Looking for the best pasta recipes that call for just a handful of pantry ingredients and little prep work, but still deliver big flavors? This Miso Butter Pasta with Tuna and Cabbage is exactly what you’ll need.
Why You’ll Love This Japanese-Style Pasta
Japanese home cooks take advantage of canned fish for busy days or when we don’t have time to shop. In my kitchen, I always have a few cans of sardines, anchovies, and tuna. They are survival food with lots of potential. When you combine the canned fish with essential pantry staples like rice and pasta, it turns into a full-blown meal, like this Japanese-style Miso Butter Pasta.
In this recipe, I combine canned tuna and long-lasting cabbage in the pasta, and season it with Japanese flavors. While cabbage lends freshness and crunch, the tuna adds bulk, depth, and complexity.
The whole meal takes me only 15 minutes to put together. It’s delicious, super convenient, and economical!
Ingredients You’ll Need for Miso Butter Pasta
Here are what you need to make this pantry-focused pasta:
- spaghetti – or any kind of pasta you prefer/have
- kosher salt – for seasoning the pasta water to boil the noodles
- green cabbage – substitute with frozen peas or other greens
- canned tuna – for vegan/vegetarian, use deep-fried firm tofu, tofu puffs, or more vegetables
- garlic – it adds extra flavor!
- miso – use any type of miso
- butter – I use unsalted, but if you only have salted butter, please adjust the amount of salt in the pasta water, miso, or soy sauce.
- extra virgin olive oil – for frying the garlic
- freshly ground black pepper
- soy sauce – a splash of soy sauce makes a difference—yes, really!
- mirin – Japanese sweet rice wine that adds a subtly sweet and mildly acidic flavor
How To Make Miso Butter Pasta
Here’s an overview of how to make this easy dish. See the recipe card below for full instructions and cooking tips:
- Boil the pasta in salted water. Cook it about one minute less than the package instructions.
- Prepare the other ingredients for the dish.
- Cook the ingredients in a large skillet. Toss with the cooked spaghetti. Season and serve.
Miso For Extra Umami
As simple as the pasta sounds, it doesn’t compromise on flavor. Thanks to miso, the secret weapon in my Japanese pantry, it gives the dish a much-needed sweet-savory umami oomph.
Although you can use any type of miso for this recipe, my recommendation is this organic Kodawattemasu Miso by Hikari Miso. It is by far my favorite miso that I have been using for over a decade! I’ve been sharing delicious and easy miso recipes every month in partnership with the company, so do check out if you enjoy miso in the recipe.
And remember that every type and brand of miso has a different level of saltiness. So it’s important to taste your miso first, then adjust the desired amount of miso for each recipe.
Itadakimasu!
Keep this Miso Butter Pasta recipe in your back pocket now, and throw it together any night of the week when simple is your life mantra.
Cooking for kids? Feel free to sprinkle it with some shaved parmesan. Enjoy!
If you like this miso-infused pasta, check out my creamy miso pasta with tofu and asparagus. It’s vegetarian-friendly!
Other Japanese-Style Pasta Recipes on Just One Cookbook
- Creamy Mushroom and Bacon Pasta
- Classic Mentaiko Pasta
- Ume Shiso Pasta
- Japanese-style Pasta with Shrimp and Broccolini
Wish to learn more about Japanese cooking? Sign up for our free newsletter to receive cooking tips & recipe updates! And stay in touch with me on Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram.
Miso Butter Pasta with Tuna and Cabbage
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt (for cooking the pasta)
- 7 oz spaghetti
- 2 cloves garlic
- 3 leaves green cabbage (5 oz, 142 g)
- ½ (5-oz) can albacore tuna (preferably packed in olive oil) (I use 1 can of 2.8-oz, 80-g Japanese-brand canned tuna)
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 Tbsp miso
- ¼ cup reserved pasta water
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp mirin
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
To Cook the Spaghetti
- Start boiling 4 quarts (16 cups, 3.8 L) water in a large pot (I used a 4.5 QT Dutch oven). Once boiling, add 1 Tbsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt and 7 oz spaghetti.
- Stir to make sure the noodles don’t stick to each other. While waiting for the pasta to cook, prepare the other ingredients. Tip: I usually reduce the pasta‘s recommended cooking time by 1 minute since I will continue cooking it in my sauce afterward. You should be able to prepare the other ingredients in 10 minutes while the spaghetti cooks. If you finish cooking the spaghetti first, drain it.
To Prepare the Ingredients
- Meanwhile, prepare the other ingredients. Peel 2 cloves garlic and thinly slice them.
- Remove the tough core of 3 leaves green cabbage and cut into 1-inch-square pieces.
- Drain ½ (5-oz) can albacore tuna (preferably packed in olive oil). Break any big chunks into smaller pieces (optional).
To Cook the Miso Butter Pasta
- Heat 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. While the oil is still not hot yet, add the garlic to start infusing its flavor into the oil. Make sure to coat the garlic with the oil.
- When the garlic is sizzling and well coated with oil, add the cabbage and coat with the oil for 2 minutes or so.
- Add the canned tuna and toss it together with the cabbage.
- Add freshly ground black pepper, 1 Tbsp unsalted butter, and 1 Tbsp miso. Stir to mix well and let the butter melt completely.
- Reserve ¼ cup reserved pasta water and add to the frying pan.
- Shake the pan and mix all the ingredients together. Make sure to dissolve the miso during this time.
- Add 2 tsp soy sauce and 2 tsp mirin.
- When the spaghetti is done cooking, pick up the noodles with a pair of tongs (or you can quickly drain in the sink) and add to the pan. Toss the spaghetti to mix it all together.
- Season the spaghetti with freshly ground black pepper. Taste and add salt if needed. The reserved pasta water I added has enough salt, so I do not add additional salt here. Serve the pasta to individual dishes. Enjoy!
Nutrition
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