Creamy Doenjang Pasta

By Eric Kim

Updated April 29, 2022

Creamy Doenjang Pasta
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
30 minutes
Rating
4(553)
Comments
Read comments

Soybean pastes and noodles make good friends, as in Alexa Weibel’s five-ingredient creamy miso pasta. This version leans into the funkier, saltier flavor of doenjang, a Korean soybean paste whose pungency is an absolute pleasure in jjigaes, sauces and even bread made in a can. Here, doenjang is tempered by the natural sweetness of milk, which stars in many Korean takes on Italian pasta. The milk thickens as it mixes with the starchy noodles and creates a velvety sauce, one that tastes rich but measured, with a rounded cheesy quality. It will seem like a lot of liquid at first, but the milk will reduce. The finished pasta sauce will continue to thicken once it’s off the heat; add more pasta water if it starts to look dry.

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: give recipes to anyone
    As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.
    Subscribe

  • Print Options

Advertisement

Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • Salt
  • 1pound linguine, bucatini or spaghetti
  • 2cups whole milk
  • ¼cup doenjang (see Tip)
  • 2tablespoons mirin
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • ¼cup unsalted butter
  • Grated Parmesan, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Cooking Newsletter illustration

Opt out or contact us anytime. See our Privacy Policy.

Opt out or contact us anytime. See our Privacy Policy.

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Bring a large, wide pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high. Cook the pasta until about 2 minutes shy of al dente (according to package instructions); it should still be a little uncooked in the center and will finish cooking in the sauce later. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water, drain the pasta and return it to the empty pot. While the pasta is cooking, pour the milk into a large liquid measuring cup or medium bowl. Whisk in the doenjang, mirin and a generous crack of black pepper until the doenjang dissolves.

  2. Step 2

    To the pasta pot, add the butter, milk mixture and half of the pasta water. Bring to a simmer over high. Cook, stirring constantly and vigorously with a wooden spoon, until the sauce reduces and thickens significantly, coating the noodles like thin cream, 5 to 7 minutes. Taste and season with salt if needed.

  3. Step 3

    Divide among plates. Top with as much grated Parmesan as you’d like and another crack of black pepper. Serve immediately.

Tip
  • You can find doenjang, often labeled “soybean paste,” in Korean or Asian supermarkets and online, either in jars or in plastic rectangular tubs. Funkily pungent and packed with savoriness, doenjang is a magical flavor booster that is often compared to Japanese miso but has a saltier, more assertive kick. Even a mere tablespoon of this beloved Korean paste, full of fermented sourness and deep Parmesan-like umami, can enliven all manner of soups, stews and sauces with unparalleled brio.

Ratings

4 out of 5
553 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Comments

CFXK

This comment needs clarification: the package you bought, if it includes anchovies, is not vegetarian. But most doenjang is. It is a paste that comprises soybeans and brine. The brine is made minimally with just salt and water, but may also include flavorings like honey and hot peppers. If the brand you bought includes anchovies, it is not by any means the norm (but certainly not forbidden) - just the choice made by that manufacturer.

Astorienne

Of course--they will cook much more slowly in a low-moisture environment than they would in a pot of water.

mimi

Take pasta out 2 mins shy of Al dente, and cook with the sauce for another 5-7 mins? Sounds like noodles will be overcooked. Is the instruction correct on this?

Sarah

Loved this recipe! Super easy, yummy, and comforting...craving it again and wishing I made more. My kids loved it too!

J

ABSOLUTE HEAVEN. I made this exactly as specified but used linguine instead of spaghetti. I also noticed that Step #2 should include adding the pasta back into the simmering sauce (which I did right when the sauce began to simmer). I was licking the pot to eat the sauce it was just that good. I had some hard cheese but didn't even really feel the need to grate any on (or eat it with kimchi or chili oil as people suggest - I found it delicious and sufficiently flavorful).

Kyle

A bit of kimchi on top of the plate really helps to brighten this meal and compliments the flavors nicely

Private comments are only visible to you.

Recipe Tags

Advertisement

or to save this recipe.