Indian Style Tomato Spaghetti Noodles Pasta | No Sauce | One Pot Meal Idea

here is the fact. I will claim it is a fact because that's how sure I am. The fact is that give Indians few ingredients and they will make you something really good with it. Not only that, they can indianised any dish so well that you will forget the origin of the dish. We have indo-Chinese, indo-Mexican, indo-Italian- basically all cuisines that we have adapted to Indian version.

Today's post is another example of such fusion cooking. It is Indian style spaghetti noodles. I, to be honest do not know what to name this dish. It is both Italian and Chinese, I guess. I have used ingredients such as soya sauce, schezwan sauce from Chinese kitchen and then I have used Italian herbs, basil, tomato sauce too like the way you would do in Italian arrabiata sauce.

There are various shaped in which pasta in available such as penne, fussili, ribbon, tagliatelle but Spaghetti is the most popular one in India considering it looks just like noodles. The recipe I have today is one pot meal idea that gets ready in a jiffy and is defiantly a good Indian Style Tomato Spaghetti Noodles Pasta.

Indian style means it has to be rich in colour, spicy and saucy. We don't like our pasta to be dry-we like it where every stand of noodle is coated with massala and sauce. This is pakka desi vegetarian pasta with tomato, garlic, capsicum and all basic spices. Also you don't need to make any fancy sauce beforehand, this recipe is no sauce pasta recipe too.

If you want to check the recipe please see the video below.

Tagliatelle Pasta With Basic Spices: Simplest Italian Pasta Recipe: No Sauce Needed

One thing that fantasises you most about pasta is probably its shapes. By the way did you know that there are 600 shapes of pasta, out of which penne, spaghetti and fusilli are most known? Pasta is easy, quick and healthy - after all it is one huge source of carbohydrates and if you combine goodness of vegetables, you will end up having complete meal. That’s why for the days when I have less time in hand or just feeling lazy I think of preparing pasta.

Pasta is a weekly affair in my kitchen and I have experimented a lot with pasta sauces. Penne in red wine sauce is for adults-it’s boozy and spicy. Burnt garlic pasta is for anyone who loves garlicky flavour (like me)-it’s pungent and aromatic. People who prefers smoked taste, must try roasted bell pepper pasta, its- burnt, tangy and sweet. For spice enthusiasts I have red chilli pesto pasta-fiery hot.

Today, it is Simplest Italian Pasta. No fuss and no sauce-some handful of Italian spices mixed together. I guess the ease and simplicity is what makes this pasta extraordinary. I tossed along some chopped spring onions,carrots and bell peppers, but feel free to add in any vegetable, like zucchini, onions or tomatoes. I used my new favorite Napolina Tagliatelle Pasta, its more like flat noodles, but the same recipe can be followed for penne, spaghetti or any pasta.

Ingredients:

10 circles of pasta

2 garlic cloves grated

1/2 cup chopped carrots

1/2 cup chopped bell pepper/capsicum

1/4 cup chopped spring onions

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon tomato ketchup

1/2 teaspoon black pepper powder

Salt to taste

2 tablespoon olive oil

Method:

1. Cook pasta as per packet instructions. Do add 1/2 teaspoon of salt in the water. You know pasta is done when it starts to stick on the pan. Drain and keep aside.
2. Heat oil in a pan. When oil is hot, add grated garlic and cook till garlic is golden in colour.
3. Add in chopped carrots, bell peppers and white portion of spring onions. Saute on high heat till the vegetables are half done.
4. Next, add in boiled pasta and all the other ingredients. Toss well, such that spices are coated over pasta. Cover and cook for 1 minute. Mix and serve.

Notes:

Never add oil while boiling pasta. The pasta becomes slippery and the sauce doesn’t coat on it.

Feel free to add chopped veggies like onions, zucchini, beans or mushrooms.

Serving suggestions:

Serve with any toasted bread.

For a complete posh meal, serve with red wine walnut bread, baked potato wedges and bloody mary. 

Pair this pasta with any refreshing drinks such as- roasted orange lemonade, mint cucumber cooler or rose ice tea.

Red Chilli Pesto Sauce

Cooking is love made visible- you agree? I was not always interested in cooking, neither do boredom nor passing my time led me to the kitchen- it’s the colours, the spices, the taste and the aroma that attracted me towards the kitchen. Like all the kids, I too had curious mind loaded with questions and imagination. A little girl sitting on kitchen platform would add mustard seeds in the hot oil and notice how it splutters all over. How when you add little water at a time to a dry flour  would turn it into thick smooth dough. All these little genius things and ideas made me hooked in the kitchen. Bombarding questions to maa- why you add garam massala in the end, why you garnish every subji with coriander leaves, why you add cumin in some dishes while mustard in some....with a smile she would patiently answer all my questions...and that’s how I got my basics right and strong.

That was a recap...a recap to the kitchen where I grew up helping my mom! Today I love my kitchen-I feel it is the heart of every home. Cooking is creating something new, something delicious but for someone else and cooking from scratch is an achievement. Buying preservatives loaded canned food or sauces is not my idea. Pasta sauce cooked in red wine, roasted bell pepper sauce, hummus, pani puri are some of the best things that I prepared from scratch.

Pasta is once a weekly affair for us and trying out different flavours is always welcomed. We tried pesto sandwich a week before and even though I loved the taste of basil in pesto sauce I still wanted to give it some Indian touch. It was then when Red Chilli Pesto Sauce was discovered. In simple words it is the blend of red chilli chutney and the regular pesto.

Handful of dry red chillies are soaked overnight, the other day it is grinded with the bunch of fresh basil leaves and olive oil. Little parmesan cheese, oregano, black pepper and lemon juice are used to give the perfect climax to this sauce.

Ingredients’:

1 and 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves

12 dry red chillies

2 cloves garlic

1/3 cup pine nuts

1/4 olive oil

1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon black pepper powder

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Juice from 1 lemon

Salt to taste

Method:

Remove the seeds and soak red chillies in half a cup of water overnight.

On a slow flame dry roast the pine nuts.

In the grinder or a food processor grind everything together to a fine paste.

Notes:

You can also use almonds in place of pine nuts. I have tried it taste good.

I have used black pepper powder, red chilli powder and dried red chillies thus this pesto sauce is very spicy and hot. Adjust the heat as per your taste; feel free to remove any chillies.

You can also add vegetables like bellpeppers, onions in the final pasta dish.

Serving suggestions:

Just boil any pasta of your choice and add in dollops of this sauce on it.

This goes well as a spread for your sandwiches, toastier, Frankie or rolls.

Try it as a dip for crackers, chips or nachos.

You can also use this as a marinate for tandori dishes- be it paneer, potatoes or meat.

Burnt Garlic Pasta, Because I Love Garlic

There are days when you are lazy, mood less and without energy. What do you cook on such days? I always tend to make pasta. Pasta that is available in different shapes, size and ingredients always tends to attract me.  By the way did you know that there are 600 shapes of pasta, out of which penne, spaghetti and fusilli are most known? Pasta is easy, quick and healthy - after all it is one huge source of carbohydrates and if prepared properly it can be one satisfying and filling meal.

When choosing pasta I like to pick that is not made with refined flour-who wants to indulge in bad carbs-do you?? Recently I picked up fusilli-the twisty ones which were made with wheat germs. Wheat germ is the heart of the wheat grain, rich in flavor and is a nourishing active ingredient. When this wheat germ pasta was boiling up in the pot of hot water, it released intense wheat aroma which was amazing and beyond words.

Pasta is once a week affair for us, I always keep roasted bell pepper pasta sauce ready to mix with pasta. Sometimes I make spaghetti in arbiata sauce from scratch and recently I prepared penne in red wine sauce. But this pasta recipe is innovation, the one that I created. So the case was that I was out of veggies, I had 2 ingredients available-garlic and onions. What to do? Well necessity is the mother of invention, so Burnt Garlic Pasta was born.

Like me, if you love garlic and olive oil you are going to get under the influence of the flavors pretty soon. Forever.  Oh yes you need to actually burn or let me say over fry garlic in olive oil which will provide richness and amazing depth of flavour to finished dish. So let’s see the recipe.

Ingredients:

2 cup of pasta

6 garlic cloves/lehsun

2 onion/pyaz

1 tablespoon tomato ketchup

1 tablespoon soy sauce

Salt to taste

2 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon black pepper powder/kali mirch

1/4 teaspoon red chilli flakes (optional)

1/4 teaspoon dried herbs (oregano+basil+thyme)

Method:

Place big pot of water to boil. When you see the steam, add in pasta with little salt. Cook pasta till it is soft yet crunchy. Strain and keep aside.

Grate garlic and chop onions length wise.

Heat oil in a pan. When oil is hot, add in garlic and keep mixing till garlic is golden brown in colour.

Mix in onions and stir. When onions are half done add in boiled pasta and all the remaining ingredients. Mix well.

Serve with bread and a glass of red wine.

Notes:

You can use any pasta. Please do not add oil when pasta is boiling, it will make your pasta slippery and the spices and sauce will not coat on it. When pasta starts touching the wall of pot- it means it is done.

I was out of veggies, but please free to add any vegetables like carrots, bell pepper etc.

Roasted Cherry Tomatoes With Fennel

Pinterest is one amazing concept and those of you who use it will surely agree with me. It is one place where you can spend hours pinning pictures from all genres or perhaps come across quotes that could inspire you. I have totally fallen for these one:-

 “Life is an experiment in which you may fail or succeed. Explore more, expect least.” 

“Experience is the past tense of experiment.” 

“Theories might inspire you, but experiments will advance you.” 

Yes the common word is “experiment” Experiment is one adventure that everyone must perform without worrying about the end results. And we, as cooks, always tend to experiment in the kitchen; so do you think about the results or you become happy that you tried something new?

Me?? I love to have desi tadka in international dishes like Bell Pepper Noodles or mix two old classic recipes to make a new one like Palak Mutter Paneer or simply give makeover to leftovers like Cabbage Subji Paratha. Honestly, Sometimes I am thrilled with the great outcome and sometimes I am satisfied that I atleast tried -but I am never sad.

So today I bring before you an experimentation that I did and the consequence was totally worth sharing here. You know how the restaurants in the Europe serve some side with everything; French fries with pizza or salad with sandwich. In my recent trip to Paris (remember I shared the picture HERE) I had roasted tomatoes with pasta. The pasta was simple penne with tomato sauce and cheese and roasted tomatoes had same Italian seasoning (herbs, olive oil and garlic) but I liked the idea of roasted tomatoes as side a lot, yes a looott. It was then it clicked me to infuse some Indian spices and ‘experiment’.

I decided to exploit Cherry tomatoes as it has always grabbed my attention for its cuteness and petite shape. Cherry tomatoes roasted to perfection with fennel seeds and black pepper do create some magic. Roasting tomatoes is a great way to bring out their natural sweetness. The flavor profile of the tomato intensifies and you are left with something so simple yet so elegant, you won’t believe your taste buds. You don’t need any method but you do need lot of time to roast the tomatoes, but, what the heck- keep in the oven and forget till your oven rings. *smile*smile*

The recipe is a keeper; well of course you can play with ingredients and experiment. You can have this as a side salad or just apply on toasted bread or toss them up in the pasta dishes- the ideas are unlimited. What you must do is, buy cherry tomatoes and make this.

Ingredients:

4 cups cherry tomatoes

5 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

2 teaspoons fennel seeds

Salt to taste

Method:

Preheat the oven at 180C

Wash cherry tomatoes and drain the water.

Take the baking tray and lie with foil.

Chop the tomatoes in half. Mix everything together and put on the sheet. Toss with your hands to coat well.

Bake till tomatoes begin to caramelize and skin shrinks. I baked till 45 minutes.

Notes:

Yes you can use simple tomatoes as well. Just chop them in four parts.

Add garlic and oregano for Italian taste. I like this more :-)

This can be stored in fridge in air-tight container for 15-20 days.

Garlic Rolls: Garlic Bread: Side for Pasta, Soups and Dips

If you like garlic bread then these garlic rolls will blow you mind and tastebuds-for sure! Taste like garlic bread but looks prettier and tastes even better. Garlic Rolls is my another attempt in baking bread at home and the result was just great.

In simple words this is Garlic Pull Apart Bread, like rolls (pav) and is made using yeast. To have a nice soft bread texture you need to have good quality yeast and proof it properly. I used Allison rapid yeast and I like it because it doesn’t smell weird. To work with yeast you need something sweet like sugar or honey and warm water. Hot water will kill the yeast and cold water will not activate the yeast. If like me, you don’t have a fancy thermometer to measure the right degree of water, here is the test you can do. Dip your finger in hot water and you should be able to tolerate the heat, anything more or less will not work-just warm is what you are looking for. Next add in yeast and sugar, stir and keep aside for 10 minutes. If you see bubbles and forth in the yeast mixture you are good to go, else try again.

Looking for more bread recipes? Check these out:

Potatoes Stuffed Buns

Red Wine Walnut Bread

Whole Wheat Buns

Garlic Herbs Focaccia

You can enjoy this garlic bread just like that or serve as side with pastas, soups or dips. 

Ingredients: 

For dough:

Plain Flour - 1 and 1/2 cups 

Water- 1/2 cup

Yeast - 1/2 tablespoon

Salt - 1 teaspoon

Sugar - 1 tablespoon

Olive Oil - 2 tablespoon
Milk- 1 tablespoon
Sesame seeds- 1 teaspoon

For Garlic Butter:

Salted butter, at room temperature - 5 tablespoons

Minced garlic - 4 cloves

Chopped coriander leaves - 3 teaspoons

Method:
Heat water in microwave for 25 seconds. Mix yeast and sugar in the water. Keep aside for 10 minutes. Yeast should become frothy.

Mix flour, olive oil and salt. Knead the dough for good 5 minutes. The dough should not be sticky but should be soft.

Keep the dough covered at a warm place for at-least 45 minutes.

Next mix together all the ingredients for the garlic spread and keep it separately.

After 45 minutes take the dough and divide in 2 parts as shown in the pic

Dust the platform with flour and then flat one of the ball and spread the garlic spread on it

Then slowly roll the flat bread in the shape of the log

Take a rectangle baking pan. Grease it with oil.

Cut the log into 2 inch rounds. Place rounds in the baking pan.

Repeat the same with remaining dough.

Preheat the oven 180C for 10 minutes. Till then keep the baking pan in a warm place and let it rise for 10 minutes.

Brush milk on the rolls. Sprinkle sesame seeds.

Bake it till 20-30 minutes on 180C till golden in colour.

Serve hot or cold.

Notes:- 

Keep your dough in a warm place. I always keep it in the oven. A friend of mine who lives in hills cover the bowl with blanket and keep it dark place-for her this trick works.
You have to use a good quality olive oil for a nice texture. I recommend Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Use active rapid yeast or also called as instant yeast. I used Allinson Easy Bake Yeast.

The amount of water depends on the type of flour you are using. Look for a slightly sticky dough that behaves when you apply oil.
Cover the bread with cling film and store it a room temperature. It will be good for 2-3 days.

Serving suggestions:

Serve with burnt garlic pasta, pasta in red wine sauce, simple basic pasta.

Pair as side with tomatoes chutney, chilli hummus or roasted fennel cherry tomatoes.

Serve with roasted garlic soup, roasted butternut squash soup or indian garlic lentil soup.

Great snack for picnics and parties.