As someone who adores carbonara and Japanese flavours, Chrissy Teigen's spicy miso pasta was a must-try for me. The original recipe certainly did not disappoint but I tend to modify every recipe I make. This recipe has a few simple tweaks and also includes a mushroom option for vegetarians and omnivores like me who like to have a night off the meat. If you eat meat, I urge you to try both versions. The pancetta version is super but mushroom and miso are an excellent pairing that should not be missed.
I also discovered that a light sprinkling of furikake seasoning or sesame seeds adds a delightful crunch and brings even more yummy umami flavour to the dish.

🛒 What do I need to make this recipe?
Ingredients:

Possible substitutions:
- Pasta - I tend to opt for linguine or spaghetti just because I find it's in-keeping with the carbonara vibes but you can use any pasta-type you fancy.
- Bacon lardons or pancetta - try chicken or sausage if you want to switch up the protein type.
- Fresh red chilli- you can switch this for chilli powder or additional hot sauce. You might also choose to omit this if you are particularly sensitive to spice.
- Garlic - I tend to opt for fresh garlic but you can also use garlic paste or granules.
- Sesame seeds / furikake seasoning - a sprinkling adds a delightful nutty crunch to the finished dish. This is optional but highly recommended.
Tools & equipment:
- Medium to large frying pan - choose one that can hold the cooked pasta and sauce. If you don't have a big enough frying pan you can use a small one to cook the pancetta / mushrooms with the chilli and garlic and toss the cooked pasta with the sauce in the sauce pan you used to cook the pasta.
- Small jug or bowl - for mixing the sauce ingredients.
- Tongs - for tossing and serving the cooked spaghetti.
🧑🍳 How to make Spicy Miso Pasta
1. Cook the pasta
Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions in a large saucepan of generously salted boiling water.
2. Make the sauce
Mix the miso paste, soy sauce and hot sauce in a small jug or bowl. Then beat in the eggs and stir in the grated parmesan.

3. Sauté the pancetta or mushrooms with fresh chilli and garlic
Pancetta / bacon lardons option: Place a medium to large frying pan on a medium to high heat and add the pancetta and bacon or pancetta and cook for a few minutes. Then add the fresh chilli and garlic and continue to sauté for a couple more minutes.
Vegetarian mushrooms option: Place a medium to large frying pan on a medium to high heat and add a little oil to the pan. Add the chilli when the oil is hot and fry for a few minutes. Then add the mushrooms and fry them until they start to brown. Then add the garlic and cook for one minute until fragrant.

4. Toss it all together
When the spaghetti is ready be sure to reserve a little of the starchy pasta water before you drain it. Add the cooked spaghetti to the pan with the cooked mushrooms or pancetta, pour on the sauce and toss it all together. Serve immediately topped with scallions/spring onions and option sesame seeds or furikake seasoning.

👍 Top tips for perfect Spicy Miso Pasta
- Ensure the pasta water is salted generously - don't hold back when salting the pasta water. It should be as salty as the ocean. If this makes you feel concerned about your sodium intake remember that most of the salt will be poured away when you drain the cooked pasta.
- Reserve some of the starchy pasta water - it will be very valuable if you find that the pasta requires some additional moisture before serving.
- Switch out the pancetta for mushrooms - mushrooms and miso are an excellent combination. Of course, you'll want to make the dish this way if you are vegetarian but it's also great option for omnivores who want to take a night off the meat.
- Top the finished dish with sesame seeds or furikake seasoning - this is optional but highly recommenfed. A sprinkling of sesame seeds or furikake seasoning adds a lovely crunch and adds to the more Asian and umami flavours.

🙋 FAQs
This recipe is one that should be served immediately and tastes best fresh. You can store leftovers in the fridge for up to 2 days and reheat them on the stove or in the microwave. This is safe and will taste fine but be warned that it won't taste anywhere near as good as a fresh batch. This dish is not suitable for freezing.
It's made from fermented soybeans and is a key ingredient in Japanese cuisine. Miso paste is very nutritious and provides fibre, protein and antioxidants. The miso paste becomes darker the longer it is fermented for. A light miso paste is suitable for spicy miso pasta and is the variety that tends to be the most accessible in most Western supermarkets.
Miso paste has a strong salty and umami flavour but is not spicy. The flavour of miso combines well with meat. Add fresh chilli, hot sauce, chilli oil or chilli powder to bring spiciness to a miso-based dish.
Most miso pastes are made solely from plant-based ingredients. There are some varieties that contain fish so be sure to check the ingredients if you are vegetarian or vegan.
Other quick and tasty pasta recipes
- Sage butter and walnut pasta
- Easy Pesto Lasagne
- Puttanesca Pasta
- Spicy Prawn (shrimp) Pasta with Harissa and Feta

Spicy Miso Pasta
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 2 1x
Description
A quick and tasty east-meets-west pasta dish where pasta and pancetta (or mushrooms) are tossed in a spicy miso-based egg sauce.
Serves 2. Use the scaling buttons below to double or triple the quantity.
Ingredients
- 200g (or 7oz) linguine or spaghetti (or other pasta type of choice)
- Sea or kosher salt
- 1.5 tbsp light miso paste
- 0.5 tbsp soy sauce
- ½ tbsp hot sauce
- 2 eggs
- 2 tbsp finely grated parmesan
- 60g (or 2oz) bacon lardons or pancetta - cut into bite-sized pieces or 150g (or 5oz) mushrooms - sliced
- 1 red chilli - finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- 2 scallions / spring onions - finely chopped
- Optional sesame seeds or furikake to garnish
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to packet instructions and make sure you add plenty of salt to the pasta water.
- Mix the miso paste, soy sauce, hot sauce in a separate jug or bowl. Then beat in the eggs and stir in the parmesan.
- Pancetta / bacon lardons option: Place a medium to large frying pan on a medium to high heat and fry the bacon lardons/pancetta for a few minutes. Then add the red chilli and garlic and continue to cook them for a couple more minutes until they are fragrant. Vegetarian mushrooms option: Add 1 - 2 tbsp of oil to the pan and fry the chilli for two minutes when the oil is hot. Then add the mushrooms and cook them for a few minutes until they are brown before adding the garlic and cooking for 1-2 more minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside when done.
- When the pasta is ready save a little of the starchy pasta water before you drain it.
- Add the pasta to the pan with the garlic and chilli, pour on the egg mixture and toss to incorporate. Pour in a little of the reserved pasta water if you feel that pasta requires more moisture. (Note 1)
- Serve immediately topped with green onions/scallions and optional sesame seeds / furikake.
Notes
- Add the pasta water little by little, no more than 1-2 tablespoons at a time.
- Category: Pasta
- Method: stove-top
- Cuisine: Fusion
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 839
- Sugar: 8g
- Sodium: 1176.7mg
- Fat: 20.6g
- Saturated Fat: 6.6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11.2g
- Trans Fat: 0.1g
- Carbohydrates: 129.3g
- Fiber: 8g
- Protein: 37.9g
- Cholesterol: 208.1mg
Keywords: spicy miso pasta
Yummy and easy. I didn’t realize the eggs wouldn’t be cooked until I made it. Any info on safety? Thanks!
★★★★
Thank you for commenting, Sabrena. Glad you enjoyed the dish. The heat from the pasta and reserved pasta water should cook the eggs. You can also use pasteurised eggs if you still feel concerned.