This vegetable masala pasta is easy to make: you literally toss everything into an instant pot and cook! It’s a dish that everyone in your house will love!
This Indian veggie masala pasta is flavorful and comforting. It’s a dish that’ll please both kids and adults. The best thing about it is that it’s so easy to make, you just pour and cook!
There is one thing you’ll need to have handy – and that’s my pre-made onion masala! This recipe is part of my onion masala series. Check out this post to learn all about it. The gist: I’m sharing recipes that call for exact amounts of onion masala to make Indian cooking easier.
The series was only supposed to be a month-long, but so many of you seem to like it, so I’m going to keep it going and share new recipes every few weeks 🙂
This is the second pasta recipe that I’m sharing in the onion masala series. I already have an Indian veggie lasagna. This dish is cheese-free and less decadent but still so good! You can, of course, always top it with cheese if you’d like.
This pasta is obviously not a traditional Indian recipe. As I mentioned in the lasagna post – this is definitely the type of thing that Indian parents make for their kids. We tend to “Indian-ify” dishes from other cuisines. I make this for my kiddo, and let me tell you – my toddler loves this pasta! He loves picking up the noodles and veggies with his little fingers. I leave in the cayenne when I make it for him, but if your kiddo isn’t used to spice, you can easily leave it out.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve tested this recipe. It has taken me over 10 tries to get this simple dish to turn out perfectly. In fact, at one point, I announced in my Instagram stories that the recipe was coming soon – then I had to share another video to tell you guys that I changed my mind and needed to tweak it a bit more. Well, now it’s just right, and I’m thrilled to be able to share this tasty “dump and press start” recipe with you guys.
The hardest thing about developing this recipe was trying to get the proportions just right – but I did it, and you guys, it’s great! You can use regular macaroni noodles, or you can use gluten-free macaroni noodles. I have tested the dish using both types of noodles, and they cook perfectly in the same amount of time. I’ve tested this recipe using the brand Barilla so I can’t speak for other brands. Please leave a comment letting us know what you use!
Grab your onion masala and make this veggie masala pasta!
Instant Pot Indian Vegetable Masala Pasta
Instant Pot Indian Vegetable Masala Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups diced veggies* I use ½ cup each of: bell pepper, carrots, red onion, frozen corn, frozen peas
- 2 cups elbow macaroni or gluten-free elbow macaroni*
- 1 ¾ cups water
- 1 cup fresh or thawed onion masala
- 2 tablespoons ghee/butter or oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne adjust to taste
- Cilantro garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to the pot and mix well.
- Secure the lid, close the pressure valve and cook for 4 minutes at high pressure.
- Quick release pressure as soon as it’s done to avoid overcooking the pasta. Then quickly give the pasta a stir and transfer the contents of the pot to another bowl to stop the cooking process.
- Garnish with cilantro and serve.
Notes
- This recipe is part of my onion masala series – be sure to check it out!
- I have tested this recipe using both regular barilla and gluten-free barilla elbow macaroni.
- The ghee/butter helps prevent the pasta/sauce from burning - you can use oil instead if you prefer, but I recommend using some type of fat.
- I have tested the recipe many times with the above combination of vegetables. I’m sure other vegetables will work but know that using veggies with high water content may affect the texture of the noodles.
Kim says
I made this with Jovial Brown Rice Penne and it was delicious. Used veggies I had in the house (carrots, fennel, and leftover roasted onions & yellow and poblano peppers). Pasta wasn’t quite done after unsealing, so I added some cubed paneer and put the lid back on for about 6 minutes (without turning heat back on). Perfectly al dente and tasty! First time making pasta in an instant pot and my skepticism about doing so is gone. Thank you!
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Kim, so glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe 🙂 Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you!
Gitanjali says
I liked the flavors and it was a quick one to make. However the pasta was very soft, almost mushy. Family gulped it down, including kids. Your recipes are always a hit Ashley, thank you!
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Hi Gitanjali, you can try reducing the cook time by a minute to see if that helps! Different brands of pasta can vary sometimes (I tested this using Barilla as mentioned in the recipe card – not sure if you used the same?)
C says
What an amazing shortcut for the yummiest dishes ! I halved the recipe and didnt have silicone molds – definitely a great suggestion on her end as it’s a little cumbersome to measure out 1/4 cup out into individual freezer bags (and more wasteful) so I’ll try again with those molds next time.
So far I have made the green moong dal and Rajma -both were smashing hits !
Ashley - My Heart Beets says
Thank you! Glad you liked this recipe 🙂
HD says
Made this using Rotini pasta. Used red yellow and orange peppers plus broccoli and 1 big carrot. I think the veggies were def. more than 2.5 cups. Used 2 heaped cups of pasta and a little less than 2 cups of water. At 4 minutes plus quick pressure release, the pasta was al dente. My kids would have liked it cooked a tad bit more.
Added some homemade tandoori powder instead of cayenne
My Heart Beets says
Thanks for sharing how it turned out for you!
Poornima says
Can you please let me know if I want to dump and come back home to this delicious pasta how to I handle the QPR if I am away?