Usually I cook plain pasta, macaroni in an open pot but I feel its a time consuming job and baby sitting is also needed. We should stand nearby to avoid spilling over and keep it stirring to avoid sticking to the bottom. So I started cooking penne pasta, macaroni in pressure cooker recently. Its so easy, takes very less time when compared with open pot method. Mess free too.

Just add pasta and required water, pressure cook in high flame for 2 whistles. Drain the cooked water and wash with cold water. Viola ! Pasta is ready, cooked well and soft holding its shape. You can follow the same method for cooking macaroni as well. Sometimes pasta gets over cooked if you leave for more whistles. Still you can make tasty dishes with it. I definitely liked this way of cooking pasta easily in a pressure cooker. I hope you will love it too. Friends, do try and share your feedback. Lets see how to cook plain pasta/ penne pasta in a pressure cooker with step by step pictures and video !

How to cook pasta in pressure cooker

Learn how to cook pasta /penne pasta in a pressure cooker easily

Cuisine: Indian

Category: How to cook

Serves: Serves 4

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 30 Minutes

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

1 cup = 240ml Pasta - 2 cups ( I used penne pasta) Water - 6 cups Salt - as needed Olive oil or cooking oil - 1 tsp Cold water - to wash pasta

HOW TO COOK PASTA IN PRESSURE COOKER

1. In a pressure cooker take 2 cups of pasta. Add 6 cups of water, 1/2 tsp salt and 1 tsp of cooking oil.
2. When the water comes to boil, mix well to avoid sticking to the bottom.
3. Cover the cooker with a lid and pressure cook in high flame for 2 whistles.
4. It takes 8 to 10 minutes. Switch off the flame. Open the cooker after steam is released.
5. Drain the cooked water and wash it under tap water or cold water to remove excess starch.
6. Fluff with fork and make yummy dishes with it. Pressure cooked pasta is ready!

METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

In a pressure cooker base, take 2 cups of pasta. Add 6 cups of water, 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp cooking oil /olive oil. When it comes to a boil, mix well to avoid pasta sticking to the bottom of cooker. Cover the cooker and pressure cook in high flame for 2 whistles. Switch off the flame and open the cooker after the steam is released. ( If you are in a hurry, you can remove the pressure by removing the weight valve or showing the cooker under tap water.) Drain the cooked water. Add 2 to 3 cups of cold water and wash it well. Drain the water. You can also wash the cooked pasta in tap water and drain it. This step helps to remove the excess starch. Pasta becomes fluffy. Remove in a bowl and keep it covered.  Make yummy white sauce pasta or tomato pasta as you like. Enjoy !

Note

You can follow the same steps and cook macaroni but cook for one whistle in high flame. You should wash the cooked pasta with cold water else it will look sticky and slimy.

Try this easy method of cooking pasta and enjoy !

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Macaroni Upma Recipe – Indian Style Macaroni Recipes With Vegetables

Macaroni upma is an easy, interesting, Indian style macaroni recipe prepared by adding vegetables and garam masala.  I never thought it tastes so good. Actually this recipe was suggested by one of my friends. When she told me to make this easy macaroni recipe for Raksha’s lunch box, I was hesitant to try it because Raksha is very fussy when it comes for her lunch box recipes. So I tried it for our Sunday breakfast as the first trial. Raksha loved it very much and told me to pack it for her school this week. Even myself and Sendhil liked it too. So this recipe is a hit in my home✌. No side dish is required for this upma. You can eat it as such. Macaroni tastes so soft, juicy and flavorful. Friends, do try this yummy macroni recipe for your family and share the feedback with me. Lets see how to make Indian style macaroni upma recipe with step by step pictures.

Check out my Indian style pasta recipe, creamy white sauce pasta, Garlic spaghetti,  Tomato spaghetti, tacos recipe, Indian veg quesedilla recipes !

Macaroni upma recipe

Indian style macaroni upma recipe with onion, tomato, vegetables and garam masala.

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Main course

Serves: Serves 3

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 30 Minutes

Chitra Ganapathy

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 250ml Macaroni - 1 cup Cooking oil - 2 tbsp Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp Big onion - 1 (finely chopped) Ginger garlic paste (gg paste) – 1 tsp Ripe tomato - 2 (Finely chopped) Capsicum - 2 tbsp (-do-) Carrot - 1 small (-do-) Green peas - 2 tbsp Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp Red chilli powder - 1 tsp Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp Tomato ketchup – 1.5 tbsp Salt & water - as needed

HOW TO MAKE MACARONI UPMA

1. Boil 3 cups of water in a bowl. Add macaroni. Cook till soft.
2. Drain the excess water and run the macaroni under tap water to retain its shape. Keep aside.
3. Heat oil in a kadai. Splutter cumin seeds. Saute onion, gg paste till raw smell goes off.
4. Add capsicum, carrot and green peas. Add salt and saute till half cooked.
5. Add tomato and cook till mushy. Lastly add turmeric, red chilli powder, garam masala powder.
6. Add some water and cover cook till vegetables are done. Lastly add tomato ketchup. Mix well. 
7. Now add cooked macaroni, mix well. Garnish with coriander leaves.
8. Serve hot and enjoy !

METHOD - STEP BY STEP PICTURES

In a wide bowl, boil 3 to 4 cups of water. Add a tsp of cooking oil and some salt. After the water comes to roll boil, add macaroni and mix well. Cook in medium flame for 10 to 15 minutes. Stir it every now and then to avoid macaroni sticking to the bottom of bowl. Water spills if you cover cook. So you should cook in an open pan till its 3/4th cooked. Last 5 minutes, you can cover and cook the macaroni in low flame to make it soft. Switch off the flame and drain the macaroni in a sieve. Remove the excess cooked water. Show the macaroni under the tap water to make it retain its shape. Set aside. In a kadai, heat oil. Splutter cumin seeds. Saute onion, curry leaves and ginger garlic paste. Saute till raw smell goes off. Add capsicum, carrot and fresh or frozen green peas. Add salt and saute in medium flame till the vegetables are half cooked. Add chopped tomato and saute till mushy. Lastly add turmeric powder, red chilli powder and garam masala powder. Saute well. Add 1/2 cup of water. Cover the kadai with a lid. Cook till vegetables are soft. After all the water is drained, add tomato ketchup and mix well. Then add cooked macaroni. Mix and coat well in medium flame. Switch off the flame. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves. Enjoy eating hot for best taste !

Note

Adjust the quantity of chilli powder and garam masala powder as per your taste. You can replace macaroni with cooked pasta. Addition of tomato sauce helps to give a creamy base to the paste. So do not skip it.

Try this yummy Indian style macaroni upma with vegetables for your breakfast or dinner. Enjoy !

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White Sauce Pasta Recipe – Creamy Garlic Pasta In White Sauce - Indian Vegetarian

White sauce pasta recipe with step by step pictures and video. My daughter loves penne pasta in creamy white sauce (bechamel sauce) than red sauce. So I made this Indian vegetarian, creamy garlic flavored white sauce pasta at home for our breakfast yesterday. Basic white sauce can be prepared with 3 major ingredients - butter, all purpose flour and milk. It makes the white sauce thick and rich without cream. Garlic and Oregano is used to give a nice Italian flavor. So never attempt this recipe without these ingredients. Original Italian white sauce pasta calls for using heavy cream instead of milk. But I used very simple and easily available ingredients in this recipe.

I referred the terrace kitchen YouTube video for this recipe. It came out really well. To make white sauce pasta more colorful and healthy, we can add vegetables like sweet corn, carrot, broccoli, mushroom etc. After trying this recipe, I learnt the knack of making white sauce without lumps. Yes, the secret is to add more butter and milk than maida. I have also used cheese slice to make the sauce more creamy. But adding cheese is optional. You can use it if your kids like it. Even though this dish is high in calories, its a tasty indulgence. You can make and enjoy it once in a while. If you want to make a low calorie version, you can use olive oil instead of butter and skip cheese.

Lets see how to make penne pasta in white sauce with step by step pictures and video.

Recently I got a herb grinder from FLINTSTOP online. You can find many useful and technologically advanced cool gadgets for the entire house. They also provide Corporate Gifting for different multinationals along with their company logo and customization as per the requirements. I used this herb grinder for garnishing pasta with oregano and dried basil. I loved this gadget. I am planning to use it in my South Indian cooking as well. You can find the picture of the herb grinder below.

Do check out my Indian style masala penne pasta, tomato spaghetti and garlic spaghetti recipe.

White sauce pasta recipe – Pasta in white sauce

How to make creamy white sauce pasta

Author: Chitra Ganapathy

Cuisine:Indian
Category: dinner
Serves: 3
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 10 Minutes

Ingredients (1 cup - 240ml)

• Penne pasta - 1.5 cups
• Butter - 4 tbsp
• Boiled milk - 2 cups
• Maida/All purpose flour - 2 tbsp
• Cheese slice - 3 nos
• Garlic - 5 cloves(finely chopped)
• Capsicum - 1/4 no (finely chopped)
• Chilli flakes - 1.5 tsp
• Pepper powder - 1.5 tsp
• Oregano - 1/2 tsp
• Salt - as needed
• Water - 6 cups

How to make white sauce pasta

1. Boil 6 cups water. Add 1 tsp cooking oil and salt.
2. When the water roll boil, add the pasta. Stir well.
3. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes in medium high flame.
4. Heat 1 tbsp butter in a kadai. Saute garlic and capsicum adding chilli flakes, pepper powder and salt. Collect in a plate.
5. Heat 3 tbsp butter and add maida. Roast well till raw smell goes off.
6. Add milk gradually and stir using a whisk.
7. Add sauteed vegetables, chilli flakes, pepper powder, salt, sauteed capscium. Mix well.
8. Lastly add cooked pasta, cheese slices, Mix till cheese melts. Sprinkle oregano serve !.

White sauce pasta recipe - Step by step photo

• In a wide bowl, boil 6 cups of water. Add cooking oil and salt. Chop the garlic and capsicum finely.
  

  

  

• When the water starts to roll boil, simmer the flame and add the penne pasta. Stir well else it may stick to the bottom of bowl. Boil for 10 minutes stirring now and then. Cook al dente. Cover the bowl partially and cook for last 5 minutes. I do this to cook the pasta soft. Take one, break it and check for doneness.

  

• Drain the cooked pasta in a colander, set aside. Wash with cold water and drain the water completely. 

  

• Heat 1 tbsp butter in a kadai and saute the finely chopped garlic till golden. Add capsicum, frozen sweet corn and saute for a minute. It should remain crunchy in taste. Remove in a plate.
• In the same kadai, heat 3 tbsp butter. Add 2 tbsp maida and roast till its raw smell goes off. Lower the flame. Add milk in one hand while stirring with a whisk in other hand. This helps to avoid lump formation. So keep stirring with a whisk while you add the milk. Mix till there are no lumps.

  

• Add  sauteed vegetables, red chilli flakes, pepper powder and some salt. Let the sauce boil till thick. Lastly add the cooked pasta, mix well. Tear the cheese slice into small pieces. Add to the boiling sauce. Mix till it melts.  Garnish with oregano, basil and other spices if you like. Remove and serve hot.

  

Notes

• Adding oil in the water helps to cook the pasta non-sticky.
• I like my pasta to be soft. So I cover & cook it for 5 minutes. But usually people won't do that.
• Adding cheese is optional. But it makes the white sauce more creamy.
• You can replace cheese slice with cheese cubes or grated cheese. Mozzarella or even cheddar cheese is fine.

Try this easy, yummy kids friendly white sauce pasta recipe at home and enjoy !

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Indian Style Tomato Spaghetti Recipe – Vegetarian Spaghetti Recipe With Video

This is my second post on vegetarian spaghetti recipe. I started trying out spaghetti based recipes recently and my first recipe was easy garlic spaghetti. We loved that a lot. So Raksha & Sendhil asked me to try some varieties of spaghetti recipes for breakfast. Last Sunday I made this easy, Indian style tomato spaghetti recipe with very simple ingredients. I browsed many vegetarian spaghetti recipes and tried it finally with my own twist. It came out really well and we all loved it. Raksha took 2 servings which made me very happy. For Raksha, I used red chilli flakes, pepper powder in little quantity for less spicy taste and added more cheese whereas for myself & Sendhil, I added more spices, used Italian seasoning and made it without cheese. It was tasting great and packed with full flavor. Friends, do try this easy, yummy tomato spaghetti recipe for your kids and family.Adjust the spice level based on their taste buds. I am sure they will love it. Lets see how to make this easy, Indian vegetarian tomato spaghetti recipe with step by step photos and video !

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Easy Garlic Spaghetti Recipe – Indian Vegetarian Spaghetti Recipes

Food blogging has made me try and taste varieties of recipes from various cuisines which I have not even imagined in my life. Being a South Indian, my whole food world was just revolving around Idli, dosa, poori and chapathi . But after I became a food blogger, my eating habits and cooking have changed completely. I am really proud and happy to be a passionate food blogger. 

Pasta, Hakka Noodles, Tacos, Spaghetti, Quesadilla, Tortilla – All these terms were very new to me until I saw them in our fellow bloggers blog. I did not even know how to cook them perfectly. Slowly I am learning everything and blogging the same to help beginners like me. I am happy that I am trying out various international recipes in my kitchen. My recent crush was to try spaghetti at home. 

Spaghetti is basically a type of noodles made from durum wheat semolina. Spaghetti is the plural form of the Italian word spaghetto, which is a diminutive of spago, meaning "thin string" or "twine". It is a staple food of traditional Italian cuisine ( Source: Wiki). Cooking spaghetti is not so difficult as I thought. Its procedure is more like cooking noodles. 

As a beginner, I wanted to make an easy and simple Indian style Vegetarian spaghetti recipe. I found this easy stir fried, garlicky spaghetti recipe HERE as I din’t have any vegetables in hand. I made some modifications as per my family’s taste buds and tried it for a Sunday breakfast. It came out really well with an awesome flavor of roasted onion and garlic in olive oil.  

This is just a basic spaghetti recipe. For variations ansd make it more rich, you can add sliced, sauteed vegetables and grated cheese on top before serving. Sendhil & Raksha gave a big thumbs up after eating. We relished it with tomato sauce. Its a quick breakfast recipe for bachelors and working women as there is very less chopping works. Kids would love this for sure. Do try it out for a change and share your feedback here. Lets see how to cook spaghetti and make this Indian style, vegetarian garlic spaghetti recipe with step by step pictures.

Check out some of my International recipes in Indian style below
Eggless pancakes
Indian Vegetarian quesadilla
Indian style Veg masala pasta recipe
Veg tacos recipe
Fruit & Yogurt parfait
Nasi goreng/ Indonesian fried rice
Veg Hakka noodles

Easy Veg spaghetti recipe-Indian style

Easy, garlicky Indian Veg spaghetti recipe

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Pasta recipes

Serves: Serves 2

Prep time: 15 Minutes

Cook time: 10 Minutes

Total time: 25 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

Spaghetti - 200gms  Water - 10 cups Big onion - 2 nos ( sliced thinly) Olive oil or cooking oil - 2 tbsp Spring onion - 2 sprig ( finely chopped) Red chilli flakes - 1.5 tsp Pepper powder - 1 tsp Soy sauce - 1/4 tsp ( optional) Garlic - 10 cloves (finely chopped & crushed) Salt - as needed

METHOD

In a wide bowl, boil 10 cups of water adding some salt and few drops of oil. Put the spaghetti as such (Do not break it) and let it cook in high flame for 15 minutes. Initially, spaghetti won’t be completely immersed.  As It starts to cook, It will get immerse into the water completely and becomes soft like noodles. You can even cover and cook the spaghetti for sometime but water may spill while cooking. So stay nearby and adjust the flame whenever needed. Spaghetti takes more time to cook than our regular noodles.So take care while cooking. Take out one string of spaghetti and check if it breaks and soft to touch. If so, switch off the flame and transfer the cooked spaghetti to a colander(steel sieve) Drain the excess water completely and leave it aside. Chop the onion thinly into slices. Finely chop the garlic cloves and crush it slightly using a mortar & pestle. Chop the spring onions finely. Heat olive oil in a kadai. Saute the crushed garlic cloves for few seconds. Add sliced onions and salt. Saute till onion turns transparent. Now add the red chilli flakes. Mix it well. Lastly add the cooked spaghetti, pepper powder and soy sauce if adding. Mix well using a fork. Toss it well. Make sure spaghetti doesn’t break. Check for taste and add more pepper powder & salt. Garnish with finely chopped spring onions. Serve hot immediately. Enjoy with tomato ketchup or sauce ! You can add some grated cheese on top before serving kids. Enjoy !

Note

Adjust the quantity of chilli flakes and pepper powder as per your taste. If you like tomato flavor in spaghetti, you can add a tbsp of tomato sauce while mixing. For variations, you can try adding thinly sliced capsicum, carrot, mushroom and potato while sauting onions. You can add some grated cheese on top before serving.

 

Try this easy and yummy Indian Vegetarian garlic-ky spaghetti recipe and enjoy !  

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INDIAN STYLE MASALA PASTA RECIPE (VEGETARIAN) | EASY PASTA RECIPES

This is my first post on pasta recipes. I really wonder why din’t I try a pasta recipe so far. Actually I wanted to start with pasta with white sauce or red sauce but my friend Shalini suggested me to try our Indian style, easy pasta recipe with full of masala flavours.

This recipe is very similar to Penne Arrabiata. As kids love pasta very much, I tried this recipe for Raksha’s breakfast. We too tasted some. It was very nice, flavourful and tasty. So my first attempt in making a pasta recipe was a great success. I felt very happy and I wanted to share this recipe with you all. U can make many variations in this recipe and prepare it more healthy & colorful by adding vegetables. Friends, if you are bored of making cheesy pasta recipes, try this low calorie, easy peasy pasta recipe with Indian masala. U will love it.

Indian style masala pasta recipe

Easy,Indian style masala pasta recipe for breakfast/Dinner - Tastes great !

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Pasta recipes

Serves:  3

Prep time: 15 Minutes

Cook time: 10 Minutes

Total time: 25 Minutes

INGREDIENTS
 

To cook pasta Penne pasta - 1 cup Salt - as needed Water - 5 cups Cooking oil - few drops For the masala To temper Cooking oil+ghee - 1.5 tbsp +1 tsp Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp Urad dal - 1 tsp Chana dal - 1 tsp Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp Big onion - 2 nos Tomato - 2 nos or tomato puree - 1/3 cup Curry leaves - few Ginger-Garlic paste - 1/2 tsp Red chilli powder or sambar powder - 1 tsp Garam masala powder-1/2 tsp Kasoori methi - 2 pinches Coriander leaves - to garnish

METHOD

How to cook pasta: Take 5 cups of water in a bowl. Add some salt and few drops of cooking oil. When the water comes to boil, add 1 cup of pasta. Mix well using a ladle to avoid pasta sticking to the bottom and cook for 10-12 minutes in medium flame. It should be soft but firm without losing its shape. Switch off the flame and transfer the pasta to a colander. Discard the excess water. Show the pasta under running water to make it firm. Set aside. Heat oil+ghee in a kadai. Splutter mustard seeds. Add urad dal, chana dal. Now add big onions and saute till transparent. Add g&g paste and saute for few seconds till its raw smell emanates. Then add tomatoes or tomato puree. Saute till mushy. Add all the powders and mix well for few minutes. Add 2 pinches of kasuri methi and let mixture boil for a minute in low flame. Lastly add the cooked pasta, toss well and switch off the flame. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves, sprinkle some lemon juice if needed and serve hot. Indian style masala pasta is ready !

Note

For variations, add sambar powder in place of red chilli powder. You can use tomato puree instead of chopped tomato. Use pav bhaji masala powder or biryani masala powder in place of garam masala powder. But adjust the spice level as per your taste. U can also add few mint leaves while sauting onions. It gives a nice flavor.

  Masala pasta and Horlicks – My daughter Raksha’s breakfast. 

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