Creamy Tandoori Pasta

Tandoori pasta in a pan with chili flakes, chopped parsley, and water beside.

5 from 4 votes

This tandoori pasta is creamy, hearty, and bold in flavor! A perfect quick lunch or dinner that is ready in 30 minutes. This recipe also happens vegan and can be made gluten-free.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, Indian

Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: servings

Calories: 260kcal

Author: Meesha

Equipment

cast iron skillet or non-stick pan

Ingredients

2 cups dried pasta (regular, wholemeal or gluten-free)
1 medium yellow onion diced
3 cloves garlic minced
2 teaspoons minced ginger
½-1 teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon coriander powder
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon garam masala
¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
1 can diced tomatoes (14.5oz/410g)
½ tablespoon lemon juice
¼ cup unsweetened vegan yogurt or regular dairy yogurt
1 teaspoon maple syrup
salt to taste

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Start by bringing a pot of water to a boil, and cook pasta until al dente. Reserve some of the pasta water, then drain and rinse cooked pasta under cold water.
2 cups dried pasta
While cooking pasta, heat up a tablespoon of neutral-tasting oil in a cast-iron skillet/non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Add onion in and saute until translucent, about 2-3 minutes.
1 medium yellow onion
Stir garlic and ginger in, and fry for a minute.
3 cloves garlic, 2 teaspoons minced ginger
Add in all spices and fry for another minute, or until fragrant.
½-1 teaspoon chili powder, ½ teaspoon coriander powder, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, ½ teaspoon garam masala, ¼ teaspoon turmeric powder
Next, pour in diced tomato, and bring mixture to a boil. Lower the heat to a gentle simmer, and let it cook, covered, or 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
1 can diced tomatoes
Pour in some of the reserved pasta water to desired thickness. Then, add maple syrup, lemon juice, yogurt, and salt to taste.
½ tablespoon lemon juice, ¼ cup unsweetened vegan yogurt, 1 teaspoon maple syrup, salt
Lastly, toss in pasta, and cook until everything is hot. Remove from heat, serve, and enjoy!

Notes

Oil-free - Use ¼ cup of water or broth to saute the aromatics instead of oil, adding more, 1 tablespoon at a time, if ingredients start sticking to the pan.

Helpful tips

To make this recipe gluten-free, use gluten-free pasta like rice pasta or buckwheat pasta.
To bump up the protein content and satiety level of this meal, you can choose to use pasta made with beans like chickpea pasta or lentil pasta.
Reduce the amount of chili powder by half to make this dish less spicy.
If you prefer a smoother pasta sauce, you can opt for crushed tomatoes or passata (tomato puree) instead of diced tomatoes.

Storing - Keep leftover tandoori pasta in a sealed container, and it will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days.

This pasta dish is freezable, too! Portion it into individual servings using storage containers before freezing, so you will only take out what you need. They can be frozen for up to 3 months.

Reheating - For frozen pasta, let it defrost in the fridge overnight or at room temperature for a couple of hours. You can either reheat it on the stove or in the microwave. Add a splash of water if the mixture appears dry.

Nutrition