Miso Butter Pastina

Not exactly pastina in the traditional sense, but still just as delicious and comforting, this miso pastina is everything I want in a quick dinner. Miso brings depth and flavor to an otherwise simple dish, and charred vegetables make sure that it forms a complete meal. Throw on a bit of parmesan for garnish, and enjoy my kind of simple, comforting pasta.

This pastina is thicker than the traditional, brothy Italian variety, but it comes out creamy, glossy, with a slight *hint* of mac n’ cheese energy. And if you’re like, “I have no idea what mac n’ cheese energy means,” just make this pasta once, and you’ll see exactly what I’m talking about.

This miso technique is very similar to other miso recipes I have on my blog (helloooo Miso Mac and Creamy Miso Soup!) but I keep the technique on repeat because it never ceases to be delicious. Read on for more info on how to make this unique, cozy and comforting pastina.

First, what is miso?

Miso is a salty, delicious paste that you can find at most Asian grocery stores or specialty food markets, and what’s great is more and more generic grocery stores are also carrying it as well.

Miso paste is a fermented paste that’s made by combining a mixture of soybeans with a mold called koji, which is typically used to make sake. After the initial inoculation, it’s all about time to let the miso ferment and gain more flavor.

What is pastina?

Pastiana is trending right now, and it’s for good reason. It is adorable, delicious, and a quintessential Italian comfort food. Its standard defintion is variety of pasta consisting of tiny pieces of pasta, typically round, but it can also be of varying shapes, like the farfalline. But in North America, however, pastina is most commonly known to refer to one type of pastina: “stellina.”

Pastina is usually used in brothy soups, along the line of chicken noodle, but it can be used in various applications. This miso butter pastina is just one of them!

Ingredients for this miso butter pastina

While the ingredients used in this dish are nontraditional, they work together to produce an intensely comforting dish by pulling from multiple culinary traditions’ cozy food arsenals. Here’s what you’ll need to make miso butter pastina:

• 1/2 head of cabbage, shredded
• 3 cups kale, stems removed and torn
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 tbsp salted butter
• 2 tbsp white miso paste
• 2 sprigs rosemary, stems removed
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 2 cups water
• 1 lb farfalline pasta
• 1 oz. parmesan, for garnish

How to make this miso butter pastina

First, preheat the oven to 400°F. Add the cabbage and kale to two parchment lined baking sheets, drizzle with the Worcestershire and olive oil, and toss them to coat.

When your oven reaches temperature, put the cabbage in and roast until charred on the edges, around 18-22 minutes. Add the kale in during the last 8 minutes to roast.

While the vegetables are cooking, put a dutch oven on medium heat. Add in the butter and let it melt, then stir in the miso paste, breaking it down with your spatula. Add in the rosemary and cook an additional 1-2 minutes. Then add in the all-purpose flour and stir to create a paste. Cook for 1-2 minutes to cook off any raw flour taste.

In batches, about 1 cup at a time, add in the vegetable stock, stirring continuously to form a thick, creamy sauce. As soon as the sauce is smooth, add in more stock and repeat. You’ll want to do this until you have a thin, but deeply flavorful broth. Stir in the water.

Bring the pot to a simmer and add in the pasta. Cook for 8-10 minutes, or until the pasta is al dente. For a brothier finish, feel free to add another cup of water during the boiling process.

When the pasta is done, scoop it into serving bowls. Top with a scatter of the crispy cabbage and kale, and a few sprinkles of freshly grated parmesan. Serve warm.

FAQs

What proteins can I serve with this miso butter pastina?

Since this pastina is small and delicate, I like to serve proteins that are delicate too, and will marry well with it’s creamy, buttery flavor.

I love tossing in butter beans directly to the soup, or adding in my crispy tofu right before serving. Another pairing I love is slow-roasted salmon. Just roast the salmon with a liberal coating of salt and pepper for 14-15 minutes at 325°F. It’ll come out buttery soft and delicious to pair with this!

Looking for other miso recipes?

Creamy Miso Soup

This creamy, dreamy soup is far from traditional miso soup, but it is absolute comfort in a bowl. Pair it with crispy toast and a poached egg, and you can make this a meal for breakfast, lunch or dinner!

Check out this recipe

Miso-Glazed Eggplant

This Miso-Glazed Eggplant is a take on the traditional Japanese Nasu Dengaku, but with a few of my favorite Indonesian ingredients added in the mix. I combine two sauces, kecap manis and sambal oelek, to create a sticky, sweet and spicy miso glaze and then double-cook this eggplant into soft, tear-apart, eggplant heaven.

Check out this recipe

Miso Mac (But No Cheese)

This recipe is all miso mac, but no cheese. It's a copycat Annie's Mac n' Cheese recipe that is easily made dairy-free, vegan and takes minutes to make. This is my ultimate comfort food recipe and I love it as an easy weekday meal.

Check out this recipe

And that’s everything for this miso butter pastina!

If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.

And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you <3

Miso Butter Pastina

5 | 3 reviews

Not exactly pastina in the traditional sense, but still just as delicious and comforting, this miso pastina is everything I want in a quick dinner. Miso brings depth and flavor to an otherwise simple dish, and charred vegetables make sure that it forms a complete meal. Throw on a bit of parmesan for garnish, and enjoy a simple, comforting, umami-packed meal.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Servings: 6 servings

Cook mode:Prevent your screen from going dark

Equipment

• ▢
  2 baking sheets
• ▢
  1 7-quart Dutch oven or large pot

Ingredients

• ▢ 1/2 head of cabbage, shredded
• ▢ 3 cups kale, stems removed, torn
• ▢ 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• ▢ 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• ▢ 4 tbsp salted butter
• ▢ 2 tbsp white miso paste
• ▢ 2 sprigs rosemary, stems removed
• ▢ 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• ▢ 4 cups vegetable broth
• ▢ 2 cups water
• ▢ 1 lb farfalline pasta
• ▢ 1 oz. parmesan, for garnish

Instructions 

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Add the cabbage and kale to two parchment lined baking sheets. Drizzle with the Worcestershire and olive oil and toss to coat.
3. Roast the cabbage for 18-22 minutes, or until charred on the edges. Add the kale in during the last 8 minutes to roast.
4. While the vegetables are cooking, put a dutch oven on medium heat. Add in the butter and let it melt, stir in the miso, breaking it down with your spatula. Add in the rosemary and cook an additional 1-2 minutes.
5. Add in the all-purpose flour and stir to create a paste. Cook for 1-2 minutes to cook off any raw flour taste.
6. In batches, about 1 cup at a time, add in the vegetable stock, stirring continuously to form a thick, creamy sauce. As soon as the sauce is smooth, add in more stock and repeat. You’ll want to do this until you have a thin, but deeply flavorful broth. Stir in the water.
7. Bring the pot to a simmer and add in the pasta. Cook for 8-10 minutes, or until the pasta is al dente. For a brothier finish, feel free to add another cup of water during the boiling process.
8. When the pasta is done, scoop it into serving bowls. Top with a scatter of the crispy cabbage and kale, and a few sprinkles of freshly grated parmesan. Serve warm.