Walnut Miso Noodles
A hearty noodle bowl recipe. Whole grain noodles and asparagus are tossed with a creamy, walnut-miso dressing plus a dollop of chile paste.
The markets here are full of color right now. Gold, red, and orange beets. Pink-fleshed pomelos. Tiny purple-streaked artichokes. Deep, dark leafy greens. This week I filled my basket with my favorite eggs, a loaf of whole wheat seed bread, fresh tofu, lots of leeks and spring onions, chard with electric-pink stems, and one bunch of pencil-thin asparagus. I bought a small bouquet of sunset-colored flowers with the change in my pocket and made my way home. A few of my finds when straight into my lunch, this hearty noodle bowl.
I made a quick, creamy walnut-miso dressing and used it to coat whole wheat noodles, plenty of sliced asparagus, leftover tofu, and a few other ingredients I had within reach. I was quite hungry or I might have taken the time to top off with a poached egg or two. Something I've done many times in the years since I first made this.
The main components here are whole wheat noodles tossed in a walnut-miso dressing. To make this seasonal I added the asparagus, scallions, and a big dollop of warming chile paste. I tossed some leftover tofu on top as well. The noodles and dressing are the foundation here, play around with all the different ways you can finish off the bowl to make a balanced meal of it.
For example, in the past I’ve used vibrant chard leaves and stems (pictured below), and another version using caramelized onions, roasted squash, greens, and a bit of cheese. If you’re looking for a summer or early fall version try roasted tomatoes, basil, and roasted peppers.
The Ingredients
Noodles: you can use a range of noodles here. My favorite for this recipe is this farro spaghetti but use whatever whole wheat, or whole grain pasta you like. Soba noodles are another good option!
Toppings: Blanched (grilled or roasted) seasonal vegetables, herbs and scallions, something spicy (Calabrian chile paste, sesame chile paste, or sriracha), a poached egg, sliced avocado
Miso: Feel free to experiment with the type of miso you use in the dressing. I started off using a mild white miso paste, but now tend to use red miso.
Nuts: I nearly always use toasted walnuts here, but toasted cashew or almonds are also fair game if that’s what you have.
The name of the game here is flexibility. Once you have the pasta and dressing dialed in, really focus on making the vegetables and other toppings great. And if you like this recipe, here's where you can find many more pasta recipes.
Premium Ad-Free membership includes:
-Ad-free content
-Print-friendly recipes
-Spice / Herb / Flower / Zest recipe collection PDF
-Weeknight Express recipe collection PDF
-Surprise bonuses throughout the year
Walnut Miso Noodles
You'll likely have a bit of dressing leftover. It’s great tossed with roasted broccoli or any other hearty salad. To make this recipe vegan, substitute a vegan sweetener for the honey in the dressing.
- 1/2 cup walnuts, toasted
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium clove garlic, peeled
- 2 tablespoons white miso paste
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 2 big pinches salt (optional), or to taste
- 1/4 cup+ warm water
- 8 ounces whole wheat spaghetti or linguini (or soba)
- 1 small bunch of asparagus, sliced thinly
- Topping ideas: sliced green onions, chopped chard stems and leaves that have been cooked for a minute or two in a skillet with a bit of olive oil and salt (see photo), chopped fresh chives or scallions, toasted walnuts, spicy chile paste, poached egg
-
Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
-
In the meantime, to make the dressing, use a food processor, blender or hand blender to puree the walnuts, olive oil, garlic, miso paste, lemon juice, and honey. Add the warm water a bit at a time until the dressing is the consistency of a heavy cream. Taste and add salt a bit if you think the dressing needs it. Set aside.
-
Salt the pasta water generously and cook the pasta per package instructions, being careful to not overcook. About 10 seconds before you are going to drain the noodles, add the asparagus to the pot. Alternately, you can cook the asparagus separately and use a spider to remove and set aside. Drain and toss the pasta with about 1/2 the walnut-miso dressing.
-
Toss the pasta well, adding more dressing if you like. Arrange in two bowls or on a platter. I finished off this version topped with the asparagus, sliced green onions, leftover tofu, toasted walnuts, and a good-sized dollop of Calabrian chile paste.
Serves 2 - 4
Related Recipes
30+ Best Pasta Recipes
Having a great line-up of pasta recipes is essential for easy weeknight cooking. This is a collection of dozens of the best we've cooked over the years. Here you’ll find basic homemade pasta techniques, baked pasta recipes, and pasta salads. There is a wide range to explore. Dive in!
Spicy Summer Miso Soup
A show-stopper miso soup made with a spicy broth punched up with garlic, ginger and chile paste. To that you add cubed potatoes, chopped cabbage and summer produce like cherry tomatoes, basil, and corn.
A Favorite Rice Noodle Stir Fry to Make with Whatever Green Veg you Have
A favorite noodle-based stir fry with silky rice noodles, bright and crunchy broccoli, toasted cashews, quick-marinated crumbled tofu, and pan-seared onions tossed in a feisty chile-boosted soy sauce.
Fire Broth Noodle Soup
This is the soup that saved me after my dad came home from the hospital recently. It's loaded with good things like beans, greens, and pasta and the broth is spicy and invigorating with lots of pepper, garlic, ginger, and chiles.
Post Your Comment
Comments
Looks really yummy and nutritious!
Be.au.ti.ful!! I am drooling! the vegetables in Milan is not that colourful at the moment, plus the cold+gray+rain is here again. Will try this with soba and some vegs I can find in the market on saturday. Thank you for sharing recipe Heidi :)
Thanks so much 101 Cookbooks. It's the only ting I subscribe to on the web! I'm going to finally break down and buy some miso for this recipe and the others that call for it. But I hate to waste anything. Which paste should I buy that would work for most of the recipes you have. Will the one for this dressing work for the soup too? Can I use a bolder miso for the dressing, just use less of it?
Awesome! Now if only I could stop overcooking my soba noodles. I do it every time!
Your photographs make this even more appetizing than it already sounds. I can't wait to try this...
It isn't fair..it really isn't fair. You have such interesting fruits and vegetables, and the market sounds wonderful. Why don't we have such great ingredients to play with. What does miso paste taste like? is it hot? spicy? what is a substitute?
It isn't fair..it really isn't fair. You have such interesting fruits and vegetables, and the market sounds wonderful. Why don't we have such great ingredients to play with. What does miso paste taste like? is it hot? spicy? what is a substitute?
This looks delicious! It's funny that you mention color because I just did a post on my blog about color and how I have noticed the switch from Winter to Spring more than ever this year. I think it is because I was so ready for the switch to occur! Also, I have your super-natural recipe search on my blog. I am not sure if you received my message telling you that or not.
Thank you for great recipes!This looks delicious and very easy to make!I have been a vegetarian for only two years now and you have inspired me a lot to experiment with different, healthy ingredients. I especially love your exciting comments(and adventures) before each recipe!
Looks beautiful. I love anything with miso!
what an innovative salad dressing idea. I do not have miso paste though..Can I try tahini instead of miso? would it be too overpowering? also, would rice wine vinegar work?
Hi Heidi, I'm headed out to San Fran this June. Any new ( or tried and true), restaurants out there that you love? I was out there last July and had a fab. meal at Delphina, followed by amazing ice-cream at Bi-Rite. I am a huge fan of tucked away neighborhood places. Would love your idea as I have the SAME tastes as you ( I think)! Thanks!!
This is really really pretty, Heidi. The pink is dazzling. I aspire to have your knife skills. :)
WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The dressing sounds like a great combination and perfect for whole wheat pasta. I just (finally) read SNC, and it was as excellent as I knew it would be. I'm looking forward to making Crema de Guacamole this weekend.
Spring is really starting to, well, spring, here in England at the moment. We're actually having a (gasp!) sunny afternoon here today. Your post really matched the day in terms of the bright, sunny colours and put a smile on my face. Sometimes I wonder if I'm subscribing to some sort of fabulous art/photography blog - your accompanying descriptions and snaps are so inspirational!
Looks super tasty.... and the photograph of chard is GORGEOUS!
I love whole wheat pasta! This recipe looks delicious and fresh.
Your photos are always beautiful but this one may be the best yet! Lovely. And it looks delicious, without being too much work.
I made this tonight with soba. So good! That is a lot of dressing though. Plenty for tomorrow. I added some toasted sesame seeds and had a piece of wasabi brushed steak. Mmm.