Masala Pasta Recipe | Indian Style Pasta

Updated on June 19, 2026 by Raks Anand 37 Comments

Masala pasta is a delicious fusion dish where Italian pasta meets the bold flavors of an Indian kitchen. This Indian style pasta is comforting, flavorful and perfect when you crave for something different from the usual pasta recipes. Let's see how to make masala pasta with step by step pictures.

Great for dinner fix as well as quick lunch for one. Hungry kids back from school? Portion this out for them for a quick treat!

I also have a fortified version of the same which is also an Indian style pasta. Check out my another simple Instant pot version of the same.

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Why I love this
Masala Pasta Ingredients
Step by step photos
My notes
Top tips
Substitutions & Variations
Serving suggestion
Storage
FAQs
Recipe card

What is Masala Pasta?

Masala pasta is a dish cooked in a spiced onion tomato base with garlic, spice powders and fresh herbs.

It consists of pasta (any shape such as spaghetti or penne) cooked with a sauce of a blend of Indian spices cumin, coriander, turmeric and ginger, as well as veggies such as bell peppers, carrots, green peas and onions.

Finish with a sprinkle of fresh cilantro or other dry herbs like kasuri methi and Italian herbs. It is a fusion dish that brings together the best of both worlds. It is popular in India and also in other countries.

Check out my post How to make fresh pasta at home.

Why I love this

Spicy to suit our taste buds.
Can adapt and use your favorite masala powders like pav bhaji, chana masala or garam masala.
Can add veggies and legumes of your choice.

I have tried masala pasta in Indian style twice before. Both times, I could not balance, so ended up as total flops.

So after that I never dared to try that way. But off-late been craving for a spicy, desi style pasta, so wanted to give it a try. It's also a good replacement for the instant noodles.

And until I finished, I wasn't sure about the result. But it turned out perfect!

So I should stick to this recipe for a while. I always have pasta in stock as I pack it for one day's lunch box for Aj.

Mostly he likes penne pasta. Then if he gets bored, he ask me to buy either fusilli or macaroni. Well what's in shape, but these kids!

Few weeks back I found this farfalle aka bow-tie pasta at Fairprice. I have never bought that cute shaped pasta before so, quickly bought it and kept.

I wanted to try something Italian with it, but I could not wait to try this masala pasta, so used it to make it.

For this masala pasta, I would recommend these kind of shapes rather than the long spaghetti kind of pastas.

This fits in perfect for lunch boxes or for dinner.

Masala Pasta Ingredients

Here are the ingredients you need for making masala pasta.

ingredients needed for making masala pasta

Pasta - I used farfalle shape to make it look pretty. You can use any shape of your choice.
Pasta sauce - Tomato puree - used as base and for balance, taste.
Vegetables - I used carrot, capsicum, peas. You can also use sweet corn, beans, zucchini, spinach.
Garlic cloves- Fresh adds a nice flavor. You can also add ½ teaspoon of powder instead.
Onion - This is also I use as base for the recipe along with tomato.
Spice powders - Mild but reddish chilli powder for color, garam masala for flavor and making it Indian, black pepper powder and turmeric to make it desi.
Green chilli - Optional - For extra heat, apart from red chilli powder and black pepper powder. De-seed for less spice, only adding aroma.
Coriander leaves - Fresh coriander leaves adds a lot of flavor.
Kasuri methi - Adds a wonderful aroma and taste to the dish.
Italian herb - you can use anything like oregano, thyme, rosemary or mixed italian herbs too.
Olive oil - Best for health, use good quality one.

Step by step photos

Let's see how to make masala pasta step-by-step.

1. In a cooking pot, bring lots of water with salt to boil (4-5 cups) firstly, for cooking pasta.

If you taste the water, it should be salty like sea water. That's the common reference.

2. After that, add pasta and cook pasta al dente.

3. Then drain in a colander and keep aside. Reserve ¼ cup pasta cooked water for later use.

4. After that, in the same hot water, add the tomato, keep it immersed for 20 seconds.

5. Then take it out, peel the skin.

6. After that, puree it in a mixie/ blender.

7. Then, heat half of the oil in a pan and splutter cumin seeds, add finely chopped garlic (green chilli if adding) in medium heat.

8. Stir until fragrant without changing the colour much and then add onion.

9. After that, add vegetables - carrot & green peas (I reserved the capsicum, but you can add along). Stir fry in medium-high heat for a minute.

10. Then once the vegetables are half cooked, pour the tomato puree, in goes all the spice powders. Turmeric, black pepper, chilli powder, garam masala powder.

11. Let oil ooze and the masala becomes shiny.

add capsicum to the indian style masala pasta

12. I added capsicum at this stage to retain crunchiness.

13.Then add the cooked pasta, pour reserved pasta cooked water to adjust consistency and make sure the masalas coat the pasta well. You can add more water as per your need.

14. Mix well furthermore to coat all the pasta evenly. Add rest of the olive oil for a final boost of shine.

15. Finally, garnish with coriander leaves. Simple and easy Masala pasta is ready to serve! If you like you can sprinkle a dash of red pepper flakes while serving. But this is spicy by it's own, so be careful while adding.

Enjoy it hot for best taste. But you can definitely pack for lunch box too, it won't disappoint you.

My notes

Refer pasta package for cooking time instructions, as different brands need different cooking time.
In India, you get quick cook pasta, make sure to not overcook it.
Add more vegetables, cut it according to your preferred size and shape.
Butter adds creamy taste to the dish, so if you are making for kids, you can use it as it subsides the spice level as well.
Use any pasta shape that holds masala well. Even rigatoni works well.

Top tips

Do not over-cook the pasta as it will not look appetizing.
Use pasta cooked water to deglaze the pan (loosen the masala) and to control how much saucy you want the pasta to be.
Salt the pasta water such that it tastes like sea water, as a general rule of thumb.
Make sure to cook masalas enough to eliminate the raw smell.
Add enough oil / fat to ensure good taste.
Balance the spices with tartness of tomato. Use ½ teaspoon sugar if needed.

Substitutions & Variations

Tomato puree : In this steps, I have used my own tomato puree from a large tomato. Here in Singapore, the tomatoes are not tart at all. So adjust the spice or add a dash of sugar if you are using tart tomatoes.

If you are using store bought tomato puree or tomato paste like passata, use just 2 tablespoons in this recipe.

You can also use store bought ready to eat pasta sauce, like I have used in the video. I use Organic pasta sauce with basil. (Alce nero brand - not sponsored)

Add tikka masala or curry powder in place of garam masala and spices. I have skipped coriander powder, but you can add 1 teaspoon ground coriander in this pasta dish.
Creamy Masala pasta - Add ¼ cup cooking cream or little heavy cream towards end.
Kids friendly Cheesy pasta - Add cheddar cheese along with cream towards end.
To make it Indian street style pasta, add sauces and cream, finally cheese in this same recipe.
Add protein - Fortify it by adding cooked chana or shredded paneer, tofu etc.
Use gluten-free pasta or whole grain pasta if you prefer anything to suit your dietary preference.
Vegetables can be of your choice and you can also add in mushrooms, like I have seen here in Singapore, mostly vegetables means they would have mushroom.

Serving suggestion

You can serve masala pasta as main dish or along with some other main dish in a spread. If you like, you can top it with some grated cheese too. Tastes great when hot.

Storage

You can store leftovers in fridge and later re-heat to consume. Can you freeze the cooked pasta? Apparently yes, but I would suggest to freeze pasta and masala paste (after cooling down completely) in two different freezer safe containers, then defrost by leaving it in fridge overnight or countertop before making. Toss together before serving.

Label the date and consume within 2 months when stored under ideal temperatures.

masala pasta | desi pasta | indian style pasta

FAQs

What sauce is used in pasta in India?

If you buy online in Amazon, you can find a wide variety of Indian brand pasta sauce. I would suggest to go through the ingredient list, use organic brand as much as possible.

Check out my homemade pasta sauce if you want to prepare it from scratch.

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5 from 7 votes