Miso Butter Pasta (Print)

Silky noodles tossed in a savory miso butter sauce with garlic and Parmesan for a quick meal.

# What You Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 oz spaghetti or linguine
02 - Salt, for pasta water

→ Miso Butter Sauce

03 - 4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
04 - 2 tbsp white miso paste
05 - 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
06 - 4 garlic cloves, finely minced
07 - 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
08 - 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

→ Finishing Touches

09 - 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
10 - 2 tbsp chopped fresh chives or scallions
11 - Lemon wedges, to serve

# Directions:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente according to package instructions. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water and drain the pasta.
02 - In a small bowl, combine softened butter and white miso paste; mix until smooth.
03 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add minced garlic and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant, avoiding browning.
04 - Reduce heat to low and add miso butter mixture to the skillet. Stir continuously until fully melted and combined.
05 - Add drained pasta to the skillet. Toss to coat thoroughly, adding reserved pasta water gradually until the sauce achieves a silky consistency that clings to the noodles.
06 - Stir in freshly ground black pepper and red pepper flakes if desired. Remove from heat and sprinkle grated Parmesan over pasta. Toss again to mix evenly.
07 - Plate immediately and garnish with chopped chives or scallions and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

# Helpful Hints:

01 -
  • It comes together in under 30 minutes, which means you can make something genuinely complex-tasting on a weeknight without planning ahead.
  • Miso and butter create this impossible depth that tastes like you've been simmering a sauce for hours when it's really just minutes of quiet cooking.
  • The umami hits different—it's savory and complete in a way that makes you feel nourished, not just full.
02 -
  • Never let the miso butter get too hot or it can separate—low heat is your friend here, and stirring matters.
  • That reserved pasta water is your secret weapon; it contains starch that helps the sauce coat the noodles instead of pooling at the bottom.
  • Taste as you go and adjust salt carefully since both miso and Parmesan are already salty.
03 -
  • Bring your butter and miso to room temperature before mixing so they combine smoothly without lumps that refuse to dissolve.
  • If your sauce looks too thick, a tablespoon of pasta water fixes it instantly—adding liquid gradually prevents that broken, separated look.
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