Miso Pasta
What the heck is miso!? GREAT QUESTION! Miso is a traditional Japanese seasoning produced by fermenting soybeans. It’s salty and fragrant, and lends its flavors so nicely to a light pasta sauce. This miso pasta is salty and light, and the whole family will love it! Don’t let the miso scare you! You can easily make your favorite protein for this pasta as well. Shrimp or beef would both be a fantastic addition to this easy pasta.
Why you’ll love these miso noodles
- The flavors are simple. You may not be familiar with miso, but it’s salty and light, and it’s something even your kids will love!
- This pasta can be thrown together in under 30 minutes!
- Miso pasta is a nice, light base. It’s naturally vegetarian, and garnishes of your choice make this dish extra unique and flavorful.
Here’s what you’ll need to make it
- Sauce Pan
- Frying Pan
- Knife
- Cutting board
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Spatula
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Ingredients & substitutions
- Pasta of choice – I used mezzi paccheri, because it’s a nice mouthful!
- Butter – Use unsalted, as miso is quite salty.
- Shallot – You can sub a small onion as well.
- Garlic – Use fresh!
- White miso – White miso is more mild than red miso, but you can us
- Black pepper
- Pasta water – Pasta water has starch in it from the pasta. It helps thicken the sauce.
- Parmesan grated, for garnish
- Chives for garnish. Chives are one of the easiest things to grow. Great for a garnish on just about anything, and you plant them once and they come back every year!
- Red pepper flakes for garnish
How to make this miso pasta recipe
Step 1. Add water to a pot and salt like the ocean. Once boiling add pasta. Boil to al dente. Set aside about 1 and 1/4 cup pasta water.
Step 2. While the pasta cooks, chop your garlic and shallot
Step 3. To a pan over medium heat, melt butter. Once the butter is melted, add the shallot and garlic. Cook a few minutes until fragrant.
Step 4. Add the miso and stir in.
Step 5. Pour 1 cup of pasta water in the sauce, stir. Add pepper. Stir until well mixed.
Step 6. Add noodles to sauce and stir.
Step 7. Plate and garnish with grated Parmesan, chopped chives and red pepper flakes.
FAQs about miso pasta recipes
Savory is usually the word used to describe the flavor of miso. Different types of miso paste vary in intensity, but in general, you can compare the flavor of miso paste to a rich soy sauce. It’s salty and concentrated with fermented hints of tanginess.
Pair white miso with chicken, roasted vegetables, or a white fish like cod; you can also use it in marinades, salad dressing, or miso butter. Aka (red) miso is a dark, rich miso made with a higher proportion of soybeans to rice koji.
Miso paste is a fermented soy bean paste that’s used a lot in Japanese cooking. It’s made by fermenting steamed soy beans with salt, grains (usually rice or barley) and koji, a type of fungus.
More meatless recipes:
Miso Pasta
Equipment
- 1 Sauce Pan
- 1 Frying Pan
- 1 Knife
- 1 Cutting board
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- 1 Spatula
Ingredients
- 12 oz pasta of choice
- 4 Tbsp butter
- 1 shallot
- 1 tbsp garlic
- 1/4 cup white miso
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 cup pasta water
- Parmesan grated, for garnish
- chives for garnish
- red pepper flakes for garnish
Instructions
- Add water to a pot and salt like the ocean. Once boiling add pasta. Boil to al dente. Set aside about 1 and 1/4 cup pasta water.
- While the pasta cooks, chop your garlic and shallot
- To a pan over medium heat, melt butter. Once the butter is melted, add the shallot and garlic. Cook a few minutes until fragrant.
- Add the miso and stir in.
- Pour 1 cup of pasta water in the sauce, stir. Add pepper. Stir until well mixed.
- Add noodles to sauce and stir.
- Plate and garnish with grated Parmesan, chopped chives and red pepper flakes.
