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India meets Italy in this Tikka Masala Pasta, a spin on the classic Chicken Tikka Masala. Pasta cooked in a creamy and delicious tikka masala gravy. Use whole-wheat or gluten-free pasta for a slightly healthier alternative.
I come from a large family and we show our love with food. Most of us fall into one of two categories – we either love to cook, or we love to critique food. I fall into both categories.
Being the youngest of four, I got away with doing theleast amount of work. 🙂 This is one of those rare occasions my siblings will actually agree with me. lol.
I had no shame in showing up to all their gatherings and enjoying their incredible dishes while they slaved off in the kitchen. Having said that, when I did host people, I was usually cooking for my close girlfriends in Jersey City. Cooking for a few women isn’t a big deal to me, but cooking for 13, now that’s work. Keep in mind, 13 people is still less than the number of people in my immediate family.
I’ve realized so many things while being far away from home. I have so much respect for my siblings who hosted more people than I could even imagine, but most of all, for my mom. Like most moms, my mom has the ability to whip up a meal for the 15 of us without measuring anything, and she’ll act as though it is no big deal. Clearly, my mom puts me to shame because cooking for 13 was a huge deal for me. Would I do it again? Absolutely! 🙂
This Tikka Masala Pasta (aka Vegetarian Indian Pasta) is one of my best creations if I say so myself. I devoured this dish before my party. It’s creamy and spicy with a medley of complex Indian flavors that impeccably come together. Please make this dish, it’s seriously that good. Be sure to mention me on Instagram, and I’ll share the love. ♥
tikka masala pasta is:
Indulgent
Creamy
Delicious
Flavorsome
Versatile – throw in grilled chicken
Vegetarian
Gluten-Free & Whole Wheat options (swap the pasta for a healthier alternative)
What other Pasta Shapes can I use?
For the best results – I recommend using medium shells as shown in this recipe. You can also use macaroni, penne, or rigatoni. These pasta shapes will trap the sauce which will help achieve the best results.
How to make Tikka Masala Pasta
Begin by boiling a pot of water. Chop the onions, ginger and garlic. Set aside.
Using a coffee grinder, blend the spices – cumin seeds, cardamom pods, cloves, cinnamon stick and peppercorns.
Now set aside the spices you blended above along with turmeric powder, chili powder, and coriander powder.
Start by heating up a large pan. Once hot, add olive oil, followed by a large black cardamom and bay leaf. Saute for 30 seconds or so.
Add the onions and saute for 3 minutes until translucent. Do NOT brown the onions.
Also add the ginger and garlic. Season with salt. Cook for 1 minute.
Add the spices along with a 1/4 cup of water. We’re adding the water so the spices don’t burn. Saute for 1 minute.
Now add the crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce. Season with salt. Stir well. Cover with a lid. Cook the tomatoes down for 8 minutes and reduce heat to low-medium.
While the tomatoes cook down, chop 1/2 a green bell pepper.
Add the pasta to salted boiling water. Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box until al dente.
Once the tomatoes are cooked, add the green pepper and cook for 1 minute.
Add the heavy cream, garam masala, and dry fenugreek leaves. Stir. Let the sauce warm up for about 1-2 minutes.
Here’s your creamy tikka masala sauce. Once you see little bubbles reduce the heat to very low. Check for salt, add more if need be.
Using a spider strainer, add the cooked pasta to the tikka masala sauce. By adding the pasta this way, you are also adding starchy pasta water which helps bind the sauce to the pasta. If you choose to drain the pasta, make sure you add about 1/4 cup of reserved pasta water to the sauce.
Mix the sauce and pasta well. Once heated through, turn off the stove.
Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves.
Serve immediately. Don’t wait, it tastes best when hot.
More Tikka Masala Recipes
Tried this recipe? If so, please leave a comment & rate this recipe. That would mean so much to me. If you’re on Instagram, please tag me so I can see your creations. I’m happy to share and mention you. Thank you!
Tikka Masala Pasta
INGREDIENTS
for the spice blend
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 3 cloves
- 10 peppercorns
- 3 green cardamom pods
- 1/2 cinnamon stick
for the sauce
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 black cardamom, (moti elachi)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 inch piece ginger, chopped
- 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/2 – 3/4 tsp Indian red chili powder, (substitute option: cayenne pepper)
- 2 tsp coriander powder
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 cups crushed tomatoes, organic canned unsalted
- 1 cup tomato sauce, organic canned unsalted
- salt to taste
- 1/2 medium green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 cup heavy cream, organic
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1 tbsp dry fenugreek leaves, (kasoori methi)
- 1 pound medium shells pasta*, use whole wheat or gluten-free if you wish
- 1/4 cup reserved starchy pasta water, see step #14
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
INSTRUCTIONS
- Begin by boiling a pot of water. Chop the onions, ginger and garlic. Set aside.
- Using a coffee grinder, blend the spices – cumin seeds, cardamom pods, cloves, cinnamon stick and peppercorns.
- Now set aside the spices you blended above along with turmeric powder, chili powder, and coriander powder.
- Start by heating up a large pan. Once hot, add olive oil, followed by a large black cardamom and bay leaf. Saute for 30 seconds or so.
- Add the onions and saute for 3 minutes until translucent. Do NOT brown the onions.
- Also add the ginger and garlic. Season with salt. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add the spices along with a 1/4 cup of water. We’re adding the water so the spices don’t burn. Saute for 1 minute.
- Now add the crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce. Season with salt. Stir well. Cover with a lid. Cook the tomatoes down for 8 minutes and reduce heat to low-medium.
- While the tomatoes cook down, chop 1/2 a green bell pepper.
- Add the pasta to salted boiling water. Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box until al dente.
- Once the tomatoes are cooked, add the green pepper and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the heavy cream, garam masala, and dry fenugreek leaves. Stir.
- Here’s your creamy tikka masala sauce. Check for salt, add more if need be.
- Using a spider strainer, add the cooked pasta to the tikka masala sauce. By adding the pasta this way, you are also adding starchy pasta water which helps bind the sauce to the pasta. If you choose to drain the pasta, make sure you add about 1/4 cup of reserved pasta water to the sauce.
- Garnish with chopped cilantro leaves.
- Serve immediately. Don’t wait, it tastes best when hot.
Nisha, your recipes are amazing! They are enjoyable to eat, and just as enjoyable to make! I have made this recipe twice already, the 1st time as is, and it was a huge hit with my husband and his friends. The 2nd time I made it I put my own spin on it, and substituted the cream with a bechamel cheese sauce and it was perfection! Thank you so much for sharing your recipes with us, and bringing us the best of both cultures! Looking forward to trying more recipes in the future
Flavors are on point! Loved this dish.. and so easy to make!
Ahhh.. so happy to hear that Nitya. xoxo
Thank you for coming up with this delicious recipe! I have sent a link to this recipe to my friends and few of them tried making it and they loved it too!
OMG.. i’m so happy to hear that Dr. Henal. I really appreciate it. So glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
I made this yesterday and it was amazing! Thank you for the recipe. You can add more chili powder if you want it to be spicy. I added more bellpeppers and onions and it was great. I recommend this to anyone!
Thanks Kubu. That makes me so happy to hear. xoxo
This recipe was a hit at our house. Turned out super delicious. Thank you for sharing!
So glad to hear. It definitely hits the spot. xoxo
I tried making this Pasta dish last night and it was so easy to follow and turned out amazing! Hubby and kids loved it! Please keep making easy to follow recipes!
I’m so glad to hear that Sonel. Yes.. that’s the goal. 🙂
This dish is OUTSTANDING! It is healthyish / indianish and super unique. The directions were easy to follow. I ran out of cloves and skipped it and it still tasted great. I made it the night before a get together and before serving, warmed up a touch more cream and tomato sauce and added it to the pasta just to get the saucy / creamy texture at best before serving.
A TOTAL CROWD PLEASER
Aasheekaa – this makes me so happy to hear. Thank you so much! Yes, it’s okay if you didn’t have cloves. It’s definitely a dish for a crowd as it’s quite heavy. xoxo
Love love love this recipe! Used chickpea pasta for a healthier option and coconut milk to make this vegan. Came out excellent! Taste lingers in your mouth a bit and the spice is perfect and makes you want more with each bite. Will be making this again especially the sauce with tofu to make tikka masala. Thanks Nisha!
I’m so glad to hear that Nisha. Yes, coconut milk would be a healthier option for sure. That’s so awesome. Glad it worked with chickpea pasta. Works well with whole wheat too, but then it’s not gluten-free. xoxo
The perfect indian twist to our very own comfort food Italian pasta, definitely should be given a try…I personally lived the recipe.❤️
Yes it sure is. Pasta and Indian flavors in one. Thanks so much. xoxo
This pasta recipe was amazing! My husband and mother in law loved it! Can’t wait to make it again for my family!
Thanks so much Ashima. Means a lot to me. 🙂
Loved this dish! So creative and fun!
Thank you so much Priya. I’m glad you liked it. 🙂
Great recipe! It was easy to follow and it turned out great!
Hi Kirti. Thank you so much for your feedback. Greatly appreciate it. xoxo
Hi Nisha,
This Tikka Masala Pasta was absolutely crowd pleaser from kids to adults…delish?
I was out of my tomato sauce so sub that for RAO spicy sauce. Thank you for this pretty simple and easy recipe!!
Hi Rimple. Sounds so good. I love Rao’s – good choice of pasta sauce. It’s what I always recommend to my followers. It’s a simple recipe, lots of spices, but we have most of the stuff at home. Thanks for sharing! xoxo
Pasta tikka masala instead of paneer tikka masala! Omg it’s b o m b d o t c o m! My husband loved it and I couldn’t stop licking the container after we finished the pasta! So so good. My favorite part is that the gravy is so versatile and I can use for paneer as well. Absolutely loved it. Thanks for demystifying tikka masala.
Thank you Prerna. It’s really good, I know. I had to stop myself from eating more. The gravy can easily be used for paneer. Yes! It always seemed like a tasty mystery, right? So glad you guys enjoyed it. xoxo
This pasta looks delicious but I am trying to go dairy free. Is there a good substitute for heavy cream?
Hi. Option 1 – I would use Chaokoh Coconut Milk – it’s thick and creamy. Option 2 is using a cashew cream sauce – 1/2 cup soaked cashews, 1 cup water. Blend, check the consistency. See if you need more cashews or water. Also, I would try a little bit in the sauce to see how it tastes. Hope that helps. let me know how it goes. 🙂
Loved this recipe. Easy to make and family’s favorite already. This is something I will be making more of now
Thanks Panny, I’m so glad you hear that. Really appreciate it. xoxo
This was such a creative idea! I actually decided to make it last night because it looked SO GOOD on ur story. It was delishhhhhhhh
Thanks Sanya. I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing. xoxo
Wow this was my family’s favorite dish I made for them this year! Love that you mixed indian with italian. Can’t wait to make it again for them. The spice level was perfect too. Thanks.
Thanks Kiran. That means so much to me. I’m so glad your family enjoyed it. xoxo.
This looks soooooooo delicious!!! I want to try to make this one day!!
Thanks Mari. Do share when you’ve tried it. Would love your thoughts. 🙂
i watched you make this on stories. Wow! Thank you so much for posting this sooner. It looks incredible. Making it this weekend.
Thanks Neha. I can’t wait to see what you think. Let me know. 🙂
Hi Nisha
Tried ur tikka masala pasta today..n it was Amazing.. packed with flavors..i don’t think we’ll make pasta in another way now …
Kids enjoyed it too..
Thank you for the recipe.