Creamy Miso Carrot Pasta Sauce
This easy-to-make creamy miso carrot pasta sauce is the perfect homemade pasta sauce! This creamy sauce is packed full of flavor, it takes less the 30 minutes to make and is sure to be a hit with the whole family! Plus it adds a fun new twist to any pasta dish.
Equipment
- a large pot for boiling water
- a large saucepan or a deep skillet for making the sauce
- upright blender you can also use a food processor or immersion blender
Ingredients
- 4 shallots, chopped you can also use a white onion, yellow onion, or even a red onion if you are in a pinch!
- 4-6 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tbsp olive oil I like to use extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups* fresh carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds *heaping cups
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/4 cup white miso
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2-1 cup parmesan cheese
- 1 16oz box pasta of choice You can use any type of pasta or pasta shape that you like. I like to use a fun shape for this recipe!
- 2 cups pasta water
Instructions
Cook the pasta
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and cook the pasta to al dente according to the package instructions.
- Reserve 2 cups of the pasta water and set them aside. Drain the pasta, and return it to the pot it was cooked in.
- Add some butter or oil to keep the pasta from sticking, then cover and set aside. You can also rinse the pasta in cold to keep it from sticking, however, you will have to cook it in the sauce a little longer to ensure that it is heated through.
Make the Sauce
- In a large saucepan or a deep skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat until the oil is hot.
- Add the shallots and garlic cloves, and cook stirring often until the shallots are translucent, and the garlic is frangent
- Add the carrots and saute for 3-5 minutes.
- Add the salt, crushed red pepper, and miso, and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Pour in the reserved pasta water and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to simmer until the carrots are tender roughly 10 minutes.
- Once the Carrots are tender transfer the mixture to an upright blender. (see notes for other pureeing options) Blend the carrots mixture on low speed until it is completely blended and smooth.
- Pour the mixture back into the pan, on low heat. Add the heavy cream and stir to combine.
- Once the sauce is hot, add the cooked pasta and toss to combine. Finally, add the parmesan cheese and toss the pasta again, allow the cheese to melt slightly and the pasta to heat through before serving.
- Enjoy!
Notes
If you don't have an unright blender, you can also use a food processor or an immersion blender. If you are using a blender or a food processor, be sure to blend the sauce slowly and carefully, or even blend it in batches. The sauce will be hot and is important to be careful and make sure your cover is on tightly to avoid getting burned.
If you don't have enough pasta water or forget to save some,(I do this all the time!) You can use regular water, vegetable broth, or even chicken broth. You can also add more water or broth to the sauce if it is too thick for you.
I usually use regular orange carrots for this recipe, but you can use any kind you like! White, yellow, and even purple carrots will all work well.
Feel free to add any fresh herbs, spices, black pepper, different cheeses, or even meat to this sauce! Bacon or grilled chicken would be great.
Any leftover pasta sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days.
You can also make a large batch of this sauce and freeze it! However, you'll want to put it in the freezer BEFORE adding the heavy cream and cheese. When you are ready to use the sauce, put it in the fridge to thaw, heat the sauce over medium-low heat, add the cream, pasta, and cheese, and serve as usual.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!