Creamy Korean Gochujang Pasta
If you are craving a rich and flavorsome pasta dish with spice, this Korean gochujang pasta hits all the marks! This lightened-up version is creamy without the heavy cream and comes together in 15 minutes.
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 290kcal
Ingredients
- 8 oz dried pasta use gluten-free if needed
- 1 medium shallot diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ cup almond milk or another milk of choice
For gochujang sauce
- 2 tablespoons gochujang paste use gluten-free if needed
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup or another liquid sweetener
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari/shoyu (use gluten-free if needed)
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
Instructions
Cooking the pasta
- Start by bring a pot of water to a boil, and add a generous pinch of salt. Add pasta and cook until almost al dente. Drain and set aside.8 oz dried pasta
- Add pasta and cook until almost al dente. Reserve ½ cup of pasta water, before draining the pasta.
Making the gochujang sauce
- While the pasta is cooking, make the sauce.2 tablespoons gochujang paste , 1 tablespoon maple syrup, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- In a bowl, whisk together all ingredients needed for the sauce. Set aside.
- Heat up a tablespoon of oil in a pan over medium high. Once the pan is heated, place in shallot and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until translucent.1 medium shallot
- Add garlic in next, and saute for another minute until fragrant.3 cloves garlic
- Next, add plant milk and gochujang sauce. Bring mixture to a simmer, and add pasta in when the sauce starts thickening.½ cup almond milk
- Toss to coat and cook for 1-2 minutes, add a splash of pasta water if the sauce is getting too thick.
- Top it with anything to like, and serve your gochujang pasta while warm!
Notes
Helpful tips
- Adjust the spice level – For a less spicy dish, I recommend going with a milder gochujang. To bump up the heat, use up to 4 tablespoons of gochujang and optionally, add a generous pinch of gochugaru (Korean red chili flakes)
- Slightly undercook pasta – Pasta should be cooked until al dente, as it will continue to cook in the sauce. Overcooking might lead to mushy pasta.
- Reserve some pasta water – it can be used to thin out the gochujang pasta sauce if it becomes too thick.
- Enjoy while warm – Gochujang pasta tends to become thicker the longer it sits; hence, it is best enjoyed hot. To revive thickened sauce, add a splash of water or milk, and heat it before serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 290kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 273mg | Potassium: 248mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 132IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 68mg | Iron: 1mg
