gochujang garlic butter pasta

these gochujang garlic butter noodles for one are like your favourite buttered noodles elevated with the sweet, smoky heat of gochujang and lots of fragrant garlic. ready in about fifteen minutes, this pasta is the perfect balance of indulgent and effortless!

why you will love this gochujang garlic butter chilli pasta recipe

• easy recipe – this gochujang garlic butter pasta recipe uses simple ingredients and also comes together in a matter of minutes, which makes it great for busy nights or just when you feel like a comforting meal without spending hours in the kitchen.

• lighter than typical cream sauces – despite the butter in this recipe, the sauce is a lot lighter and brighter than heavy cream sauces, and the gochujang also adds complex flavour without overwhelming heat. so this is a great option for when you’re feeling something a little less heavy and indulgent.

• satisfying and easy to customise – despite its simplicity, this gochujang garlic butter pasta is really satisfying and comforting, and somewhat similar to buttered noodles, which is a classic comfort meal. this pasta is also really easy to customise with your favourite add-ins and you can easily make this gochujang garlic butter pasta healthy by adding some vegetables and serving this with a protein like chicken or shrimp.

learn how to make this easy garlic butter pasta

to make this gochujang garlic butter fusion pasta, we’re going to start off by cooking the pasta. then, in a pan, we’ll make a quick gochujang garlic butter sauce by cooking fresh garlic in butter until it becomes a light golden colour. then, we’ll add gochujang paste, chicken stock and some extra seasonings. once the sauce thickens up, we’ll add the cooked pasta, then add some more butter as well as some parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese and mix that into the pasta. top with more parmesan and we’re done!

gochujang garlic butter pasta ingredients

• pasta – you can use any shape of pasta that you prefer for this gochujang garlic butter pasta dish. boil the pasta with salt and water.

• butter – this gochujang garlic butter pasta recipe uses unsalted butter. we’ll cook the garlic in butter and also add some butter later on to mix into the cooked pasta.

• garlic – i like to make the gochujang garlic butter pasta sauce with minced garlic for this recipe.

• gochujang – i’m just adding about a tablespoon of gochujang to these garlic butter gochujang noodles to add some flavor and an extra kick.

• seasonings – this gochujang garlic butter herb pasta just uses a mix of black pepper, red chilli flakes, salt and mixed herbs. you can adjust these to your taste. i did not make this gochujang garlic butter pasta with garlic powder as i’m using fresh garlic anyway, but you can also add this if you like.

• chicken stock or broth – you can use chicken stock or chicken stock powder/a stock cube mixed in water for this gochujang garlic butter noodles recipe.

• cheese – i make this gochujang garlic butter pasta with parmesan and a little bit of mozzarella. mix both into the pasta and top with some more parmesan cheese after serving.

• pasta water – if you don’t have chicken stock or broth on hand, feel free to save some pasta water when draining the cooked pasta and add that in mixed with stock powder or a stock cube.

step by step instructions

for full measurements, keep scrolling down to the recipe below.

step one: boil your pasta in water with some salt and cook for less time than stated on package instructions. we’re going to cook it in the sauce for a bit at the end, so we want to make sure it’s not overly soft. once the pasta is firm with a little bit of bite to it, drain the pasta and set it aside. remember to save some pasta water if needed.

step two: heat up a pan over low-medium heat, and add oil and butter to the pan. let the butter melt in the pan, then add the minced garlic. cook the garlic in the oil and butter over low-medium heat for about 50 seconds or until the garlic becomes a light golden colour.

step three: add the gochujang to the pan and stir it into the mixture. cook over low heat for about a minute.

step four: add the chicken broth to the pan, as well as the black pepper, salt, mixed herbs and chilli flakes.

step five: mix all of this together, then gently bring the mixture to a boil, stirring as you do this.

step six: once the mixture has thickened up slightly, add the cooked pasta to the pan and mix it into the gochujang garlic butter pasta sauce until the pasta is coated.

step seven: add more butter and some parmesan cheese. mix this in, then cook the gochujang garlic butter pasta over low-medium heat for about a minute.

step eight: add mozzarella cheese and mix it into the pasta until it melts.

step nine: serve, top with more freshly grated parmesan cheese and let’s eat!

tips and notes

• slightly undercook the pasta as it will continue to cook and soften when you add them to the sauce at the end. this ensures the perfect texture and prevents the pasta from becoming overly soft and mushy.

• if you want to adjust the consistency of the gochujang garlic butter pasta sauce, feel free to add more chicken stock or add some pasta water.

• adjust seasonings to your taste – this quick gochujang garlic butter pasta is a bit on the spicier side, so if you don’t like much spice, feel free to reduce the amounts of the black pepper and the red chilli flakes in this recipe. you can also reduce the amount of gochujang or use a milder gochujang if you’re worried about spice.

• adjust salt to your taste – keep in mind that chicken stock, gochujang and cheese add saltiness to this dish, so you’ll want to be careful about how much salt you add. if you feel that the pasta needs some extra salt, then go ahead and add some to the sauce.

• make this gochujang garlic butter pasta with chicken or shrimp for some extra protein.

• feel free to adjust the amounts of butter in this gochujang garlic butter mozzarella pasta if you want it to be a bit richer. i wanted to keep the sauce and this recipe relatively light, so i decided not to add too much.

• for the best flavour and texture grate the parmesan cheese fresh instead of using pre-grated cheese.

frequently asked questions

1. can i make these gochujang garlic butter noodles with vegetables ?

   – of course! you can definitely customise this recipe and add any of your favourite vegetables to it.

2. can i make this gochujang garlic butter pasta with heavy cream ?

   – i decided to make the gochujang garlic butter pasta sauce without cream in order to keep it light and not overly rich. however, if you’d like this gochujang garlic butter pasta to be creamy, you can add some heavy cream after adding the chicken stock and seasonings and bringing that to a boil. stir the heavy cream in over low heat and then let it simmer until the sauce thickens.

3. do i have to make this gochujang garlic butter pasta with parmesan ?

   – parmesan adds a delicious savoury and salty note to this gochujang garlic butter parmesan noodles recipe but it’s absolutely not necessary. you can omit the parmesan cheese if you don’t have it or would prefer a lighter version of this dish.

4. can i make this gochujang garlic butter pasta with garlic powder instead of fresh garlic ?

   – fresh garlic is recommended for this recipe for the best flavour. however, if you don’t have fresh garlic, then you can use garlic powder instead.

5. do i have to use chicken stock for this gochujang garlic butter pasta recipe ?

   – you can use chicken stock powder mixed in pasta water instead of chicken stock. alternatively, if you’d like to keep this vegetarian, you can use vegetable stock or just pasta water on its own. if using only pasta water, you might need to adjust seasonings as the sauce might lack some flavour.

6. do i have to use butter and oil for this gochujang garlic butter pasta recipe, or can i just use oil ?

   – butter is one of the main ingredients in this gochujang garlic butter pasta recipe as it gives the sauce richness and flavour. however, if you want to make this recipe a bit lighter, you can replace the butter with oil.

7. can i make this gochujang garlic butter noodles recipe with shrimp or some other kind of protein ?

   – absolutely! you can make this gochujang garlic butter pasta with steak or shrimp or chicken or any other protein that you like.

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