The BEST Tandoori Sauce Pasta

This mind-blowing tandoori pasta is a recipe you simple need to try out Made in under 30 minutes, SO hearty, tasty & feels like a hug in a bowl.

Let's start with a quick disclaimer. This is not exactly an authentic dish. It's simply a fun recipe I’ve been making for YEARS and has always been SUCH a hit with our friends and family. 

Jump to:

• 💌 Why I Love This Recipe
• 🌱 Ingredients
• ⏲️ Steps
• 💡 Top Tips
• 🌶 Substitutions
• 👩‍🍳 Equipment
• 📦 Storage
• 🔥 Food safety
• 🍝 More Pasta
• 🍴Recipe

💌 Why I Love This Recipe

• Made in 30 minutes
• A crowd-pleaser
• SUPER easy
• Ideal comfort food
• Serve with any veggies or sides
• No ready-made sauces

It also happens to be vegan AND gluten-free!

🌱 Ingredients

Here are the ingredients you'll need for this simple tandoori pasta.

Hint - don't get scared! I know it can seem like a lot of ingredients but most of these are cupboard staples.

Ingredients Details

• Olive oil can be substituted for sunflower, coconut, rapeseed, hemp etc. oil
• Spring onions can be replaced with more brown/white onion
• Garlic can be adjusted to taste - I like a stronger garlic flavour so keep that in mind when making the sauce.
• Pasta - I used wholewheat fusilli pasta. Any medium-shaped pasta will work! use gluten-free pasta for a GF version.
• Cream / yoghurt- can be stirred in at the end if desired. I like to use soy cream or coconut yoghurt.
• Maple syrup can be replaced with a similar liquid sweetener or brown sugar.
• Diced (chopped) tomatoes from a can. They're super affordable and available all year round.

For seasoning, I used cardamom, paprika, cumin, turmeric, garam masala, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, salt & pepper to taste.

Don't worry if you don't have some of these, the recipe will still work - see the Substitutions section below!

⏲️ Steps

The cooking process is SO simple!

• Gently sauté onions for 5 minutes. 
• Add garlic and ginger. Sauté for 1 minute. Then add all the seasoning and toast for 1 minute.
• Add tomatoes and water to the pan. Simmer gently for 10 minutes.
• In the meantime, cook your pasta according to package instructions. When the pasta is cooked, reserve ½ cup of water and drain the rest. Add the cooked pasta along with the reserved water to the pan. Finally, add lemon juice, maple syrup, salt & black pepper to taste. 

Stir well and serve with optional yoghurt or cream. Garnish with fresh cilantro / coriander and chilli flakes (optional).

Hint: If you find the sauce is too dry, simply add a splash of water (or more) until you're happy with the consistency.

💡 Top Tips

• Always taste test before serving.

You can then adjust the flavours & seasoning to taste.

For example, if you enjoy spicy food you may want to add in more cayenne pepper or chilli flakes.

It's also a good idea to adjust the salt levels to your taste.

• Don't overcook the pasta

When cooking the pasta, aim for 'al dente' consistency.

This is the optional pasta texture. The pasta is tender, but remains chewy, with a sturdy shape.

If you're unsure, it's safer to cook it for slightly shorter rather than too long. Once you toss the pasta in the pan of sauce, it will become even softer.

• Extra protein & toppings

An easy way to add more protein to this recipe is to use soybean, lentil or chickpea pasta.

I also encourage you to serve it with more veggies. I like to add steamed broccoli, bell peppers, or some smoked tofu on the side.

Extra tip - Prefer a smooth sauce? Use an immersion blender to blend it until completely smooth.

🌶 Substitutions

Seasoning - if you're missing any of the spices, here are some good alternatives:

• curry powder
• ground coriander
• coriander seeds
• ground ginger
• ginger powder
• onion powder

Oil-free: Simply replace the oil with water one tablespoon at a time. Add more water to prevent the veggies from sticking to the pan if required.

👩‍🍳 Equipment

This is all the equipment you'll need:

• Measuring cups or scales - to measure you ingredients
• Knife & chopping board - to prepare your veggies
• 1 large frying pan - to cook the sauce
• 1 pan - to cook the pasta
• 1 spatula - to stir the sauce

📦 Storage

Simply let your delicious pasta cool down to room temperature.

Then pop it in an airtight container and store it in the fridge. It should stay good for 3-4 days.

Remember to heat it up properly before serving again.

🔥 Food safety

• Don't leave your pans unattended.
• Always serve your pasta dish piping hot.
• Don't let the food stand out at room temperature for long periods of time.
• Store it in an airtight container in the fridge instead.

🍝 More Pasta

If you're a lover of healthy comfort food, you've come to the right place. You might enjoy my

• Cavolo Nero Pasta
• Roasted Red Pepper Pasta
• Pepper & Basil Orzo
• Vegan Pesto Pasta

Got any questions? Just leave a comment below and I'll be happy to help you out!

Made this tandoori pasta? If you made this recipe it would mean a LOT to me if you could leave a comment & star rating below - seeing your comments always makes my day!

🍴Recipe