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Creamy Miso Pesto Pasta

This 30-minute Creamy Miso Pesto Pasta with Pecans is simply the best. Packed with a savory white Miso paste, garlic and crunchy Pecans, this easy vegan pasta makes a perfect recipe for busy weeknights.

Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
5 mins
Total Time
25 mins
Servings: 4
Calories: 710 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

  • 1 lb rigatoni pasta
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ⅓ c olive oil
  • 4 cloves garlic smashed
  • ½ c walnuts
  • 3 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 3 tablespoon White miso paste
  • 1 ½ teaspoon adobo sauce
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 3 tablespoon plant-based butter
  • ¼ c nutritional yeast

Instructions

Cook Rigatoni
    Cup of Yum
  1. Fill a medium or large pot with water, add salt and Rigatoni and cook on a medium-low heat until pasta is cooked, about 12 minutes. Drain the pasta reserving 1 cup of pasta cooking liquid.
Prepare Miso pesto
  1. In a medium skillet combine olive oil, garlic and Pecans. Saute stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes. Discard the garlic and stir in tomato paste and Miso paste. Saute stirring constantly for 2 more minutes and remove from the heat.
Blend Pesto
  1. Add content of a skillet to a blender along with lemon juice and Adobo sauce. Process pesto stopping the blender from time to time to scrape the sides of a blender. Make sure the Pesto ingredients are well combined and if it looks too dry, add a little more olive oil, a few tablespoons at a time.
Combine Pesto and pasta
  1. Transfer cooked pasta into a large bowl along with plant-based butter, Miso pesto, ¼ cup of pasta cooking water and nutritional yeast. Toss vigorously until well combined. If needed, add more pasta cooking water to thin out the sauce. Serve immediately.

Notes

  • Miso paste. There are many Miso pastes out there, but in this recipe I specifically use white Miso paste. It's my literally go-to ingredient for every recipe. It has a bold umami flavor and works perfectly in pesto. I usually buy Organic Miso by Hikari Miso on Amazon. However, I saw White Miso paste in Kroger too;
  • Adobo sauce: If you don't have it, skip it and substitute with ⅛ teaspoon of cayenne pepper. I love using Adobo in this recipe because it has a very rich and slightly smoky flavor and it works beautifully in combination with Miso paste;
  • Pecans: If you don't have them, substitute with the same amount of Walnuts;
  • Rigatoni: You can use absolutely use any other pasta that you have in your pantry;
  • Nutritional Yeast: sprinkling cooked pasta with nutritional yeast helps the sauce stick better to pasta.
  • The sauce: Don't be afraid to add pasta water to the sauce. It will thin it out and make the whole dish creamy and delicious.
  • Refrigerate: To store your leftover miso pasta in the fridge, first let it cool to room temperature. Once cooled, place the pasta in an airtight container. It can stay fresh in the fridge for up to three days.
  • Reheat: When you're ready to savor it again, reheating is a cinch. Transfer the pasta to a large skillet and warm it over medium heat, stirring occasionally to guarantee even heating. If the sauce seems too thick, add a little bit of pasta water. 
  • Freezing: While pasta can generally be frozen, this particular miso pasta recipe may not be the best candidate for freezing due to its creamy sauce. The texture of the sauce might change once thawed, losing its original creamy consistency.
  • Recipe is adapted from Red Pesto Rigatoni.

Nutrition Information

Calories 710kcal (36%) Carbohydrates 76.6g (26%) Protein 21.9g (44%) Fat 36.8g (57%) Saturated Fat 6.4g (32%) Cholesterol 83mg (28%) Sodium 846mg (35%) Potassium 663mg (19%) Fiber 4.2g (17%) Sugar 2.2g (4%) Calcium 44mg (4%) Iron 7mg (39%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 710

% Daily Value*

Calories 710kcal 36%
Carbohydrates 76.6g 26%
Protein 21.9g 44%
Fat 36.8g 57%
Saturated Fat 6.4g 32%
Cholesterol 83mg 28%
Sodium 846mg 35%
Potassium 663mg 14%
Fiber 4.2g 17%
Sugar 2.2g 4%
Calcium 44mg 4%
Iron 7mg 39%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.