How to make Macaroni Recipe

 A) cooking macaroni

1. In a pan, heat 3 cups water and ½ teaspoon salt. Bring it to a boil

2. Add 1 heaped cup of macaroni or elbow macaroni (125 grams elbow macaroni)

3. Stir with a fork

4. Begin to cook macaroni on medium to medium-high heat

5. Cook macaroni till they are al dente – meaning they should have a slight bite to them

6. Drain all the water and keep cooked macaroni aside.

Cooking vegetables

7. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a pan. Lower the heat. Add ½ teaspoon minced garlic or finely chopped garlic or 3 to 4 small garlic cloves, mincedd or finely chopped. You can also add ½ teaspoon ginger-garlic paste instead

8. Sauté till the garlic is light brown or till its raw aroma goes away

9. Next add ⅓ cup finely chopped onions (about 1 medium sized onion, finely chopped).

10. Stir and mix well. Begin to sauté onions on a medium-low heat stirring often.

11. Saute till the onions become translucent

12. Then add 1 cup of tightly packed finely chopped tomatoes.

13. Mix well.

14. Cover the pan with a lid. In between do check when cooking tomatoes

15. Cook tomatoes on a low to medium-low heat till they soften and become pulpy

16. Now add all the spice powders one by one:

¼ teaspoon black pepper powder

¼ teaspoon turmeric powder (ground turmeric)

¼ teaspoon garam masala powder

½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder or paprika

½ teaspoon coriander powder (ground coriander)

½ teaspoon cumin powder (ground cumin

17. Mix and sauté the spice powders for some seconds till you get a nice aroma from the spice powders

18. Now add 1.25 to 1.5 cups of mix vegetables. Also add ¼ cup green peas.

You can add vegetables like carrots, green beans, cauliflower, capsicum, baby corn, broccoli, potatoes etc. Add veggies of your choice. I added baby corn, carrots, green beans, potatoes, capsicum and green peas

19. Season with salt as per taste

20. Mix very well

21. Pour 1 cup of water.

22. Mix again.

23. Cover the pan with its lid.

24. On a medium-low to medium heat simmer till the vegetables are cooked. In between do check and if the water has become less you can add some more water.

25. Once the vegetables are cooked and tender, add the cooked macaroni. Some gravy or curry or sauce will be there when you add the pasta.

26. Mix well

27. On a low to medium-low heat simmer for a few more minutes till all the water is absorbed. Stir at intervals.

28. Lastly add 1 teaspoon of mixed dry herbs – basil, thyme, oregano, parsley. You can add dried herbs of your choice or Italian herbs or Italian seasoning or even fresh herbs.

29. Mix again. Check the seasonings and add more salt or herbs if required

30. Serve macaroni pasta hot or warm. You can top it with some grated cheddar or vegetarian parmesan cheese or cream before serving.

Garnish the pasta with some finely chopped coriander leaves or parsley or any fresh herb of your choice before serving. You can even sprinkle some chili flakes on macaroni pasta before eating.