Microwave Pasta is one of the easiest mug recipes. It is a one-pot pasta dish that takes less than 10 minutes in a microwave.
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
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You don’t need a full-fledged kitchen or a pro-level cooking experience.
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Microwave Mug Pasta
Skip the stovetop and make pasta in a microwave!
Microwave Mug Pasta is one of my favourite one-pot recipes for busy weekdays. You don’t have to bother about boiling pasta separately on a stovetop or preparing the sauce. All you have to do is dump it all in a mug and hit the microwave button.
And trust me it tastes delicious and so much better than the packaged instant pasta with a preservative-loaded tastemaker.
Recipe Highlight
- highly customizable
- delicious and fulfilling
- takes less than 10 minutes
- minimum effort, maximum flavour
- perfect dish for Airbnb stay or college dorm rooms
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Pasta: Use small, bite-size pasta like shell, elbow, or macaroni.
- Cheese: You can add cheese of your choice to this microwave pasta. I love the combination of mozzarella and parmesan.
- Pasta Sauce: From marinara, arrabbiata, and Picante, to Bolognese, pick a good quality, flavoursome pasta sauce.
- Cherry Tomato: You can add green peas, sweet corn, sun-dried tomato, or any other easy-to-cook vegetable to this mug pasta.
- Herbs: Fresh Italian Basil, Chives, Parsley, they all taste great.
- Other Ingredients: Milk, Garlic, Olive Oil, Salt, Pepper, Italian Herbs (Oregano, Chilli Flakes, Thyme), Olive, Water
- Equipment: A microwave-safe, large-size coffee mug and of course the microwave.
How To Make Mug Pasta
Step 1) Add pasta, water, garlic, salt, and olive to a mug. Stir to combine (image 1). Microwave at full power for 5 minutes. Stir after 2 ½ minutes to avoid lump formation (image 2).
Step 2) Once pasta is cooked, add tomato sauce, cherry tomato, milk, seasoning, and cheese, and stir to combine to coat each piece of pasta with sauce (images 4 & 5).
Step 3) Microwave once again for 2 minutes. By now cheese will melt, the sauce is thick and creamy, and the pasta is ready to eat.
Garnish with olives and fresh herbs.
My Tried and True Tips
- DO NOT USE big-size pasta like penne, farfalle, or spaghetti for this pasta recipe. The smaller, bite-size pasta cooks quickly and easily in a microwave.
- The cooking time of pasta may vary from 5 – 8 minutes depending upon the quality and quantity. For 1 Cup of durum wheat semolina pasta, it takes 8 minutes on high power for a perfectly al-dente texture. Make sure to stir the pasta halfway through the cooking time.
- DO NOT OVERFILL your mug. As pasta shells need room for expansion while boiling in water. Also, overfilling might lead to liquid spillage all over the microwave glass tray.
- Follow the microwave pasta recipe measurements otherwise, you might end up with a big bowl of uncooked or overcooked mess.
- Be careful when handling the mug loaded with pasta. Allow time to let the pasta/mug cool down a bit or use mittens to handle the mug.
- DO NOT USE Bambino Macaroni or other light-quality pasta for cooking in a microwave. They get mushy, sticky, and break apart.
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Microwave Pasta Recipe
- Coffee Mug
- Microwave
Ingredients
- 1 Cup elbow pasta, uncooked
- 1 Cup water
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ½ tablespoon garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ Cup milk
- 2 tablespoon tomato pasta sauce (see recipe)
- ¼ Cup cherry tomato, cut into halves
- 1 tablespoon shredded mozzarella or pizza cheese
- ½ tablespoon grated parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon Italian herbs (oregano, thyme, sage etc)
- 1 teaspoon green onion or chives, chopped
- 1 tablespoon black olives, sliced
Instructions
- Add pasta, water, garlic, salt, and olive to a mug. Stir to combine. Place the mug inside the microwave. Close the door of the microwave. Set the microwave button for 5 minutes at full power. Stir the pasta after 2 ½ minutes to avoid lump formation. And cook once again for the remaining 2 ½ minutes.
- Once pasta is cooked or al-dente, add tomato sauce, cherry tomato, milk, seasoning, and cheese. Stir to combine to coat each piece of pasta with sauce. Taste and add more seasoning if required.
- Microwave the pasta once again for 2 minutes. By now cheese will be nicely melted, the sauce thickens, and the pasta is ready to eat. Garnish with olives and fresh herbs.
- Microwave Pasta is ready to serve!
Recipe Notes:
- The cooking time of pasta may vary from 5 – 8 minutes depending upon the quality and quantity. For 1 Cup of durum wheat semolina pasta, it takes 8 minutes on high power for a perfectly al-dente texture. So I would recommend checking your pasta after 2 ½ minutes.
- DO NOT USE Bambino Macaroni or other light-quality pasta for cooking in a microwave. They get mushy, sticky, and break apart.
- Store the leftover pasta in the mug covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator. It will last about 3 – 4 days in the fridge, although it is best consumed immediately. Add a splash of water or milk while reheating in a microwave.
- Be careful while handling the hot mug. The microwave heat makes the glass object very hot to touch or handle.
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