
Desi Pasta Recipe
Desi Pasta is a flavorful fusion dish where classic Italian pasta meets bold Indian spices. Cooked with onions, tomatoes, capsicum, and a mix of masalas, this recipe delivers a spicy, tangy twist to traditional pasta—perfect for those who love a desi kick in every bite.
Ingredients
For Makhani Sauce
- 5 cups chopped tomatoes
- 12 cashew nuts
- 1 small piece ginger, sliced
- ½ cup diced onion
- 3 green chillies
- 3 green cardamom pods
- 8 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tbsp Kashmiri red chilli powder
- 2 tbsp butter
- Salt to taste
- 1 cup water
For Finishing Makhani Sauce
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 green chilli
- 1 tsp chopped ginger
- 1 big pinch Kasoori Methi powder
- ½ tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp chopped coriander
- 3–4 tbsp cream
- ½ cup grated mozzarella
🍝 For Boiling Pasta
- 2 cups penne
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 litre water
🌶️ Tadka Pasta (South Indian–Style Masala Macaroni)
- 2 cups macaroni
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 litre water
- 3 tbsp oil
- Handful of peanuts
- 1 pinch Heeng (asafoetida)
- 2 dry red chillies
- 2 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 green chilli
- 8–10 curry leaves
- ½ cup chopped onion
- ½ tsp fresh turmeric
- Salt to taste
- 2 tbsp chopped coriander
- 1½ tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp sugar
🧀 Masala Mac n Cheese
- 1½ tbsp oil
- 1½ tbsp butter
- 1½ tsp chopped garlic
- 1½ tsp chopped ginger
- ½ tsp green chilli
- 1½ tsp chopped onion
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- 2 tsp coriander powder
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
- ½ cup chopped tomatoes
- ¼ cup corn niblets
- Salt to taste
- ½ cup milk
- 2 cups macaroni
- 2 cups water
- 2 tbsp chopped green peppers
- A pinch of Methi dana (fenugreek seeds)
- Handful of chopped coriander
- A dash of water (to adjust consistency or finish sauté)
- ½ cup grated cheddar cheese
Instructions
For Makhani pasta
- To a pressure cooker, add roughly diced tomatoes, a handful of cashew nuts, some ginger along with roughly diced onions, green chillies, green cardamom, garlic, Kashmiri chilli powder, butter and salt. Add water to it and cover it with the lid. Give it one whistle in high flame and then cook on low flame for 2 whistles or till tomatoes are mashed.Once the tomatoes are done, grind it with a hand blender and sieve it well to remove any seeds and skin.In a pan, add some butter, some green chillies, some chopped ginger, sweat it well. Now add the makhani sauce to it. Bring it to boil and then simmer it on a low flame for 3 to 4 mins.
- Add pasta to a pan with boiling water, add a generous amount of salt and give it a mix and let it boil according to the instructions on the packaging or for 7-8 min. Drain the pasta and add it directly to the sauce. Mix it well.To finish, add some dried fenugreek leaves, coriander leaves and some fresh cream. Adjust seasoning and balance. Turn the gas off and the pasta is ready. Plate in a pasta bowl and garnish with grated cheese. Serve Makhani pasta hot.
For Tadka Pasta
- Add pasta to a pan with boiling water, add some salt, give it one quick stir and let it boil. While the pasta is boiling add oil to a fresh pan and add peanuts (optional). Lightly roast them, till they begin cracking, and take them out on a plate.To the same pan add asafoetida, some dried red chillies and mustard seeds, let them crackle. Add some cumin and some green chillies. Finally, add curry leaves and onions and cook them till for 2 mins on low heat.In the meantime, check if the pasta is ready (should take 6-8mins), drain the water out of pasta and keep it ready.To the sweating onions add some turmeric, salt & toss them together. Add the pasta to it & give this a nice toss, using a spatula simply lift and drop the pasta so that it does not break.Add the peanuts, also add some fresh coriander leaves, and finish with some lemon juice, you can also add some sugar to give it a sweet taste. It’s now ready to be plated. Serve Tadka pasta hot.
For Masala Mac and Cheese
- To a hot pan add some oil and butter. Once the butter melts, add chopped garlic, chopped ginger, and green chillies. Give this a quick stir and add chopped onions, cook this on a low flame to sweat the onions, and now add the turmeric, red chilli powder, coriander powder and a spoonful of all-purpose flour.Stir and cook till the raw aroma of the flour is gone. Increase the flame and add the tomato, corn and salt. Once it cooks, add milk to it. Bring the milk to a simmer and then add in the raw pasta, stir to mix add the water. Cook till the pasta becomes soft and tender.Add some chopped capsicum, fenugreek leaves and chopped coriander at the end. Mix it well and add in the grated mozzarella cheese. The pasta is now ready to be plated. Serve masala mac n cheese pasta hot.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!