Add Miso To Your Pasta Water For The Best Buttered Noodles Every Time

Life is busy, cooking takes time, and sometimes, you just need to make things easy on yourself. If you're feeling under the weather, trying to appease a picky palate, or just need to twirl a fork into a creamy, comforting bowl of pasta, nothing beats buttered noodles. Cooked noodles coated in melted butter and perhaps some salty Parmesan and seasonings is about as fuss-free as it gets. It's simple, but wildly delicious.

While this basic, so-easy-it's-barely-a-recipe comfort dish is unbeatable as is, there are plenty of ways to elevate the meal, such as adding creamy garlic butter to your noodles. But for punched-up flavor with minimal effort, you should try swirling in a spoonful of flavor-packed miso. The salty, umami, and rich fermented paste melds with the starchy pasta water and fatty butter, which creates a decadently creamy and divine creation that somehow feels far fancier than just buttered noodles, but only requires a few minutes of extra effort. 

Scoop a pre-made package of white or yellow miso into your leftover pasta water to create a luxurious, silky sauce. The result is a slightly sweet and salty dish with a creamy-without-the cream texture. Not only does it taste restaurant-worthy, but it can be on the table in mere minutes.  

Miso is a fermented soybean-based paste that's been used for hundreds of years in traditional Japanese cooking. You may have enjoyed it in dishes like miso soup, but miso lends a complex, earthy umami flavor and gut-friendly benefits to a variety of foods, radically upgrading everything from mashed potatoes to lentil soup. 

Butter pasta, whether dressed up with miso or not, is largely a choose-your-own-carb adventure. The type of pasta you use, the amount and brand of butter, and how much salt or cheese you sprinkle atop is all up to personal preference. Any long noodle variety works well, like an angel hair, linguini, or ruffly mafaldine. Cook your pasta in generously salted water until not quite al-dente, stopping when the noodles still have a bit of bite, and reserve at least 1½ cups of the pasta water. Whisk your miso paste into the pasta water until you have a smooth mixture. 

In a separate pan, melt plenty of butter, then add your miso and water mixture, Parmesan, and seasonings. While it's undoubtedly miso's moment to shine in this recipe, it's the pasta water that pulls this dish together. The starchy leftover liquid adds necessary creaminess and acts as an emulsifier, creating a rich pasta dish that delivers comfort with each forkful. Serve and enjoy immediately as is, or top with your pick of veggies or added protein for an extra filling and well-balanced meal.