This miso butter shiitake mushroom pasta is a creamy, umami Asian-inspired dish that's made with 6 simple ingredients and perfect for a weeknight dinner meal.
While a simple marinara pasta is always welcome, it's always the creamy, umami pastas that catch our eyes (and stomachs). Think cacio e pepe, rigatoni in a cream sauce, carbonara with delicious pieces of cured pork in every bite. It never crossed our minds that it is possible to make 'fancier' pasta at home (even without having to make the pasta noodles from scratch!). This creamy miso shiitake pasta requires minimal prep, hearty, but has so much personality with each bite of mushroom. Plus, it's vegetarian!
If you're looking for more hearty but simple noodle dishes, try my Shanghai Thick Stir-Fry Noodles or Vegan Jajangmyeon (Korean Black Bean Noodles) recipes! For another fun fusion dish, you can try this Creamy Kimchi Pasta with Mushrooms.
What is miso paste?
Miso paste is made from fermenting soy beans with rice and salt. It's most commonly known for being the base ingredient for miso soup. Miso soup is made by boiling the paste and adding in other ingredients such as seaweed (wakame) and soft or silken tofu.
When shopping for miso paste, you might see different varieties such as white, yellow or red miso paste. The difference in colors is a result of different methods and ingredients. It's good to know that white miso tends to be the most mild and slightly sweeter, while red miso has a much deeper umami flavor and is great for heartier dishes that need intense flavors.
For this recipe, you can use either white or yellow miso.
Ingredients
- Spaghetti (reserve the pasta water!)
- Unsalted butter
- Garlic
- Shiitake mushrooms: Shiitake mushrooms have bolder flavors and are a bit chewier than a brown mushroom (can be found in grocery stores under the name of baby bellas or cremini mushrooms). However, brown mushrooms are a great substitute if you aren't able to find shiitake mushrooms near you!
- Miso paste: You can usually find miso paste in most grocery stores now, but they'll be easiest to find in an Asian supermarket.
- Pecorino romano: You can also sub with parmesan cheese. Pecorino romano and parmesan cheese are both aged, hard salty cheese, but pecorino tends to be a bit saltier with brighter flavors.
- Black pepper (optional)
Instructions
- Boil a pot of water and salt generously. Once boiled, add spaghetti. Cook accordingly to package instructions.
- Wash shiitake thoroughly, especially under the caps. Prep by removing the stems and slicing the head into thin pieces.
- On a heated pan, add 1 tablespoon of butter and coat the pan. Add the garlic and cook until slightly browned. Then, add the sliced mushrooms and make sure not to crowd the pan. Once the bottom has slightly browned which should take about 2-3 minutes, flip mushrooms and pan-fry the other side until golden brown, too. Salt and pepper the mushrooms, give them a good stir and remove from pan.
- Let the pan heat up again and add 2 tablespoon of butter. Once melted, add in the miso paste and pasta water. Stir vigorously until miso has dissolved. Add in pecorino romano and stir until melted.
- Add the mushrooms back into the pan and give it another stir so the mushrooms are coated.
- Add the cooked spaghetti into the saucepan. Toss pasta until thoroughly coated.
- Remove from heat and serve with more cheese and cracked pepper, to taste.
📖 Recipe
Miso Butter Shiitake Pasta
Ingredients
- 150 grams uncooked spaghetti
- 100 grams shiitake mushrooms
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 3 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon miso paste (white or yellow)
- ½ cup pasta water
- ½ cup pecorino romano
- Ground black pepper
Instructions
- Boil pot of water and salt generously. Cook spaghetti accordingly to package instructions, usually around 10 minutes.
- Wash shiitake thoroughly, especially under the caps. Prep by removing the stems and slicing the head into thin pieces.
- Add 1 tbps of butter to a heated pan and coat evenly. Add the minced garlic and cook until slightly browned. Then, add the sliced mushrooms. Don't crowd the pan. Once the bottom has slightly browned which should take about 2-3 minutes, flip mushrooms and pan-fry the other side until golden brown, too. Salt and pepper the mushrooms, give them a good stir and remove from pan.
- Let the pan heat up again and add 2 tablespoon of butter. Once melted, add in the miso paste and pasta water. Stir vigorously until miso has dissolved. Add in pecorino romano and stir until melted.
- Add the cooked sliced mushrooms back into the pan and give it another stir so the mushrooms are coated.
- Add the cooked spaghetti into the saucepan. Toss pasta until thoroughly coated.
- Remove from heat and serve with more cheese and cracked pepper, to taste.
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