Makaroni (Persian Spaghetti)

Makaroni is a Persian Spaghetti made using a bolognese style sauce, layered with pasta then cooked to create a crispy bottom called tahdig

Course: Mains, Pasta

Cuisine: Italian, Persian

Prep Time15

Cook Time55

Vegan Bolognese1 15

Total Time2 25

Chop mushrooms, carrots, celery, onion and garlic all into small cubes
Heat olive oil in a large pan or pot and add all the mushrooms. Saute over a high heat and once browned, season with salt and pepper and remove mushrooms from the pan
In the same pan, add a tablespoon of olive oil, onions, celery and carrots
Season with salt and pepper and sauté for 5 minutes until the onions are translucent
Add the garlic along with turmeric powder and sauté for a few minutes
Then add the tomato paste and make sure to fry this down for a few minutes with the vegetables
Add the passata and 2 cups of water, season with salt and pepper
At this time, add ½ a teaspoon of Persian spice mix called Advieh (information on ingredients above on blog)
Another alternative is to add ¼ a teaspoon each of cinnamon and nutmeg.
Add oregano and mushrooms and allow the sauce to simmer for 45 minutes on a low- medium heat for the flavours to develop
Once the sauce has been simmering, add ½ a cup of cooked or canned lentils. If the sauce is too thick, you can add more water if necessary. Allow to cook for 15 minutes
More info on how to make Vegan Bolognese

Boil a pot of heavily salted water. Break spaghetti in half (yes you read right! hehe) and add to the pot
Once pasta is cooked, drain in a colander and rinse under water (it feels criminal I know hehe)

Add a generaous amount of olive oil to the bottom of the same pot used for the pasta and ¼ teaspoon of ground saffron powder (optional) mix into the oil which should be warm from the pot
Add a layer of cooked pasta (approximately ⅓ of the pasta) to the bottom of the pot and press down slightly so it’s an even layer
Spoon 2-3 ladles of the bolognese sauce over the pasta then top with another layer of cooked pasta. Continue the same steps until there is no more pasta left, then finish with the top layer being the bolognese sauce
Wrap the lid of the pot with a clean tea towel, and close the lid as usual. Allow pasta to cook on low heat for 45 minutes
Increase the heat to medium to high at the end for an extra 5 minutes then gently flip the pot upside down on a large platter. This can be done by placing the platter on the top of the pot and flipping it upside down
Cut out pieces of the Tahdig (crispy base) to share evenly, serve and enjoy your Makaroni!

⭐️ Final Step! Would love if you left a rating and comment to let me know how it went. Your feedback helps inspire others and means alot ❤️