Pasta Salad is a great side dish that goes well with almost any kind of meal, and I love the fact that you can make it hot or cold, to suit the rest of your menu. Last week when I went to Walmart, I picked up a couple packs of Hamburger Helper® – one of them I used to make my Penne Pasta last night, and today it was time to put the Cheesy Macaroni to good use. I am planning to host a bbq for Father’s Day and I am charting out my menu for next week. For a side salad, I wanted to create a pasta recipe, but not the run-of-the-mill kinds! So I decided to try a zesty Tandoori version that would be perfect with the rest of the bbq food, and would also be really easy to make, thanks to Hamburger Helper®.
For those of you who are not that familiar with Indian spices, let me introduce you to the Tandoori Masala. It is a blend of Indian spices that is hot and tangy, and gives a beautiful orange hue to whatever you mix it in. A famous recipe featuring this is of course, the Paneer Tikka Masala, or even the BBQ Paneer Tikka. You can easily find this spice blend in an Indian Grocery store, along with all the other spice blends.
For the recipe, I started with a packet of Hamburger Helper® Cheese Macaroni, which contains a pack of macaroni pasta, and a sauce mix. I made the sauce as directed on the package. Once it starts thickening up, add a heaping tablespoon of the Tandoori Masala and let it boil. This is when it starts taking on a beautiful deep orange color, as shown below.
In another pan, I drizzled some olive oil, and added a handful of chopped veggies – some carrots, peas, and scallions, and gave them a quick stir to soften them up. Then cover it with a lid and let them cook for a while. Set them aside, and use the same pan to cook your pasta. It should be done in 7-8 minutes.
Finally, add the pasta to the sauce, mix in the veggies, and give it all a stir! Remove from heat, let it cool down a bit, then pour it into a service dish or bowl. I added a few dollops of Ranch as garnish, and also because my daughter loves Ranch:) This is one of the quickest and delicious ways of enjoying Mac & Cheese with a fulfilling flavor twist. It looks so very sophisticated that it is sure to earn you some compliments. Thank you Hamburger Helper®, for helping me serve a gourmet-style dish in less than 15 minutes!
- 1 box of Hamburger Helper® Cheese Macaroni
- 1 tbsp Tandoori Masala (available in Indian/Asian grocery stores)
- 1 cup frozen peas & carrots, chopped
- salt and pepper - to taste
- Cook the macaroni per packaged instructions, with enough water and a pinch of salt. Keep them al dente if you like, we prefer a bit over-cooked pasta in our home.
- Cook the sauce using the mix and add the Tandoori masala to it. Boil until nice and thick.
- In another pan, I drizzled some olive oil, and added a handful of chopped veggies - some carrots, peas, and scallions, and gave them a quick stir to soften them up. Then cover it with a lid and let them cook for a while.
- Finally, add the pasta to the sauce, mix in the veggies, and give it all a stir! Remove from heat, let it cool down a bit, then pour it into a service dish or bowl.
- Check for salt and pepper, and add more if needed. Serve warm.
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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Hamburger Helper® . The opinions and text are all mine.
