I love this spicy miso pasta! It brings together the nutty, salty taste of miso with a kick of heat from Sriracha to create an ultra creamy sauce full of umami flavor.
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If you can't tell by my popular vegan pad Thai recipe or my rigatoni arrabbiata, I love to "veganize" pasta and noodle recipes with a certain culinary pedigree!
You may have heard of Chrissy Teigen's spicy miso pasta recipe, which rose to internet fame. This recipe was inspired by her delicious recipe, but naturally, my recipe is vegan.
But, just because this miso pasta is vegan, doesn't mean it's any less creamy or decadent. In fact, you can get all the lush creaminess of the traditional carbonara sauce in Chrissy Teigen's recipe, without cream, eggs or cheese.
Reasons You'll Love This Recipe
💚This creamy miso pasta comes together in under 30 minutes - With a short ingredient list and quick cook time, you can have this flavorful dish on the table in under half an hour. Perfect for busy weeknights.
💚The miso paste, garlic chili sauce, and maple syrup come together to c create a complex sweet heat flavor that's so yummy.
💚The sauce coating is irresistible. Starchy pasta water helps the sauce cling to each noodle for a luscious, flavorful finish.
🛒Ingredients In Spicy Miso Pasta Sauce
- Tahini: Tahini, not to be confused with tahini sauce, is a paste made from ground sesame seeds. Not all tahini is created equal, and choosing a quality brand will make all the difference to this recipe (and any other recipe you use it in). Tahini is a key ingredient in hummus, which is how most people are acquainted with its deep, rich taste.
- Miso Paste: Miso paste features heavily in Japanese recipes. It's essentially a fermented paste made from soybeans and rice or barley. You can use white miso or red miso paste in this recipe. Both will work.
- Garlic Chili Sauce: I use the ubiquitous Sriracha sauce in my recipe, but equally you could use sambal oelek if you add a bit of fresh garlic to the miso sauce yourself.
- Soy Sauce: Chrissy Teigen uses pancetta in her spicy miso pasta recipe, but of course, we're going vegan here, so the salty umami flavor of bacon is replaced with soy sauce. You can also use tamari. Paired with a gluten free pasta, tamari will make this recipe gluten free.
- Maple Syrup: The sweetness of maple syrup balances out the earthiness of tahini and miso. This article covers why maple syrup is suitable for vegans, if you're interested.
- Rice Wine Vinegar: Rice wine vinegar adds a little background "twang" that really levels up all the other flavors.
- Garlic: We'll be using a few cloves of garlic as a base to the sauce.
- Butter: One tablespoon of vegan butter is all you'll need. You could also use olive oil.
👨🍳How To Make Spicy Miso Pasta
- Step 1 - Cook The Pasta: Boil the pasta in a large pot of salted water according to the package instructions. Cook until it's al dente. I find that this usually takes 8-9 minutes. Reserve ½ cup of the water you boiled your pasta in just before you drain it. At this point the water will have had time to absorb the starch from the pasta that will thicken your sauce.
- Step 2 - Make The Sauce: In a small bowl, mix together all your sauce ingredients. Add the reserved ½ cup of water and stir until the sauce thickens. Set aside.
- Step 3 - Heat The Sauce: Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute for one minute. Pour the reserved pasta sauce into the pan and simmer for two minutes.
- Step 4 - Add The Pasta: Now, add the cooked pasta to the pan, and stir until it's evenly coated in the sauce. Season with salt and black pepper.
- Tuck in and enjoy!
Top Tip
When draining the pasta, be sure to save 1⁄2 cup of the starchy cooking water. This pasta water helps create an emulsified sauce that coats each strand. The starches in the water bind with the fats and seasonings to make a smooth, luscious coating for the noodles. If the sauce seems too thick after mixing, add more pasta water 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency.
🍽️Serving Suggestions
- Crispy tofu - Marinated tofu, sliced and served the pasta amps up the protein of spicy miso pasta.
- Sesame Asian vegetables - Quick sautéed broccoli, carrots, snap peas, water chestnuts, and red bell peppers tossed in a sesame soy sauce.
- An Asian salad - This tangy, spicy Korean cucumber salad would make an excellent side to this pasta.
- Potstickers - These vegan potstickers would round pair well with miso pasta.
❄️Storage Instructions
Refrigerator
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days. Before reheating, stir in a splash of water if the pasta seems too dry. Reheat gently over medium-low heat on the stovetop or microwave until warmed through for 1-2 minutes.
Freezer
Allow the cooked pasta to cool completely before transferring it to a freezer bag or airtight container. Spicy miso pasta will stay fresh in the freezer for up to 2 months.
To reheat, thaw pasta completely in the refrigerator overnight before reheating. Place in saucepan over medium-low heat with 2-3 tablespoons of water. Cover and gently reheat, stirring occasionally, until pasta is warmed through, about 5-7 minutes.
🙋Frequently Asked Questions
Swap the wheat based pasta in this recipe for your favorite gluten-free pasta. You will also need to use tamari instead of soy sauce.
Either red or white miso paste will work well in this recipe. Red miso has a deeper, more savory umami flavor, while white miso has a slightly sweeter and more subtle taste. It's up to you!
Any type of pasta works well in spicy miso pasta, but here are some of the best options: Fettuccine or linguine are great choices as the thick, wide noodles allow the sauce to nicely cling to each strand; alternatively, angel hair or spaghettini also pair nicely with the Asian-inspired sauce, as the thinner noodles contrast with the rich, nutty miso. You can also use gluten-free pasta options like rice noodles or chickpea pasta for a wheat-free version.
Craving More Easy Vegan Recipes?
Sambal Oelek - An Authentic Chili Paste Recipe
📖 Recipe
Spicy Miso Pasta
Ingredients
- 6 ounces pasta
- 2 tablespoons miso paste white or red
- 1½ tablespoons tahini paste
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari for gluten free
- 1½ tablespoons garlic chili paste sauce Sriracha or sambal oelek
- 2 teaspoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Boil the pasta in large pot of salted water. Cook until it's al dente (about 8-9 minutes.) Save ½ cup of the water just before draining the pasta.
- Mix the spicy miso sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Add the reserved ½ cup of pasta water to the sauce and mix until a smooth sauce forms.
- Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute.
- Add the reserved spicy miso pasta sauce to the pan and simmer for 2 minutes.
- Add the pasta to the saute pan and toss to cover evenly in the sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Garnish with optional sesame seeds.
Notes
- I find that it usually takes 8-9 minutes for the perfect al dente pasta. Reserve ½ cup of the water you boiled your pasta in just before you drain it. At this point the water will have had time to absorb the starch from the pasta that will thicken your sauce.
- If you want to make this recipe gluten free , you will need to use a gluten- free pasta, tamari instead of soy sauce and check to make sure that your miso paste contains no gluten.
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