Gochujang Pasta

This creamy gochujang pasta is super easy to make and takes only 15 minutes, making it perfect for any weekday meal! It's a little spicy, savory, and slightly sweet, with fragrance of garlic and green onions. Garnished with grated parmesan, this fusion pasta is absolutely irresistible!

Craving a creamy pasta dish with a little heat? This gochujang pasta totally hits the spot! Plus, it takes only 15 minutes to make, which makes it perfectly for a quick weekday meal!

Now you have a tub of gochujang in your fridge, try our favorite gochujang recipes that we think you'll also love: gochujang foil baked salmon, Korean BBQ chicken rice bowl, rice paper cheese tteokbokki, and bibim guksu.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Instruction
• Recipe tips
• Storage and reheating
• FAQ
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Feedback

Ingredients

Please scroll down to the recipe card for the ingredient quantities!

• Pasta - Any pasta is fine, but we recommend ones with ridges and groves. These pastas pick up sauce really well. Our favorite is rigatoni.
• Butter - Unsalted butter is highly recommended so that you can easily control the seasoning of the sauce.
• Garlic - Fresh garlic will add a lot of flavor to the gochujang sauce.
• Gochujang - Also known as Korean red pepper paste. It's usually sold in plastic, rectangular tubs. You can find them at most Asian markets and even some grocery stores like Whole Foods.
• Heavy cream - Cream adds body and richness to the pasta sauce and makes the sauce super creamy!
• Sugar - Just a little bit of granulated sugar is needed to help balance and round out the gochujang pasta sauce. You can also use your preferred sweetener instead.
• Pasta water - Save some pasta water when the pasta is cooked to al-dente. The pasta water contains starches that will thicken the pasta sauce and finish cooking the pasta in the sauce.
• Green onion (optional) - Mostly for color but also adds some onion flavor to the sauce.
• Parmesan (optional) - Parmesan is definitely the classic duo for any pasta dish. It'll be a nice color contrast to the gochujang pasta, adds richness, and add a little more saltiness the pasta needs. We like to grate fresh parmesan, but feel free to use whatever you prefer.
• Salt - We recommend salting the pasta water so that the pasta gets seasoned as it's boiled. The salt in the pasta water will also slightly season the pasta sauce.

Instruction

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil and season with salt to taste. Add the pasta and give the it a stir. Cook the pasta to al-dente, about 10 to 12 minutes or according to the package instructions. Make sure to stir occasionally.

🌟 Pro tip: We recommend about 1 teaspoon of salt per 3 to 4 cups of water, but feel free to season to taste.

2. While the pasta is boiling, make the sauce. First, add 2 tablespoons of butter into a large nonstick pan over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, add the garlic and saute until fragrant.

3. Add the gochujang paste and cook briefly, about 30 seconds or until fragrant and combined with the garlic.

📝 Note: Depending on the brand of gochujang, the spiciness, sweetness, and saltiness may vary. So if needed, hold back about ½ tablespoon of gochujang and adjust to your preference.

4. Pour the heavy cream into the pan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Mix the sauce until the gochujang and heavy cream are well combined. Set aside until the pasta is ready.

📝 Note: When cream is heated, a film may form over the cream. That is okay. You can just stir it up later when adding the remaining ingredients.

5. When the pasta is al-dente, reserve ½ cup of the pasta water. Then, drain the pasta well.

6. Add the reserved pasta water and sugar into the gochujang cream sauce and stir to combine. Bring the sauce to a simmer over medium heat and add the drained pasta. Let the pasta simmer in the sauce for about 2 to 3 minutes, or until the sauce thickens enough to coat the pasta well. Stir and toss the pasta frequently.

7. Once the sauce is thick and the pasta is well coated, turn off the heat and add the last tablespoon of butter and the sliced green onions. Constant stir and swirl the pan until the butter is well combined.

8. Serve the pasta immediately and garnish with some more green onions and your desired amount of grated parmesan. Enjoy!

Recipe tips

• Use pastas that can hold sauces. This way, each bite of pasta will be sauce-y. We recommend pastas with ridges and grooves like rigatoni and penne, but spaghetti and fettuccine is great too!
• Don't rinse the pasta. The starch on the surface of the pasta actually helps it hold on to sauces and to thicken the sauce. And don't worry about clumping! The pasta will naturally separate with added to the sauce.
• Don't make the sauce over high heat. Because this sauce is a cream-based sauce, cooking over high will either break the cream (the sauce will look separated) and/or curdle the cream.

Storage and reheating

Let any leftover gochujang pasta cool completely before storing in airtight containers. Keep refrigerated and it will be good for up to 4-5 days.

To reheat, add a couple tablespoons of cream or water into a nonstick pan over medium heat. Add the leftover pasta and heat until warmed through. Make sure to stir frequently. Garnish with more parmesan if you wish.

You could also reheat the pasta in the microwave, but the sauce will likely curdle. If you don't mind that, it'll be much faster and convenient. Just make sure to cover the pasta when microwaving.

FAQ

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