The Ramen Ingredient That Can Take Your Pizza Sauce To The Next Level

Where pizza is concerned, tomato sauce recipes often lean slightly sweet. Tomatoes themselves tend to be sweet, and chefs often add sugar (in addition to salt, pepper, pepper flakes, garlic, and basil) to create that iconic pizza flavor profile. But what if you took the same tomato sauce base and layered in a more savory punch? That's just what Nicole Bean, owner and operator of Pizaro's Pizza Napoletana in Houston, Texas, recommended when she spoke exclusively with Chowhound about all things pizza. "A few ingredients I think are very fun and unexpected flavors to add to pizza sauce include miso," she told us.

Miso is a fermented soybean paste that's popular in Japanese cooking. It has a nutty, salty, umami taste that can vary in strength across varieties and is most often used as a flavorful base for ramen dishes, soups, stews, marinades, curries, and dressings. When added to pizza or marinara sauce, it's almost the equivalent of adding a bouillon cube with a thickening agent. There's no need to cook it on its own or prep it in any way. Bean just recommends adding a small amount as your sauce heats, then mixing well to help incorporate it.

If you're unsure about miso's flavor profile, or if you don't want to purchase an entire tub, start by adding a splash of soy sauce to your tomato sauce. What tastes like a strong salty flavor on its own incorporates well into bold sauces for a savory kick.

Yellow or white miso is the mildest form of miso paste, and you can typically find it in most specialty grocery stores. It's an excellent, slightly salty swap in dishes where you're looking for a strong butter flavor, like buttered noodles. Mix a scoop of yellow miso paste into some of your starchy pasta water to create a deliciously silky sauce. It's like you added a large pat of butter and a splash of cream, but with more nutritional heft. A tablespoon of miso is also a great choice for umami, garlicky mashed potatoes. Simply mix it in as you would cream cheese or sour cream for a more savory take on the classic.

Red miso is similar but more intense. Use it for hearty soups and stews or dark, deeply flavored curries. Or, if you tried and liked the depth of flavor white miso added to your pizza sauce and other recipes, use red miso to take your pies to the next level.