If you've never tried miso in your pasta sauce, then you need to make this Vegan Miso Mushroom & Spinach Pasta asap! Gluten-free linguine gets mixed with crispy mushrooms, iron-rich spinach, & a simple yet delicious miso butter sauce for the ultimate dairy-free pasta recipe.
I first tried miso in my favorite Miso Glazed Brussel Sprouts and fell in love. So much so that it's even one of the secret ingredients in my Vegan Cauliflower Alfredo! However, after trying my friend Lisa's Miso Udon, I knew it was time to make a pasta recipe with miso as the star ingredient!
Ingredient Notes:
While the full list of ingredients is in the recipe card, here are a few tips when choosing ingredients:
- Miso pasta: I used Miso Master Mellow White Miso for this recipe . It is a white miso paste, which means it's been fermented primarily from rice. As an alternative, you can use red miso paste which is typcially a mix of fermented soybeans and grains. Either color miso paste can be used, but red miso does tend to have a more pungent flavor so just keep this in mind!
- Pasta: I kept this dish gluten-free by using Ancient Harvest linguine. Any pasta will work 1:1 though.
- Nutritional yeast: Is the important ingredient needed to give this saue it's "cheesy" flavor which still being vegan. There's not a good substitute for nutritional yeast in this recipe.
How to make miso butter sauce
The real secret behind this pasta dish comes down to the miso butter sauce. First, melt the vegan butter. You can do this in the microwave (for about 20 seconds) or in a saucepan on the stove.
Then, add in the miso paste, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, and plant-based milk and whisk together until the sauce is completely smooth. The start will start off pretty chunky because of the miso paste, but it will end up smooth after a minute or two of vigorous whisking. Once it's done- set aside for later!
How to make crispy mushrooms:
Another reason this vegan miso pasta is SO good is because of the crispy mushrooms. Here are a few tips to really crispy delicious mushrooms that are flavorful and never soggy:
- Always use oil, but not too much. The oil helps the mushrooms get browned, but too much will just make them soggy.
- Don't salt the mushrooms until the last 2-3 minutes of cooking. Otherwise, the mushrooms will release too much juice and never get crispy.
- Cook the mushrooms longer than you think. They'll start off firm, then turn mushy and watery, and then finally the water will cook off and they will start to crisp.
Putting it all together:
Once the mushrooms are crispy, add in the garlic and salt and cook everything together for 2-3 more minutes.
Then, add in the spinach and mix with the mushrooms and garlic followed by the miso butter sauce. Stir everything together so the veggies get coated in the sauce!
Then, add in the cooked pasta and the pasta water you reserved. The pasta water is necessary because it is starchy water that will help thicken the sauce and bring all the flavors together.
As a final step, mix the pasta together, serve, and enjoy! I topped the pasta with a little extra fresh oregano, but feel free to add any pasta toppings including a little vegan cheese or even some fresh basil!
FAQ & Tips:
There honestly isn't a great substitute for miso paste in this recipe. Soy sauce or Yondu umami sauce can be great in this recipe, but they don't have the same fermentation or thickness as miso paste, so expect a runnier and less flavorful sauce.
It is! There are two ingredients to make sure are gluten-free when making this dish- the miso paste and the pasta. Some miso paste can be made with grains that are not gluten-free, so just double-check this before purchasing. Also, make sure to use gluten-free pasta for this recipe if keeping it gluten-free is important to you.
This pasta keeps great in a closed container in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month. Just reheat until warmed throughout and enjoy some yummy leftovers for days to come!
I can't wait for you to try this Vegan Miso Mushroom Pasta with spinach, garlic, and the best ever miso butter sauce. Enjoy this weeknight dinner staple!
-TSG
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Vegan Miso Mushroom Spinach Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 oz dried pasta
- ¼ cup pasta water reserved from cooking
Miso butter sauce
- ¼ cup vegan butter melted
- 1 ½ tablespoon miso paste
- 1 ½ tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoon plant milk I used oat milk
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice about ½ lemon, juiced
Pasta Ingredients
- 4 cups sliced mushrooms any variety
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 4 oz spinach *add more if desired
- salt to taste for seasoning mushrooms
- fresh oregano optional, as topping
Instructions
- First, cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Right before straining the pasta, remove ¼ cup of starchy pasta water and set it aside for later.
- While the pasta is cooking, chop the vegetables and make the miso butter sauce. Melt the vegan butter, then add it to a bowl with the miso paste, nutritional yeast, plant-based milk, and lemon juice. Then, whisk together until the sauce is smooth and no clumps remain. Set aside for later.
- Next, cook the mushrooms. Start by adding 2 tablespoon of oil to a pan and turning on the heat. Once the oil is hot, add in the mushrooms.
- Cook the mushrooms for 10-15 minutes until all of the juices have been released, evaporated, and the mushrooms are getting crispy. Make sure to stir the mushrooms consistently while they cook.
- Then, add in the minced garlic and salt and cook everything together for another 2-3 minutes.
- Add in the spinach and stir it into the mushroom mixture so it starts to wilt. Then, pour in the miso butter sauce and mix it into the vegetables until they are coated.
- Finally, add in the cooked pasta and reserved pasta water. Mix everything together until the noodles are coated in the sauce.
- Serve topped with optional fresh oregano and enjoy!
Notes
- To keep gluten-free just use gluten-free noodles and make sure your miso paste is gluten-free
- This pasta can be stored in a closed container in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
- There honestly isn't a great substitute for miso paste in this recipe. Soy sauce or Yondu umami sauce can be great in this recipe, but they don't have the same fermentation or thickness as miso paste, so expect a runnier and less flavorful sauce.
Erin says
Just perfect!!
Patti says
Delicious! I used chopped portobellos.
Megan says
So glad you enjoyed it!
Sharon says
This was amazing!
I wish I had added more spinach, but it's super yummy!
Megan says
So happy you enjoyed it- you can definitely add more spinach next time too 🙂
Susan says
Hi Megan,
I made this for girls' night at my house last night. It is now one of my favorites of all time. I added extra spinach, a little truffle oil, and some pine nuts. Everyone loved it and wanted the recipe, which I happily shared. Thank you for this recipe!!!!
Megan says
Love the additions and so happy it was a hit for your girls night! 🙂
Emily says
Made this tonight, absolutely fantastic. My two young kids loved it. Threw in extra spinach as it was about to go bad, other than that, no changes. Great recipe, thank you!
Megan says
Love hearing this thanks for sharing 🙂
Beck S says
This was amazing! Made it last week, and making it again tonight. First time using miso at all, and first time using nutritional yeast in a pasta dish. It’s so creamy, garlicky, and umami-y. Thanks for the recipe!
Megan says
So glad you liked it- miso recipes are truly the best! 🙂
Kat says
Made this for NYE dinner. It was a huge hit! Added a little red pepper to the sauce for a hint of heat, but otherwise no changes. It will definitely be showing up in my kitchen again.
Megan says
So happy you enjoyed it and Happy New Year!