To make Tiranga Pasta, start with making the white sauce first and at the same time, roasting the tomatoes for the red sauce.

Heat the olive oil and add the crushed garlic, deseeded dry red chillies and the mixed herbs. Mix well and set aside.

Halve the tomatoes and the onion and place them on a greased baking tray with the cut side facing upwards. Drizzle the infused olive oil along with the garlic and chillies on them.

Sprinkle some sea salt and bake in a preheated oven for about 30 minutes at 220° C.

In the meantime, to make the white sauce, heat a saucepan and add oil and butter to it. When it heats up add the whole wheat flour and saute. Whisk well so that there are no lumps.

Add the milk, very little at a time and keep whisking to smoothen out any lumps.

Add the mixed herbs, pepper powder, and salt to taste. When the sauce thickens out a bit, switch off the flame and set aside. It might yield approximately 1 1/2 cups sauce.

Next, to make the green spinach sauce, blanch the spinach for two minutes in hot water and then immerse in ice cold water. Drain and set aside.

Blanch almonds in a similar manner and peel them. Grind them together with the blanched spinach to get a smooth paste. It will yield approximately 3/4 cup paste. Set aside till further use.

When the tomatoes are roasted, cool and grind them to get a smooth paste along with the sugar and salt to taste. Set aside till further use.

Now for the final step of making the Tiranga Pasta, start with boiling the pasta.

Heat water for cooking the pasta and add salt and oil to it. When it comes to a rolling boil, add the pasta and stir.

Boil till the pasta is al-dente. Reserve about 2 cups of the pasta water and drain the pasta. Rinse the pasta with normal water and set aside in a sieve.

To make the red pasta, heat a saucepan and add oil and butter to it. Add the minced onion and diced red bell pepper and saute for about five minutes.

Add the slow roasted tomato sauce, mixed herbs, pepper powder and mix. Add in the white sauce and mix well.

Add boiled pasta, salt to taste and mix. If required add some reserved pasta water to dilute it a bit.

To make the green pasta, heat another saucepan and add the oil and butter to it. Add the finely minced garlic and saute for about half a minute.

Add the diced onion, green bell pepper and broccoli florets and saute on high heat stirring constantly. After about 4-5 minutes add the zucchini and saute further for a few minutes.

Add the the spinach puree, mixed herbs, pepper powder and mix. Add in the white sauce, boiled pasta and salt to taste. Mix and add some reserved pasta water if required to dilute the mixture.

To make the white sauce pasta, heat another saucepan and add the oil and butter to it. When it heats up add diced onions and mushrooms and saute on high heat. Saute till all the water released by the mushrooms evaporates.

Add the diced tofu and some salt and pepper and saute for a minute or two.

Add the white sauce, mixed herbs, pepper powder and mix. Check seasoning and adjust. If required, add the reserved pasta water to dilute it a bit.

Serve this delicious and healthy combination of Tiranga Pasta on Independence or Republic Day to family and friends.

Or serve it on any other other occasion for a delicious meal!

Note : The slow roasted tomato garlic sauce and the white sauce can be prepared a day in advance and store in the refrigerator to be used later. This helps in considerable reduction in the overall preparation time and can ease the pressure a bit if cooking in large quantity for a party!