Beyond soups, Japanese miso (fermented soybean paste) can be used in marinades, sauces, condiments, and even desserts. Try it out in a pasta dish, especially where a lot of cheese is present—miso and cheese share similar earthy, mildly funky flavors. Combine both of them into a sauce, and a straightforward mac and cheese transforms into something more complex.
What kind of miso should I use?
Miso comes in different colors, starting from white and darkening into different shades from the Maillard reaction. The common varieties you’ll find are:
- White miso. A young miso with a short fermentation time, less salt content, and a mild, slightly sweet flavor.
- Yellow / brown miso. When people say miso, they often mean this variant. Its neutral flavor makes it suitable for everyday cooking.
- Red miso. Red miso is fermented longer than white and yellow miso, giving it a bolder, saltier flavor.
Some cooks like to mix red and white miso to make awase miso, tweaking the ratio to suit their taste.
So which miso should you use? Yellow or brown miso is your most versatile option—it’s what we used to develop this recipe. If you’re using a milder or stronger miso, start with less than you think you need, then slowly adjust to taste.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 400g elbow macaroni
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
- 2 large white onions, thinly sliced
- 1 cup fresh milk
- ¼ cup Japanese miso
- ½ cup cold butter, cut into little cubes
- 2 cups shredded cheddar or American cheese
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella
- salt and pepper, to taste
Cook macaroni: Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add elbow macaroni and cook to box instructions until al dente. Set aside 2 cups of pasta water before draining pasta. Set cooked pasta aside while you prepare the sauce base.
Cook onions: Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add onions and season with a few pinches of salt—this helps draw out moisture from the onions. Stir and cook until you get a light char, then lower the heat to medium.
Make sauce base: Add milk and miso sauce to the pan. Stir the miso into the milk to dissolve it completely, creating a nice brown sauce. Add cold butter and stir to incorporate.
Add mac and cheese: Add cooked macaroni to the sauce base. Add shredded cheddar and the 2 cups of pasta water you set aside. Fold until fully incorporated. Add mozzarella and stir again until all of the cheese has melted into the sauce. Season to taste, divide between serving bowls, and serve immediately.
Notes
Want a more Japanese touch? Top your miso mac and cheese with crunchy tempura flakes (like the stuff on top of Nihonbashitei-style spicy sashimi!) and thinly sliced scallions for texture and kick.
