Spicy Elbow Macaroni with vegetables is a delicious and favorite dish in whole world. Macaroni is mostly liked by younger generation. I always try to feed healthy foods to my kids. I never like to feed them only macaroni.  Macaroni belongs to refined white flour which may cause many health problems if it is used on regular besis. I add vegetables and meat or one of them in macaroni. In this way, they eat vegetables otherwise they don’t like only vegetables. So, I suggest for you too, to follow this rule while cooking macaroni. I try to use this trick with noodles etc.

Ingredients for Recipe of Elbow Macaroni with vegetables:

Elbow Macaroni 1 packet of 500g

Salt 3 tablespoons or according to your taste

Oil 1 tablespoon

Water to boil Macaroni

Vegetable ingredients:

Onion 1 large size chopped

Tomato 2 medium size chopped

Ginger paste or chopped 1 teaspoon

Carrot chopped 2 cup

Peas 1 cup

Capsicum chopped 1 cup

Cabbage 300g or 3 cups chopped

Optional ingredients:

Chicken boneless boiled 2 cup

Potatoes 2 cups chopped

You may use your favorite vegetable which you like.

Seasonings

Salt 1 tablespoons around

Black pepper 1 to 2 tablespoons or red chili 1 tablespoon

Oregano 1 teaspoon

Lemon juice 1 tablespoon

I don’t add any sauce, mayonnaise, or ketchup in macaroni. You can add these according to your taste.

You can also change the portions of vegetable according to the demand and availability.

Direction to Spicy Elbow Macaroni with vegetables:

Step 1

How to Boil Macaroni?

Take a wide pan. Add 3 to 4 time water according to the ratio of dry macaroni. Start to boil. Add around 3 tablespoons of salt and  add macaroni. Boil it to tender while stirring with spoon.

When macaroni is tender enough then strain the water and wash macaroni with cool water 2 to 3 times. It will help macaroni not to be sticky. Place it in strainer and prepare other ingredients.

Step 2

How to cut vegetables for macaroni?

Now take all vegetables in a basket. Wash cabbage, carrot, potatoes, tomato, ginger etc. Peel off potatoes, onion, carrot, and surface layer of cabbage. Peel of peas and wash them. I wash again potatoes.

Take a cutting board and a sharp knife. Decide the shape of vegetable and cut all them in a same size.

Step 3

Which vegetables need to boil and which to fry?

Now it’s your choice to boil all vegetables or frying. I boil peas, carrot and if I add chicken I boil it. I sauté other ingredients and steam to tender.

Take a saucepan, add peas and boil to tender. You can add some salt and dry herbs for good aroma.

If you want to add chicken you can boil it in peas  remaining water.

Boil carrot in same water.

Strain all vegetables.

Step 4

Cooking period:

Take a big saucepan. Add oil and heat it. Add onions and saute until it get light brown color. Add potatoes and fry on high heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Then transfer on medium heat. Then add ginger paste some salt and some black pepper. Add chopped cabbage and saute for 5 minutes. Add chopped tomato and diced capsicum and fry on medium to low heat. Add some water if needed. I add soup of boiled ingredients. When it tenders, add all boiled vegetables and boiled diced chicken. Add seasonings according to your taste. Add lemon juice too here. Mix well. Steam for 5 to 10 minutes on low heat with close lid. Open when to serve.

How I save time while cooking Macaroni with Vegetables?

Whenever I have to cook this dish, my main focus happens to save time as much as I can. So I follow this trick, when I start to boil Macaroni I start to wash and cutting vegetables one by one. If one vegetable is peeled or cut I add it in boiling water. I use both sides of stove . When macaroni is boiled I start the cooking process. In this way, I save time and cook this macaroni dish in an hour.

FAQ

What is the difference between macaroni and pasta?

Macaroni is made from fine wheat flour. It is type of dry pasta. You have to boil it before use. It is usually curve shaped and has short length. Pasta is made up with flour and eggs. It has more length than macaroni. It is has two types fresh and dry pasta.  Macaroni is a type of dry pasta. It is found in many shapes.

Why boiled macaroni is washed with cold water?

Ist task of using cold water is to stop heat to macaroni which will stop cooking.

Second benefit is that it will wash the soft starch of macaroni which will help to your macaroni not to be sticky.