Masala pasta recipe
My recipe for masala pasta, an Indian street food, has a boldly spiced tomato sauce and chunks of green bell peppers. It's an easy, delicious weeknight dinner and it's like no pasta you've ever eaten!
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 294kcal
Ingredients
For cashew cream
- ¼ cup raw cashews
- ½ cup water
For masala paste
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 3 medium tomatoes (diced, or use 2 cups of tomato puree)
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (tweak to taste)
Other ingredients
- 12 oz penne (See FAQs on other pasta shapes to use in this recipe.)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 12 cloves garlic (peeled and crushed into paste or minced)
- 2 green bell peppers (seeds removed and cut in a ½-inch dice)
- 1 tablespoon Maggi magic masala
- 1 teaspoon garam masala (or curry powder)
- Salt to taste.
- 2 tablespoons cilantro (chopped)
Instructions
Make cashew cream
- Place the cashews in a blender with water and blend into a very smooth paste. Set aside.
Cook pasta
- Put a large pot of pasta water to boil and salt it generously. Cook the pasta until al dente. Reserve a cup of pasta water, then drain the pasta and set aside.
Make the spice paste
- Toast the cumin and coriander seeds in a wok or skillet until aromatic and just slightly darker. Place in a blender.
- Add the tomatoes, tomato paste and red pepper flakes to the blender. Blend into a smooth puree.
Make masala pasta
- Place the oil in a large wok or skillet and add the oil. Add garlic to the oil, then turn the heat up to medium low. Sauté the garlic about a minute until fragrant.
- Add the blended spice paste to the skillet with ½ cup water or reserved pasta water. Let the tomato sauce cook 10 minutes or until it turns a brighter red and you see some oil spots floating on top. At this point add some more of the reserved pasta water, if you want, to make the sauce saucier.
- Stir in the Maggi magic masala and garam masala, if using, and salt to taste. Mix.
- Add the diced green bell peppers followed by the cashew cream. Mix well, cover and cook another five minutes.
- Add the pasta and mix. Stir-fry the cooked pasta, moving it constantly, to ensure the sauce cooks evenly and the pasta doesn't stick to the pan. Do this for five minutes.
- Serve with fresh cilantro sprinkled on top.
Notes
- Nutrition information is for pasta made with chickpea penne.
Nutrition
Calories: 294kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 158mg | Potassium: 334mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 802IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 70mg | Iron: 7mg