stir to combine, and masala macaroni is ready.
- Serve Masala Macaroni warm.
Video
Notes
- Do not cook the vegetables/sauce/macaroni for too long. This pasta recipe is about the quick stir-frying technique to create a smokey flavour.
- You can moderate the quantity of each ingredient to suit your tastebuds.
Nutrition
This truly is the BEST red sauce spaghetti recipe. If you are looking for a quick and tasty dinner loaded with shrimp, you must bookmark this 20-minute red sauce spaghetti recipe.
The 20-Minute Formula
For busy weekdays, I am always looking for dinner recipes that are easy to prepare, tasty to the core, and come together in under 30 minutes. This red sauce spaghetti recipe rainchecks all the mentioned criteria of my favourite weeknight dinner.
It is nothing fancy but a simple combination of freshly boiled pasta and tomato sauce with an addition of garlic and shrimp.
This red sauce spaghetti comes together in 20 minutes with a bottle of pasta sauce in the refrigerator. It takes lesser time to get ready than home delivery from a restaurant. That is the reason it is one of my favourite comfort food.
Tomato Sauce
The key ingredient in this red sauce spaghetti recipe is tomato sauce. I always have a bottle of a multi-purpose tomato pizza and pasta sauce sitting in the refrigerator. For this 20-minute pasta recipe, it is a saviour.
You can make this tomato sauce from scratch for this red sauce spaghetti or prepare a batch while meal-prepping. You can store it in the refrigerator for 3 – 5 days.
Now, if you have a readymade bottle of marinara sauce, arrabbiata sauce, or basic tomato pizza sauce, that works perfectly fine.
With the addition of boiled pasta water, the sauce reaches the perfect consistency and clings to the spaghetti. You can transform this red sauce spaghetti into a pink sauce pasta using full-fat heavy cream instead of boiled pasta water. Isn’t that cool?
Ingredients Required
The ingredient list for this red sauce spaghetti recipe is pretty basic.
Pasta: From spaghetti, penne, rigatoni, and tagliatelle to rotini or tiny shell pasta, all of these taste good with a robust tomato sauce. I often make another version of red sauce pasta with penne which tastes delicious.
Tomato Sauce: Marinara, arrabbiata, or basic tomato sauce for pizza and pasta
Shrimp: Shrimps or prawns both work in this pasta recipe. You can add grilled chicken as well instead of seafood.
Boiled Pasta Water: It gives the desired consistency to the tomato sauce. You can use vegetable stock instead of boiled pasta water.
Garlic: It adds a great taste to the red sauce spaghetti
Seasoning: Italian herbs like oregano, thyme, sage, fresh basil leaves, salt, pepper
Gourmet Touch: A generous sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
How To Make
Step 1) Boil spaghetti pasta till al dente. Reserve 1 cup of boiled pasta water and drain the rest.
Step 2) Heat olive oil, saute garlic, chilli flakes (optional), and herbs for a few seconds. Add shrimp and saute till cooked.
Step 3) Add tomato sauce, salt, pepper, boiled pasta water, and SIMMER for 2 – 3 minutes.
Step 4) Add pasta, MIX, drizzle olive oil and sprinkle fresh herbs. ENJOY!
Watch Veg Red Sauce Spaghetti Video
Serving suggestion
Serve red sauce spaghetti with toasted garlic bread or focaccia as sides.
A light green salad, garlic roasted potatoes , or grilled broccoli are also nice ideas for the side dishes.
More Pasta Recipes
Basil Pesto Pasta
Minestrone Soup
Air Fryer Pasta Chips
Microwave Mug Pasta
Creamy White Sauce Pasta
Stir Fry Pasta with Vegetables
One-Pot Chicken Broccoli Pasta
If you try this recipe and love it, please leave a comment and a rating. This helps us grow and reach other food lovers like you.
Ingredients
- ▢ 200 gram spaghetti pasta
- ▢ 4 tablespoon olive oil
- ▢ 2 tablespoon garlic, finely chopped
- ▢ 1 teaspoon Italian herb mix (oregano, thyme, sage)
- ▢ 1 teaspoon red chili flakes
- ▢ 200 gram shrimps/prawns (cleaned and deveined)
- ▢ 1 Cup tomato marinara or arabiatta sauce see recipe here
- ▢ ½ Cup boiled pasta water
- ▢ Salt and Pepper, to taste
- ▢ 2 tablespoon green onion or chives, chopped
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook pasta according to packet directions, but reduce the cooking time by 1 minute (because the pasta will cook further in the sauce as well). Hence, it is best to cook pasta al dente.
- Reserve 1 Cup of boiled pasta water, drain the remaining water from the pasta. Rinse pasta with water to stop the cooking process. Set aside in a metal colander.
- Heat olive oil in a large saucepan. Add garlic, Italian herb, chili flakes, and saute for 20 – 30 seconds to infuse the flavor into the oil. No need to brown the garlic.
- Add shrimps, and saute till they are fully cooked. Shrimp does not take a long time to cook. They are fully cooked in 5 – 6 minutes.
- Add the red pasta sauce, salt, pepper, boiled pasta water, and quickly stir. Simmer the sauce for 5 – 6 minutes. Taste and add more seasoning if required.
- Add boiled pasta and gently toss to coat it with the sauce. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Turn off the heat.
- Garnish pasta with fresh basil leaves or chives or green onion.
- Serve red sauce spaghetti with a toasted bread slice.
Recipe Notes:
- Any good quality tomato pasta sauce such as marinara or arrabbiata works for this recipe.
- Adding shrimp is optional. Or you can substitute shrimp with clams, squid, prawns, or any other seafood of choice.
- Pasta absorbs a lot of sauce and liquid, hence adjust the quantity of sauce according to your pasta amount.
Nutrition
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