Onion and Miso Pasta

Hello and welcome, it’s great you’re here today! I have a weeknight pasta recipe that is not only super easy, but it’s made with pantry staples. Overall, this Onion and Miso dish has the savory flavor of French onion soup. It’s as if good ol’ spaghetti noodles and French Onion Soup fell in love and had a wonderful, delicious time. Don’t let the addition of miso throw you off, it’s helping to create the most umami-rich combination of lightly caramelized onions and beef broth you’ve ever had. C’mon, let’s do it!

Pantry Staples

This pasta dish has only a few, very simple ingredients. Ingredients that should be pantry staples in your kitchen. White miso paste, beef broth, spaghetti noodles, Parmesan, butter, garlic and olive oil. And as most pasta dishes we make here, we will use some pasta cooking water to create a light sauce sauce that coats everything perfectly.

Start with the Onions

We are going to lightly caramelize the two sliced onions over medium heat for about 10-15 minutes. Melt 2 tablespoons unsalted butter in 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Then toss in the sliced onions. Sprinkle with kosher salt. Stir occasionally and cook the onions until they are soft and beginning to brown around the edges.

Once the onions are soft and beginning to brown around the edges, add the thinly sliced garlic cloves. Stir and cook the garlic slices until fragrant, about 1 minute. Then add the miso paste. Stir the miso paste into the onions and garlic and cook for another minute or so. The miso paste will begin to brown and might start sticking to the bottom of the pan, this is OK.

As soon as the miso paste is mixed and everything is looking more brown, pour in the beef broth. Stir and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

Keep stirring and cooking until all the miso is dissolved. Season with several cranks of black pepper. Reduce heat to low and keep the onion mixture warm until the pasta is ready.

Spaghetti

Cook the spaghetti according to the package directions for just shy of al dente. By the time the pasta is ready, the onion mixture will have reduced slightly more, just by keeping it warm on the stove.

Bring the pot with the pasta and pasta water close to the skillet with the onion mixture. Use tongs to transfer the al dente noodles to the pan with the onion mixture. Transferring a little of the pasta water with the noodles is totally OK.

Once all the pasta is in with the onion mixture, increase the heat back up to medium and add the grated Parmesan cheese, the remaining tablespoon of butter and start with 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Cook and vigorously toss the pasta in the in cheese, onions and pasta water. If the mixture becomes dry or “claggy” add more pasta water as needed to keep everything loose and smooth to form a light, creamy sauce.

As it cooks and you’re stirring, the cheese will melt, the al dente pasta will absorb more liquid and a smooth, thicker sauce will form. Once this happens, cut the heat and move the pan off the stove.

Plate it up!

Use the tongs to transfer a serving of the Onion and Miso Pasta to a wide shallow bowl.

You can top the Onion and Miso Pasta with more grated Parmesan. To give it a little color and texture, top with sliced chives. Or you can slice the greens of two scallions in a very sharp bias to get thin long strips of scallion green and sprinkle over the top.

This Onion and Miso Pasta is so full of flavor. It reminds one of how amazing an onion can be. The savory sweet flavor of the lightly caramelized onion is emphasized by the miso and made rich by the beef broth. The Parmesan cheese, tiny bit of butter and pasta water work to create a glossy sauce that lovingly coats each strand of spaghetti. This is a super simple, yet totally impressive pasta dish.

If you’ve been following Djalali Cooks for bit, you know pasta is one of my favorite things. One reason why is because the first pasta dish I made that tasted like restaurant pasta, with perfectly cooked pasta and balanced flavors, changed my life. I was hit with the realization that I could make restaurant-quality pasta at home, and that was the biggest confidence boost I have had in the kitchen. Do make this pasta dish, and try Bucatini with Charred Scallions and Red Pepper – it too is a very simple, allium-forward dish that will knock your socks off. Take care and be well, xo Kelly

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Onion and Miso Pasta

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Dinner, Main Course – American/Italian

By Adapted from Zaynab Issa, via Bon Appétit – Serves: 2-4

Prep Time: 15 Minutes – Cooking Time: ~30 Minutes – Total Time: ~45 Minutes

Lightly caramelized onions, miso and beef broth create a light sauce, giving this Onion and Miso Pasta the flavors of French Onion Soup.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp. Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
• 3 tbsp. Unsalted Butter, divided
• 2 Large Onions, thinly sliced
• Kosher Salt
• 4 Garlic Cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp. White Miso Paste
• 1 cup Low-Sodium beef, Chicken or Vegetable Broth
• Freshly ground pepper
• 12 oz. Spaghetti
• 1 cup Finely Grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
• 1/4 cup 1-inch long cut chives, or the green parts of scallions, thinly sliced on a sharp bias

Instructions

1

Melt 2 tablespoons unsalted butter in 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Then toss in the sliced onions. Sprinkle with kosher salt. Stir occasionally and cook the onions until they are soft and beginning to brown around the edges.

2

Once the onions are soft and beginning to brown around the edges, add the thinly sliced garlic cloves. Stir and cook the garlic slices until fragrant, about 1 minute. Then add the miso paste. Stir the miso paste into the onions and garlic and cook for another minute or so. The miso paste will begin to brown and might start sticking to the bottom of the pan, this is OK.

3

As soon as the miso paste is mixed and everything is looking more brown, pour in the beef broth. Stir and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

4

Keep stirring and cooking until all the miso is dissolved. Season with several cranks of black pepper. Reduce heat to low and keep the onion mixture warm until the pasta is ready.

5

Cook the spaghetti according to the package directions for just shy of al dente. By the time the pasta is ready, the onion mixture will have reduced slightly more, just by keeping it warm on the stove.

6

Use tongs to transfer the al dente noodles to the pan with the onion mixture. Transferring a little of the pasta water with the noodles is totally OK.

7

Once all the pasta is in with the onion mixture, increase the heat back up to medium and add the grated Parmesan cheese, the remaining tablespoon of butter and start with 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Cook and vigorously toss the pasta in the in cheese, onions and pasta water.

8

As it cooks and you're stirring, the cheese will melt, the al dente pasta will absorb more liquid and a smooth, thicker sauce will form.

9

If the mixture becomes dry or "claggy" add more pasta water as needed to keep everything loose and smooth to form a light, creamy sauce. Then, cut the heat and move the pan off the stove.

10

Use the tongs to transfer a serving of the Onion and Miso Pasta to a wide shallow bowl.

11

Top servings with more grated Parmesan and Sliced green onions or chives.

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