A creative and delicious alternative to the usual tomato and vegetable pasta meals is this miso and eggplant recipe. The spaghetti has a rich umami taste thanks to a generous piece of brown miso pasta with sautéed eggplant, mushrooms, and fresh tomatoes. For those special occasions when you want to feel special but don't want to make any effort, this simple, inexpensive meal is ideal. Here are a few recipes for you in case you wanted to make some for yourself.
- Asian Style Miso & Eggplant Pasta
Serves: 2-4
- Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients for the Miso and Eggplant Pasta:
- 1/3 bag of brown rice pasta (or any you’d like)
- 2 cups crimini mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 1 small eggplant, cut into bite-size cubes
- 1 & 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut into halves
- 1/2 cup green onions, thinly sliced into rings
- 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced – 1 tablespoon brown miso paste
- 1/2 – 1 teaspoon chili flakes (optional)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3-5 tablespoons pasta water
Instructions
- Olive oil, garlic cloves, and tomato paste should be heated for two minutes over medium heat in a medium saucepan.
- Cut the eggplant and mushrooms into cubes while you wait.
- Add these ingredients to the pot along with the chopped tomatoes and lower the heat to medium.
- Apply pressure on the tomatoes to extract the juice.
- To avoid the veggies sticking, add a few tablespoons of water to the pan at a time.
- The vegetables should be cooked for seven minutes, or until they are soft.
- Bring a big pot of water to a boil while the vegetables are cooking.
- The pasta should then be added and cooked as directed on the packet.
- As the spaghetti cooks, stir it often.
- Once the miso paste has completely coated all of the vegetables in the pan, add the chili flakes.
- Add a few tablespoons of pasta water to the pan to keep the spaghetti sauce from sticking.
- Miso sauce and drained noodles should be combined.
- Enjoy with more green onions on top!
Miso and Eggplant Pasta Ingredients
- 1/3 of a 16-ounce bag of brown rice pasta (or any kind you'd like)
- 2 cups Crimini mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 1 small eggplant, cut into bite-size cubes
- 1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut into halves
- 1/2 cup green onions, thinly sliced into rings
- 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon gluten-free brown miso paste
- 1/2-1 teaspoon chili flakes (optional)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3-5 tablespoons pasta water
Instructions
- Olive oil, garlic cloves, and tomato paste should be heated for two minutes over medium heat in a medium saucepan. Cut the eggplant and mushrooms into cubes while you wait.
- Add these ingredients to the pot along with the chopped tomatoes and lower the heat to medium. Apply pressure on the tomatoes to extract the juice. To avoid the veggies sticking, add a few tablespoons of water to the pan at a time. The vegetables should be cooked for seven minutes, or until they are soft.
- A big pot of boiling water may be seasoned with one tablespoon of sea salt while the veggies are simmering. The pasta should then be added and cooked as directed on the packet. As the spaghetti cooks, stir it often.
- Once the miso paste has completely coated all of the vegetables in the pan, add the chili flakes. Add a few tablespoons of pasta water to the pan to keep the spaghetti sauce from sticking. Miso sauce and drained noodles should be combined. Add extra green onions to the dish.
Roasted Eggplant Spaghetti with Miso Brown Butter Sauce In a brown butter-miso-black pepper sauce with pasta and eggplant. Compared to the bulk of the dishes in my index, this meal contains more butter and carbohydrates, however, on certain days, these ingredients are necessary. Prepare this on days like those. Ingredients
- 1 large or 2 medium eggplants (about 1.75 pounds), skin peeled off with a vegetable peeler
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- sea salt
- 6 ounces whole grain thin spaghetti (about ½ box)
- 5 tablespoons butter
- freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons white miso
- ⅓ cup freshly grated Parmesan
Instructions
- Set the oven's temperature to 425 degrees. Slice the eggplant into 34-inch pieces, then toss in enough olive oil to lightly coat the edges. Place on a baking sheet in a single layer, sprinkle with salt. 35 to 40 minutes of baking should be spent stirring. If any resistance is felt when you prick one of the large chunks with a fork, the pan should be placed back in the oven for a few more minutes.
- In a big saucepan of salted water, cook the spaghetti as directed on the box. After draining the remaining cooking water and saving one cup, turn off the heat under the pan. In the pan, swap out the pasta.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. To keep the butter from splattering, periodically jiggle and swirl the pan by the handle (if you hear a gurgling, pressured sound, stir the butter right away!). Continue to stir the butter for about three minutes, or until you see little brown specks on the pan's bottom (this takes about three minutes).
- Add some black pepper to the butter once it has been taken off the heat. Before whisking in the miso, let the butter cool for a moment. Then, add 14 cups of cooking water and combine well. (Avoid putting water in a pot of hot, melted butter!)
- Add the roasted eggplant, miso brown butter, and a lot of grated Parmesan to the pasta. Serve immediately.