Masala Pasta Recipe (Indian Style Pasta)

Say Hello to Masala Pasta! Italian Pasta meets the Indian Masala to create a delicious & amazing Indo-Italian dish, “Masala Pasta”. Whole wheat penne, mixed vegetables, onions, tomatoes, Indian spices and herbs transform to a fast, flavorsome & delicious meal that you can whip up under 30 minutes. In this post I share a basic pasta recipe that is vegan. But you can easily give a flavor twist with my tried & tested latest tips. Make it umami, creamy, cheesy, or meaty with my pro tips below.

About Masala Pasta

Masala Pasta is an Indian-Italian fusion dish that may have originated on the streets of India, selling it as a street food. Not a traditional dish but it has been a favorite & made in almost every Indian home, especially with kids.

Surprisingly you see a lot of Moms customizing it their own way to suit the kids’ taste buds.

That being said, Masala pasta can be eaten by everyone – kids & grown-ups! This Indian style flavorful & delicious masala pasta will be your new favorite! Because you can make it however you like – spicy, less-spicy but flavorsome, creamy, or meaty.

This dish makes for a comforting weeknight dinner & can also be taken in the school box for lunch. It can also be cooked ahead, cooled and refrigerated for 2 days. Reheat it with a splash of water on the stovetop or in the Instant pot.

Pasta, Sandwiches, Noodles & Burger are much loved by my kids. This masala pasta is one of their favorites & love to serve them with Cheese sandwich or Roasted eggs.

I first published this recipe in 2013. Fast forward, in 2023, I have updated it to a more flavorsome & saucy dish. For the old readers who have been following the previous recipe can still find it below, after the stepwise photos.

Ingredients & Substitutes

Pasta: For this recipe we prefer Penne, Macaroni, Fusilli, Rigatoni & Elbow. You may also use spaghetti or other kinds too. If making for toddlers, use macaroni or baby pasta as it is easy to handle.

I use organic pasta made with durum wheat & sometimes brown rice pasta. Quinoa pasta or any multigrain pasta also goes well in this recipe. You just need to adjust the cooking time.

For this recipe I use 1½ cups penne pasta which I boil with 1 teaspoon salt & a few drops of oil.

Mixed vegetables: Carrots, peas & bell peppers are the veggies I often use. Veggies like sweet corn, baby corn, mushrooms & broccoli also go well. To save some chopping & cooking time you can also use frozen pre-cut veggies (carrots, peas & beans).

Tomatoes: are the key ingredient in this dish. Use ripe tomatoes that don’t taste too sour. Fresh tomatoes or bottled tomato puree like passata go well.

More Pasta Recipes
Spaghetti Aglio e Olio
Red sauce pasta
White sauce pasta
Egg pasta
Pasta soup
Chicken pasta

Photo Guide

How to make Masala Pasta (Stepwise Photos)

Preparation

1. Fine chop 1 medium onion (½ cup), 2 medium tomatoes (1¼ cup deseeded & chopped or 1 cup pureed). I use 1 cup pureed tomatoes. Grate or mince 2 to 3 garlic cloves & ½ inch ginger to make 1½ to 2 teaspoons ginger garlic.

2. Peel & chop 1 medium carrot (½ cup) & ¼ cup bell peppers. I also use ¼ cup green peas & 2 tablespoons tender/young sweet corn. If you don’t prefer veggies in your masala pasta you may simply skip all of these.

3. You will also need

• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon garam masala (adjust to taste)
• ¾ to 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• ½ teaspoon Kashmiri Red chilli powder (for a spicy version use up to 1¼ tsp)
• 1/8 teaspoon turmeric (optional)
• 1 tablespoon Kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)

I also use an additional ½ teaspoon roasted cumin powder & fennel powder. If you want you may use, they are optional. 1 to 1½ tablespoons tomato ketchup or 2 tablespoons passata or 1 tsp tomato paste (optional). This adds umami flavor to your masala pasta.

Boil Pasta

4. Bring 6 cups water to a boil in a large pot. When the water begins to boil, add 1 teaspoon salt, 1½ cups pasta & 1 tsp oil (optional).

5. Cook the pasta al dente on a medium flame. Pasta should be soft yet cooked but not chewy. Refer the package for exact cook time as each brand has a different cook time. Roughly you will boil for 8 to 9 mins.

6. Once done drain the pasta to a colander. Save/ reserve ¾ cup pasta cooked water before draining. You can use this towards the end to bring the pasta to consistency.

Make Masala for Pasta

7. Heat 1½ tablespoons oil & 1½ tablespoon butter (optional) in a pan. Add ½ teaspoon cumin seeds. When the seeds begin to sizzle, add garlic & ginger. Fry for a minute.

8. Add the chopped onions and fry until they turn golden.

9. Add the chopped vegetable and fry for 2 to 3 minutes.

10. Stir in the salt & spices – red chilli powder, garam masala, coriander powder, turmeric (optional). If you want you can also add cumin and fennel powder.

11. Add tomatoes & tomato ketchup or passata or tomato paste.

12. Mix and cook on a medium to medium-high heat until the masala begins to smell good or release oil. Make sure the smell of uncooked tomatoes is gone & your veggies are cooked through. If not, reduce the heat and cook on a low heat until the veggies are tender.

14. Pour ¼ to ½ cup water or pasta cooked water or stock. I used ½ cup. Mix well.

15. Cook until the masala becomes slightly thick, aromatic and saucy. Do not dry out the masala completely at this stage. Add the kasuri methi.

Make Masala Pasta

16. Add cooked pasta & mix well. If the masala is dry, splash more water. Taste test and add more salt if needed. Cover and cook on a low to medium heat until the pasta becomes hot, for about 2 mins.

17. Sprinkle Coriander leaves and serve masala pasta hot. If you want you may add 2 to 3 tablespoon heavy cream or ¼ cup grated cheese on the hot pasta.

Indian style pasta aka masala pasta is ready to serve.

Pro Tips & Variations

• For Umami flavor use tomato ketchup/ passata or tomato paste. This imparts deeper flavors to your dish. Every brand is different with varying level of tang. So start with smaller quantities. FYI: Tomato ketchup has additives & starch while organic passata & tomato paste do not have any additives or preservatives.
• To make Cheesy masala pasta, you can either stir in the grated mozzarella or cream cheese to the hot masala sauce, before adding the pasta or after heating the pasta.
• To make the pasta creamy, add 2 to 3 tablespoons heavy cream. You can also make your own vegan cream following my notes in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. To use homemade malai/cream, I simply blend 4 tablespoons full fat cream (from non-homogenized buffalo milk) with tomatoes. It has never curdled for me.
• Eggs: To use eggs, just move the veggies aside once done. Beat eggs and pour to the pan. Scramble and cook just until done. Then add the pasta. You can also check this egg pasta.
• Chicken: Boil the chicken first and shred. Add it to the pan and saute for 2 to 3 mins with the veggies. Alternately you can add in any pre-cooked or grilled or curried chicken to the masala. Heat it well before adding the pasta. I have a different Chicken pasta here.

Old Masala Pasta Recipe (2013)

Ingredients

• 2 cups pasta 
• 2 tablespoon olive oil   or butter (divided) (adjust to taste) 
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds  (jeera) 
• 3 cloves garlic chopped finely 
• ⅓ teaspoon salt (+ ½ tsp for boiling pasta) 
• ½ teaspoon red chili powder (adjust to taste) 
• ½ teaspoon garam masala  or pav bhaji masala or any other masala powder 
• ½ teaspoon kasuri methi (or 2 tbsps coriander leaves) 
• 2 tablespoon cream as needed (optional) 
• 1 large onion   chopped finely 
• ¾ to 1 cup tomatoes chopped mashed or pureed (do not use very sour tomatoes) 
• 2 carrots chopped or as needed 
• ¼ to ½ cup green peas 
• ¼ cup capsicum (bell pepper) – chopped 

Instructions

Preparation

• In a large pot, bring 6 cups of water to a boil.  
• When the water begins to boil rapidly, add half teaspoon salt and pasta.  
• Cook till al dente on a medium to high flame.  
• I suggest referring the instructions on the pack of pasta.  
• While the pasta cooks, rinse and chop the veggies. 
• Drain off the pasta to a colander when done and rinse in cold water.  
• Set aside. Reserve 3 to 4 tablespoons of pasta cooked water. 

How to make masala pasta

• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a pan. When the oil turns hot, add cumin. 
• When they begin to splutter, then add finely chopped garlic.  
• Fry till it begins to smell good for a minute or two. 
• Add onions and fry until they turn pink.
• Then add chopped veggies and fry for about 2 minutes. 
• Next mash the tomatoes well and add it to the pan along with salt. 
• Cook until the tomatoes turn soft and blend well with veggies. The raw smell of tomatoes should disappear.
• Add kasuri methi, red chili powder and masala powder.
• Stir well and fry for a minute. Switch off the stove. If using cream add now and stir.
• Add cooked pasta and 1 tablespoon oil. Toss well. Adjust salt as needed.  
• Add coriander leaves. If the pasta looks dry, then pour 1 to 2 tablespoons pasta cooked water. 
• Serve masala pasta hot. 

Related Recipes

Recipe Card

Masala Pasta Recipe first published in 2013. Updated & republished in May 2019.