This creamy gochujang pasta recipe is made with gochujang paste (Korean fermented chili paste), heavy cream, and spices. It's perfect for a weeknight dinner and ready in under 15 minutes!
Today, I’m sharing a fusion-style vegetarian pasta recipe made with Korean gochujang, creamy sauce, and seasonings for a delicious spicy twist. I saw this in the internet and I had try it. Its soo delicious and kids friendly as well. Perfect to pack for kids lunch box.
More creamy pasta that you may also love are white sauce pasta, creamy tomato pasta and spinach pasta.
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What is Gochujang?
Gochujang is a popular Korean condiment made from fermented red chili paste. It adds a spicy, savory, and slightly sweet flavor to the dishes and used in stews, marinades, curries, noodles, tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), bibimbap etc.
Ever since I have been South Korea, I am big fan of gochujang, I often use it make gochujang tofu, paneer or cauliflower, and ramen at home.
Ingredients
- Pasta: I used organic fusilli pasta. Use pasta of any shape. You can use also pasta noodles like fettuccini, spaghetti, or linguine.
- Gochujang Paste: I used Trader Joes gochujang paste.
- Onion & Garlic: use freshly minced garlic for the best flavor. I used shallots, but you can use red onions too.
- Heavy Cream: I used heavy whipping cream. You may substitute heavy cream, with alfredo sauce, cream cheese, milk to make the sauce.
- Cheese: I used freshly shredded parmesan cheese. You can use also use cheddar, mozzarella or any kind of cheese you have in hand. You may also use nutritional yeast for a nutty cheese-like umami flavor.
- Seasonings: garlic powder, chili flakes, freshly crushed black pepper, and salt.
How to Make Creamy Gochujang Pasta
Cook 1 cup of dried pasta al dente according to package instructions and reserve some pasta water (about ¼ cup) for later use.
Then, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and ½ tablespoon butter in a pan on medium flame. Add 2 minced garlic cloves along with 2 tablespoons of finely chopped onion. Saute for a minute until fragrant.
Add 1 tablespoon of gochujang paste (add more if u desire) and sauté for 1 minute—avoid overcooking, as it can burn and alter the flavor and color. You can also add some tomato paste along with the gochujang, gives a nice flavor.
Next, pour in 6 tablespoons of heavy cream and stir in the seasonings: ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon chili flakes, salt, and pepper to taste. Mix everything well, then reduce the heat and let it simmer gently for a minute.
Add the cooked pasta, 2-3 tablespoons parmesan cheese (or any cheese), 2 tablespoons of reserved pasta water (optional), and mix everything well. Continue stirring about 1-2 minutes until the pasta is fully coated with the sauce and turns creamy (add more pasta water gradually if needed to adjust the sauce consistency). Turn off the heat.
Garnish with fresh parsley or basil.
Finish with a sprinkle of grated parmesan, chili flakes and serve hot.
Serving Suggestions
This gochujang pasta dish can be eaten on its own or paired with roasted vegetables like air fryer broccoli, air fryer mushrooms. You can also pair a high protein chickpea cucumber salad on the side.
Storage Suggestions
Refrigerator: You can store this pasta in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Reheat it in the microwave for few seconds until warm.
Expert Tips
- Adjust the quantity of Gochujang paste based on your spice tolerance and taste preferences.
- You can also add veggies like broccoli, bell peppers, mushrooms, sweet corn, to the pasta.
- To make it protein-rich, you can add air fryer tofu.
- Make sure to cook the pasta until it's al dente, as it will soften further when combined with the sauce.
- Make sure you reserve some pasta water, before draining the cooked pasta. It contains starch, when added to the sauce, help to thicken them naturally without adding extra ingredients.
More Vegetarian Pasta Recipes
Creamy Gochujang Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked pasta (about 4 ounce)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ tablespoon butter
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tablespoons shallot (or onion) finely chopped
- 1 - 1.5 tablespoons gochujang paste
- 6 tablespoons heavy cream
- ¼ teaspoon red chili flakes
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- salt, pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons reserved pasta water
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
- 2-3 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese (or any cheese)
Instructions
- Cook 1 cup of dried pasta al dente according to package instructions and reserve some pasta water (about ¼ cup) for later use.
- Then, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and ½ tablespoon butter in a pan on medium flame. Add 2 minced garlic cloves along with 2 tablespoons of finely chopped onion. Saute for a minute until fragrant.
- Add 1 tablespoon of gochujang paste and sauté for 1 minute—avoid overcooking, as it can burn and alter the flavor and color.
- Next, pour in the heavy cream and stir in the seasonings: garlic powder, chili flakes, salt, and pepper. Mix everything well, then reduce the heat and let it simmer gently for a minute.
- Add the cooked pasta, parmesan cheese (or any cheese), 2 tablespoons of reserved pasta water (optional), and mix everything well. Continue stirring about 1-2 minutes until the pasta is fully coated with the sauce and turns creamy (add more pasta water gradually if needed to adjust the sauce consistency). Turn off the heat.
- Garnish with fresh parsley or basil. Finish with a sprinkle of grated parmesan, chili flakes and serve hot.
Nutrition
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