Miso-Eggplant Spaghetti
Pasta
Ingredients
1 medium eggplant or several Japanese eggplants diced into 1-inch pieces
1 large red onion thickly sliced
1 pinch kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 Tbsp olive oil divided
4 tsps white miso
4 tsps mirin
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 tsp dark brown sugar
1 large pinch red pepper flakes
2 garlic clove grated
1/2 lb. spaghetti or other pasta
1 scallion thinly sliced, for garnish (optional)
Directions
Preheat oven to 400°F. I
n a large zip-loc bag, toss together the eggplant, red onion, salt, pepper, and 2-3 tablespoons of the olive oil. Seal & toss around until olive oil is well-distributed.
Pour all into a foil-covered sheet pan.
Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, or until charred at the edges.
n a small bowl, stir together the miso, mirin, vinegar, brown sugar, and red pepper flakes.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package directions.
Reserve some of the pasta cooking water - about ½ cup.
In the pasta pot (still very hot!) over low heat, add the remaining olive oil and minced garlic. Cook & stir about 30 seconds, or until garlic is fragrant. Add the miso-mirin mixture, stirring 30 seconds more to caramelize miso. (it should bubble up!)
Toss the drained spaghetti into this, cooking over the heat and stirring constantly until well-coated in the garlicky miso. At this step you can add a splash of the reserved cooking liquid if your pasta gets too tight.
Gently stir in the roasted eggplant and red onion.
Serve in pasta bowls garnished with a pinch of Kosher salt & the scallions.