15-Minute Creamy Miso Pasta (2024)

April 8, 2024December 22, 2023 by Erin

Miso Pasta brings Japanese miso, Italian romano cheese, and lots of garlic together in a rich and creamy sauce that’s perfect for spaghetti. This straightforward recipe delivers a profound, gourmet flavor. A sprinkle of furikake before serving takes it over the top!

If savory, creamy, and cheesy is your kind of comfort food, then you’re sure to love this creamy Miso Pasta recipe. This fusion of flavors keeps your taste buds wanting more and more!

Why you’ll love it

It’s so simple!

White miso gives the basic butter-garlic sauce a boost of sweet, umami flavor, while freshly grated romano or parmesan makes it extra rich and creamy. It’s the ideal luscious, thick sauce for coating your favorite long pasta noodles – regular or gluten free.

The best part about making pasta sauce with miso is the flexibility. There’s plenty of room to personalize, leaving you with a bowl full of everything you crave!

What is miso paste?

Miso is a paste made from fermented soybeans, salt, and grains (rice or barley).

Generally speaking, the color of miso indicates the strength of the umami. For example, white miso has a distinctively sweet palatability, whereas deeper colors (yellow, red, and black) gradually become more salty, sour, and savory.

For this recipe, I recommend using white miso. It creates a rich and creamy carbonara-like pasta sauce without the need for eggs.

Any extra miso can be put to use in my Miso Roasted Cauliflower, Miso Mashed Potatoes, Miso Roasted Chicken, and Miso Salmon recipes.

Ingredients needed

• Pasta – I recommend using long pasta noodles, like bucatini, spaghetti, or linguine, since this is a carbonara-type dish. Short pasta, soba noodles, or gluten free pasta are also great choices – the flavors will still be delicious!
• Unsalted butter
• Garlic – Lots of freshly minced garlic is non-negotiable. To elevate the garlicky goodness, try adding roasted garlic to the sauce.
• White miso – You should be able to find white miso paste in the refrigerated section of your grocery store or at Asian markets. You can use yellow or red miso as a substitute, but the flavor of the final dish will be different.
• Romano cheese – This is a hard sheep’s milk cheese with a salty and sharp flavor. If you prefer cheese with milder, more buttery flavors, stick with freshly grated parmesan instead.
• Salt and pepper
• Furikake – This Japanese dried seasoning mix is made with sesame seeds, seaweed, and fish flakes. Although technically optional, furikake is excellent sprinkled on top of this pasta! You could use everything bagel seasoning as a last-minute substitute but the flavors will be a bit different.
• Green onions – For garnish.

How to make miso pasta

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until it’s just shy of al dente. Reserve 2 cups of the pasta water, then drain and set the pasta aside.

Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Next, whisk in the miso and some of the pasta water until you have a smooth sauce.

Immediately add the pasta to the skillet along with the cheese and black pepper. Toss it constantly until the cheese is melted and the noodles are coated in sauce. Add more pasta water if the sauce isn’t quite smooth enough.

Add more salt and pepper as needed, then scoop the creamy miso pasta into bowls. Top with furikake and green onions, then enjoy!

Tips and tricks

• Undercook your pasta so that when you add it to the skillet with the sauce, it finishes cooking to a perfect al dente.
• The butter should not be smoking in the skillet after it’s melted. If it’s too hot, the garlic will seize up and burn. The goal is to gently saute the cloves just until they start to smell delicious (this only takes 30 seconds or so).
• If you’re looking for a fresh burst of acidity, squeeze half of a lemon into the sauce. You may as well toss in some fresh lemon zest too!

Serving suggestions

This is a satisfying meal by itself, but it’s also great as part of a multi-course dinner with crusty bread, a perfectly paired glass of wine, and any of these veggie-forward sides:

• Simple Arugula Salad
• Kale Caesar Salad
• Cherry Tomato Salad with Roasted Lemons
• Shaved Fennel and Celery Salad
• Grilled Broccolini with Apple Cider Vinaigrette
• Easy Sauteed Spinach

Customize it

• Spicy miso pasta – Add chili oil, sriracha, and sambal oelek to kick things up a notch.
• Miso mushroom pasta – Start the recipe by cooking sliced mushrooms, like portobello, crimini, shiitake, and porcini, in the buttered skillet until golden brown. Then add the minced garlic and follow the recipe as written.
• Add veggies – Toss a handful of baby spinach or green peas in with the sauce and pasta until heated through.
• Vegan miso spaghetti – While I’ve only made this with butter and parmesan, you can easily create a vegan version using unsalted vegan butter, vegan parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast, and vegan furikake. The remaining ingredients are vegan-friendly.

How to make ahead & store

The sauce-coated pasta is best enjoyed hot out of the pan. The leftovers can be stored in the fridge for 1 or 2 days but will lose their creamy, saucy consistency as the noodles soak up the miso pasta sauce.

In that case, when it’s time to eat, reheat the pasta in a skillet over medium heat. Add a splash of water, milk or cream, and/or more grated cheese to help achieve the same consistency as before.

More easy creamy pasta recipes

• Creamy Pasta with Bacon and Peas
• Lemon Pasta
• Pink Sauce Pasta
• Spaghetti Alla Nerano (Spaghetti with Zucchini)
• Spaghetti Aglio E Olio
• Creamy Pumpkin Pasta

More recipes with miso paste

• Miso Salmon
• Miso Chicken
• Roasted Miso Cauliflower
• Garlic Miso Mashed Potatoes

​​​​Did you make this miso pasta recipe?

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This post was originally published in 2022. It was updated in 2023. The white miso pasta recipe remains the same. Enjoy!