Miso Butter Pasta
A minimalist miso butter pasta made with butter, white miso, pasta water, and parmesan. Silky, savory, and quick to make, with optional lemon zest or furikake to finish.
Servings: 2 people
Ingredients
- 200 grams dried pasta (I recommend a long shape like spaghetti or linguine)
- 50 grams butter
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 - 1.5 tablespoons miso paste
- 1.5 tablespoons hot water
- ½ cup pasta water
- 40 grams Parmesan cheese very finely grated
Optional for serving
- lemon zest
- furikake
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk the miso paste with the hot water until smooth.
- Bring well salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to the package instructions (I usually undercook dried pasta by about 1 minute). Reserve a cup of pasta water, then drain.
- When the pasta is almost done, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the black pepper and let it sizzle for 30–60 seconds, until fragrant and very lightly browned.
- Whisk the miso mixture into the butter in the pan. It won’t look completely smooth at this stage, don’t worry.
- Add ½ cup of pasta water and whisk vigorously. Let it gently simmer for 1 minute.
- Add in your cooked pasta, toss and then arrange in an even layer in pan.
- Lower the heat to low. Sprinkle the finely grated parmesan evenly over the pasta and let it gently melt on top for 1–2 minutes without stirring. It needs to be a very low heat so the pasta doesn't stick to the bottom.
- Using tongs, continuously spin the pasta for 20–30 seconds until a silky, smooth sauce forms. Add a splash more pasta water if needed to loosen.
- Serve immediately, finished with lemon zest and/or a sprinkle of furikake if desired.
- The video below shows the process.
Video
Notes
Miso - Different brands of miso can be saltier than others. Start with the lower amount, taste, and add more if needed. This is supposed to be a salty sauce though!
Parmesan - For this method of melting it needs to be really finely grated. My preference is blended into a powder with a smoothie maker. A microplane or the star side of a box grater works too. Don't use pre-grated cheese.
Best eaten fresh - This pasta is at its best straight away while the sauce is silky and emulsified. Butter based sauces can split when reheated, which is why this recipe is written for two.