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?
Kriti says
This turned out amazing ! Great recipe for using up all the leftover vegetables in the refrigerator !
My Heart Beets says
Kriti, I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
RS says
If you do not have onion masala handy how would you make this from scratch?
Cheryl says
What setting should it be on? High pressure /low pressure, pre-set or manual?
My Heart Beets says
high pressure 🙂 let me know what you think of the recipe if you try it!
Priya says
Hi Ashley, tried this yesterday night with a rotini pasta and it turned out great. Thanks for the yummy recipe 😋😋😋.
Next in my list is your mango chicken curry and chicken pulao.
My Heart Beets says
Priya, that’s so great to hear! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂 And I hope you love the mango chicken and the chicken pulao – let me know how they go for you!!
Nina says
third time making this, so awesome! love the flavors.
My Heart Beets says
Nina, that’s awesome to hear 🙂 Thanks for letting me know how much you like it!
Krithika says
Halved the recipe and made this dish using whole wheat pasta. Delicious! I think I might cook for one more minute more because it felt just a little under-cooked. I used mixed frozen veggies, so this came together super quickly!
My Heart Beets says
Glad to hear that you liked it!! 🙂
Irene says
I am happy to say that I successfully used whole wheat elbow pasta in this recipe. Knowing that it’s more dense in texture, I increased water to 2 cups, and also I let the pressure release naturally at the end of cooking. It came out great – thanks, Ashley! 🙂 Didn’t have bell pepper handy, so I substituted frozen chopped broccoli – worked well! 🙂
My Heart Beets says
Irene, that’s great to hear!! Thanks for letting us know how it turned out for you 🙂
Julie says
If I wanted to add ground meat, at what point would I do that?
My Heart Beets says
Julie, I haven’t tested this with ground meat yet but I’d probably try cooking it on the sauté function until browned then proceed with the following steps. Let me know how it goes!
Nida says
When doubling the recipe do I double the water as well ? I read above that the cook time stays the same.
My Heart Beets says
Nida, if you double the recipe then double all the ingredients but leave the cook time the same 🙂 The pot will just take longer to reach pressure.
Irene says
Ashley, could I use coconut oil or olive oil in this recipe?
My Heart Beets says
Irene, yes definitely 🙂
Cyndi Miller says
This made a great side dish. Turns burgers into an interesting meal. I used Barilla gluten free elbows and they were perfect. Now I want to experiment more with gluten free pasta in my Instant Pot.
My Heart Beets says
Cyndi, so happy to hear that! Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you 🙂
Priya says
Hi Ashley. This recipe looks yumm..😋😋
Can i use whole wheat penne pasta?
My Heart Beets says
Thanks, Priya!! I haven’t tried it with that kind of pasta but hopefully another reader can chime in! Or feel free to ask in my Instant Pot for Indian Food facebook group 🙂
Fatima Altaf says
How would I make this without onion masala?
Zahraa says
If I double the amount, do I need to change the cook time? TIA!
Anja Schulze says
No, do not change the time! The food wood be overcooked! When using the Instant Pot cooking time is the same! – The pot will need a little longer to come to pressure, because of the larger amount of foood, but the the cooking time is always the same.
Shadow Love says
Hi Ashley,
This recipe has been life-changing and a lifesaver! I wonder how many hours I could have saved in the last decade 🙂
However, I’m struggling with quantities, so wondering if you can help me out. I live in England and we don’t use cups here. Any idea how many grams of the onion masala would be in one cup? Thanks 🙂
Zahraa says
If I double the amount, do I need to change the time?
Shruti says
Try to add coconut milk to it to get a healthy creamier taste. I tried similar spaghetti with tikka masala sauce and added coconut milk before pressure cooking. It was Just Yum!
My Heart Beets says
Glad to hear that! 🙂
Maddy says
How many does this serve?
My Heart Beets says
I’d say it serves 4-5 🙂
SK says
It served 2 (1 guy, 1 girl) for us in one sitting. Very tasty though. I used brown rice rotini and it was delicious, but just make sure to remove from IP immediately and change dishes to prevent overcooking as it was already soft.
My Heart Beets says
Thanks for letting me know!
Gee says
Looks so easy and yummy. Can’t wait to try.
My Heart Beets says
Thank you 🙂 Let me know what you think if you try it!
Maddy says
I haven’t made a big batch of onion masala. If I were to make one cup of it, how many onions and tomatoes would I need to use?
Tina says
This is delicious! I did not make the onion masala in batch, however I just divided the onion masala recipe by 6 to give me 1 cup ( 75 ml of tomato, I onion, 2 cloves of garlic, 1/3 inch piece of ginger and then 1/6 of all the spices) I just sautéd it per the onion masala recipe in my instapot, turned it off and then followed the steps for the pasta recipe above. I also added 4 tbsps of nutritional yeast to increase the protein. Yummy! Thanks so much for a wonderful recipe.
Michelle says
Hi Ashley,
Do you think we can use whole wheat pasta?
Thanks!
My Heart Beets says
Hi Michelle, I have a feeling that any elbow macaroni will work but I haven’t tried whole wheat so I can’t say for sure. Please let me know what you think if you make this!