This easy Masala Pasta comes together in about 30 minutes and is the perfect weeknight dinner! This Indian style desi pasta features tender penne pasta coated with flavorful, Indian spiced creamy tomato sauce, lots of veggies, Italian seasoning and fresh cilantro. Just imagine all that goodness!
This desi pasta is one of those simple dinners we should all know how to make. It’s the perfect go-to for a busy weeknight, and it’s also a dish fit for a weekend or even to serve to guests.
There’s a lot of things I love about this Indian style masala pasta. It’s a versatile recipe so you can add different kind of vegetables you might already have on hand. It’s a great way to add a lot of veggies into your meal, it’s a great way to use up all those veggies in the fridge, it’s filling and satisfying.
And, of course, it’s super tasty! I love that creamy, spicy, slightly tangy and mix of Indian-Italian flavor you get over every single bite.
Ingredients needed
- Penne pasta
- Olive oil
- Fresh veggies including onion, ginger, garlic, tomatoes, green peas, carrot, and bell pepper
- Spices including red chili powder, coriander powder, garam masala, dried fenugreek leaves, dried oregano, salt and pepper
- Heavy cream
- Ketchup
How to make Masala Pasta?
1) Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain the liquid while reserving about ¾ cups of water.
2) As soon as you add pasta to the boiling water, make the sauce on another stove. Heat the oil in a pan on medium heat. Once hot add chopped onions and garlic. 
3) Cook till onions become soft and translucent. 
4) Then add tomatoes.
5) Cook till tomatoes become soft and mushy.
6) Add veggies (carrot, peas, bell pepper, red pepper) and salt.
7) Mix, cover and cook till veggies are soft and tender. During the cooking process if sticks to the bottom of the pan then sprinkle little boiling water from pasta and continue cooking.
8) Then add all the spice powders (black pepper powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, red chili powder, garam masala, kasoori methi, and dried oregano). 
9) Mix well and cook for a minute.
10) Then add reserved pasta water, mix and bring it to a simmer.
11) Then add ketchup and heavy cream.
12) Mix well and cook for a minute.
13) Add cooked pasta.
14) Mix well.
15) Sprinkle chopped cilantro and serve.
Can I use different vegetables than those here?
This is a versatile recipe and you can use different kinds of veggies based on what you have on hand.
Cauliflower, broccoli, sweet corn, baby corn, mushroom, or green beans are other good choices. If using any of these veggies then I would saute them separately and add into the sauce. You can use spinach leaves as well.
One thing for sure though, don’t leave out the bell pepper and onion, they both add great flavor here.
Check out more pasta recipes
Spaghetti Indian style (with spicy tomato sauce)
Roasted red pepper pasta
Parsley cilantro pesto pasta
Spaghetti aglio e olio
Pasta with peas (ricotta, lemon sauce)
📋 Recipe Card
Masala Pasta (Desi, Indian Style Pasta)
Ingredients
- 6 oz or 2 cups Dry Pasta (penne, macaroni or any similar sized, shaped pasta of your choice)
- Salt
- 2 tablespoons Olive oil
- ½ cup Red onion finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon Garlic finely chopped or minced
- 1 ½ cups Tomatoes finely chopped
- ½ cups Carrots chopped
- ½ cup Green peas
- ¼ cup Capsicum (Green bell pepper) chopped
- ¼ cup Red pepper chopped
- Salt to taste
- ¼ teaspoon Black pepper powder
- ¼ teaspoon Turmeric powder
- ½ - 1 teaspoon Red chili powder
- ½ teaspoon Coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon Garam masala
- 1 teaspoon Kasoori methi (Dried fenugreek leaves)
- 1 teaspoon Dried oregano
- ½-¾ cup Water (starchy cooking water from pasta)
- 1 tablespoon Tomato Ketchup
- ¼ cup Heavy whipping cream (malai or fresh cream)
- 2 tablespoons Cilantro or coriander leaves chopped finely
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain the liquid while reserving about ¾ cups of water.
- As soon as you add pasta to the boiling water, make the sauce on another stove. Heat the oil in a pan on medium heat. Once hot add chopped onions and garlic.
- Cook till onions become soft and translucent.
- Then add tomatoes. Cook till tomatoes become soft and mushy.
- Add veggies (carrot, peas, bell pepper, red peppeand salt.
- Mix, cover and cook till veggies are soft and tender. During the cooking process if sticks to the bottom of the pan then sprinkle little boiling water from pasta and continue cooking.
- Then add all the spice powders (black pepper powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, red chili powder, garam masala, kasoori methi, and dried oregano).
- Mix well and cook for a minute.
- Then add reserved pasta water, mix and bring it to a simmer.
- Then add ketchup and heavy cream. Mix well and cook for a minute.
- Add cooked pasta. Mix well.
- Sprinkle chopped cilantro and serve.
Poonam Gupta
It is delicious 😋
Kanan Patel
Glad that you liked. Thank you Poonam for the feedback.