Recipe: Miso-Buttered Mushrooms & Noodles

It’s time to reach in the back of your fridge for that tub of miso paste, because it will treat you to the best buttered noodles you have ever tasted. It should be noted that as a pasta-lover I don’t say that lightly. Umami-packed miso paste, a few pats of butter, and starchy pasta water are simmered together with garlic and browned mushrooms for a rich and ultra-savory weeknight sauce to be paired with any type of pasta you’re cooking up. It’s a no-fuss homemade sauce you can call on any night of the week, guaranteed to hit the table in about 20 minutes.

While miso paste is undeniably the star of these grown-up buttered noodles, a small amount of pasta water is crucial for bringing everything together. Whisked with the miso and melted butter, the liquid is thinned out into a smooth sauce while the starchiness gives it a velvety texture. It also tames the rich saltiness of the miso for a well-balanced sauce.

My go-to tactic for making dinner prep as efficient and speedy as possible is to embrace the “meanwhile.” This means that instead of prepping all the ingredients at the onset (as we’re often told to do), you should work as you go. While the pot of water comes to a boil and the pasta cooks, prep the vegetables and measure out the remaining ingredients.