Macaroni Recipe | Indian style Macaroni Pasta

Macaroni recipe with step by step pics. This delicious and flavorful macaroni recipe is a tasty pasta made Indian style with onions, tomatoes and Indian spices. Make in just 30 minutes and serve as a main or side dish.

Macaroni is a variety of pasta and is used to make various pasta recipes. In fact macaroni can be substituted in many recipes which call for other types of pasta like penne, fusilli, rigatoni etc.

Whenever I make any Pasta recipe, I always try to add some vegetables to it. The addition of veggies makes the pasta more wholesome and adds some crunch too. I have added mixed veggies like baby corn, green peas, potatoes, carrots, bell pepper and green beans. Sometimes I also add other veggies like cauliflower or broccoli florets. You can add other veggies of your choice.

This macaroni pasta recipe can be made without vegetables also. Feel free to skip the veggies too if you are not a fan.

I have cooked the vegetables in a pan, but they can be steamed or sautéed or roasted and then added to the macaroni pasta.

Generally, I do not use any cheese or cream when I make this macaroni recipe. You can add them if you want.

The macaroni pasta is made in an onion-tomato masala and so the tangy taste of tomatoes is felt in the macaroni recipe. The recipe is not spicy and thus suitable for kids, but you can make it spicy by increasing the amount of red chili powder, black pepper powder and garam masala powder.

Apart from the spice powders, I have also added some dried mixed herbs (basil, thyme, oregano, parsley) in the macaroni. The addition of dried herbs simply elevates the entire flavor and taste of macaroni pasta. So do add them if you have dried herbs.

Even fresh herbs can be added. You can also add your favorite dried herbs or fresh herbs.

How to make Macaroni Recipe

A) cooking macaroni
1. In a pan, heat 3 cups water and ½ teaspoon salt. Bring it to a boil.

2. Add 1 heaped cup of macaroni or elbow macaroni (125 grams elbow macaroni).

3. Stir with a fork.

4. Begin to cook macaroni on medium to medium-high heat.

5. Cook macaroni till they are al dente – meaning they should have a slight bite to them.

6. Drain all the water and keep cooked macaroni aside.

Cooking vegetables

7. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan. Lower the heat. Add ½ teaspoon minced garlic or finely chopped garlic or 3 to 4 small garlic cloves, minced or finely chopped. You can also add ½ teaspoon ginger-garlic paste instead.

8. Sauté till the garlic is light brown or till its raw aroma goes away.

9. Next add ⅓ cup finely chopped onions (about 1 medium sized onion, finely chopped).

10. Stir and mix well. Begin to sauté onions on a medium-low heat stirring often.

11. Saute till the onions become translucent.

12. Then add 1 cup of tightly packed finely chopped tomatoes.

13. Mix well.

14. Cover the pan with a lid. In between do check when cooking tomatoes.

15. Cook tomatoes on a low to medium-low heat till they soften and become pulpy.

16. Now add all the spice powders one by one:

¼ teaspoon black pepper powder

¼ teaspoon turmeric powder (ground turmeric)

¼ teaspoon garam masala powder

½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder or paprika

½ teaspoon coriander powder (ground coriander)

½ teaspoon cumin powder (ground cumin)

17. Mix and sauté the spice powders for some seconds till you get a nice aroma from the spice powders.

18. Now add 1.25 to 1.5 cups of mix vegetables. Also add ¼ cup green peas.

You can add vegetables like carrots, green beans, cauliflower, capsicum, baby corn, broccoli, potatoes etc. Add veggies of your choice. I added baby corn, carrots, green beans, potatoes, capsicum and green peas.

19. Season with salt as per taste.

20. Mix very well.

21. Pour 1 cup of water.

22. Mix again.

23. Cover the pan with its lid.

24. On a medium-low to medium heat simmer till the vegetables are cooked. In between do check and if the water has become less you can add some more water.

Making macaroni pasta

25. Once the vegetables are cooked and tender, add the cooked macaroni. Some gravy or curry or sauce will be there when you add the pasta.

26. Mix well.

27. On a low to medium-low heat simmer for a few more minutes till all the water is absorbed. Stir at intervals.

28. Lastly add 1 teaspoon of mixed dry herbs – basil, thyme, oregano, parsley. You can add dried herbs of your choice or Italian herbs or Italian seasoning or even fresh herbs.

29. Mix again. Check the seasonings and add more salt or herbs if required.

30. Serve macaroni pasta hot or warm. You can top it with some grated cheddar or vegetarian parmesan cheese or cream before serving.

Garnish the pasta with some finely chopped coriander leaves or parsley or any fresh herb of your choice before serving. You can even sprinkle some chili flakes on macaroni pasta before eating.

More macaroni recipes

• Pesto pasta – pasta in green pesto sauce.
• Red sauce pasta – macaroni pasta made with red sauce and mix veggies.
• Mac and cheese – classic macaroni and cheese recipe
• White sauce pasta – macaroni made with white sauce and assorted vegetables.
• Mushroom pasta – mushrooms and macaroni cooked & baked in a creamy white sauce.

Please be sure to rate the recipe in the recipe card or leave a comment below if you have made it. For more veetarian inspirations, Sign Up for my emails or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter.

This Macaroni recipe post from the archives first published on August 2018 has been republished and updated in January 2023.