So easy and super savory, this vegan garlic miso pasta with roasted cauliflower requires minimal ingredients and is ready in 30 minutes. This one-pot pasta features a creamy dairy-free sauce requiring no prep work and quickly comes together while the pasta is draining. Topped with perfectly roasted cauliflower, this garlic and umami rich meal is comfort food at its best. Whether it’s a busy weeknight or you’re preparing a more formal meal for vegans and omnivores alike, this simple but delicious meal is sure to leave your craving it weekly!
Thank you to Stahlbush Island Farms for sponsoring this post. All opinions are my own.
If you’re someone who finds yourself staring blankly into the fridge at 5pm hoping dinner will just make itself, this recipe is for you. Of the 30 minutes to make this easy vegan dinner, only a few of those are active. Most of the time is just waiting for the pasta to cook and the cauliflower to roast! It comes together effortlessly as a unique and pantry friendly meal sure to make it into your weekly meal repertoire as it has ours!
You could consider this the fancy version of (vegan) butter pasta or oil pasta. If you haven’t that before, it’s basically noodles tossed with (you guessed it), vegan butter or olive oil and lots of salt. We’re taking things up quite a few notches here, though, by adding an umami bomb (i.e. miso paste), a splash of rice wine vinegar for acidity and lots of garlic.
The crowning glory on this creamy vegan pasta is roasted cauliflower. I used Stahlbush Island Farms’ frozen cauliflower which is the perfect vehicle for lots of added flavors. The cauliflower is tossed with sesame oil and Everything-but-the-bagel spice, then roasted until golden and crispy in places. If you don’t have any of this spice, see below for substitutions.
This vegan garlic pasta is so simple but so delicious. Kids love it as much as the grown ups do!
How to Make Garlic Miso Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower
While your cauliflower roasts, boil the water and cook your noodles. While your pasta drains, whisk together the sauce. It literally takes only a minute to make it!
The garlic miso sauce really couldn’t be any simpler: Drain the pasta (saving 2 cups of the water) and while it hangs out in the colander, heat the oil. Briefly fry the garlic, pour in reserved pasta water and whisk in the miso paste, nutritional yeast and rice wine vinegar. Add the pasta back to the pot and bring to a simmer for a minute. You’re done! Serve the creamy noodles topped with roasted cauliflower.
This type of Japanese fusion pasta is really good with nanami togarashi if you enjoy a little heat. It’s a blend of red chili flakes, dried orange peel , sesame, seaweed and ginger. The citrus and ginger is very subtle – the spice offers some heat and a unique and addictive flavor. It’s something I like to have in the pantry for topping avocado toast, sandwiches, stir-fries, etc.
What is Miso?
Miso paste is a type of Japanese fermented bean paste most often made from soy beans, but can also be made (less traditionally) from other legumes like chickpeas. Miso has a unique flavor – it’s salty, savory, earthy, and is brimming with umami. It’s a great base for sauces, soups, salad dressings, and enhances vegan dishes like burgers, stir-fries, casseroles, etc. If you’re a big fan of miso, you’ll love this vegan mushroom miso ramen.
There are many different types of miso. Generally, the lighter colored miso pastes are milder and slightly sweeter. Darker varieties (red or brown) are more pungent and saltier due to their longer fermentation times. If you consume a gluten-free diet, be sure to look for miso that’s labelled gluten-free. While some are made entirely from soybeans or a combination of soybeans and rice, some varieties include barley or other grains in the ingredients.
Tips for Perfect Vegan Garlic Miso Pasta:
Whisk the miso really well with the hot pasta water. You don’t want any salty miso chunks in your pasta.
Use whatever pasta noodles you have – I’ve used long and medium noodles with success in this recipe.
Reduce the pasta cooking time by a minute or two. The pasta will finish cooking in the sauce and will become perfectly seasoned at that time. If you cook the pasta for the full recommended time (per the package instructions), the pasta may end up over-cooked when simmered in the sauce.
When the sauce is added to the pasta, things will look a little watery. After a minute or two of simmering, everything will come together perfectly as the starches from the pasta release becoming light and creamy.
Nutritional yeast adds somewhat of a parmesan flavor -it’s a bit nutty and cheesy. It’s a must for this simple vegan garlic sauce.
Everything-but-the-bagel spice (or seasoning) is available on-line and in most grocery stores in the spice section. If you don’t have any on-hand, I’ve included substitutions at the bottom of the recipe card. It’s basically a recipe for your own Everything-but-the-bagel spice!
More Easy Vegan Meals:
- Pesto Risotto, Roasted Tomatoes and Chickpeas
- Creamy Vegan Mushroom Wild Rice Soup
- Korean Lentils (Vegan Bulgogi)
- Sweet Potato Lentil Curry
If you make this Garlic Miso Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower, please give it a rating in the recipe card and leave a comment below! Follow along on Instagram where you can tag me in your creations using my recipes! You can also follow me on Pinterest for vegan recipe inspiration and on Facebook. Thank you for reading!
Garlic Miso Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 30 oz cauliflower florets, approximately 1 large head
- 3 tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp Everything-but-the-Bagel Spice (see notes for substitution)
- 15 oz long or medium-size pasta noodles (use gluten-free if necessary)
- ½ cup neutral tasting vegetable oil (e.g. grapeseed, avocado, etc)
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups reserved water from cooking the pasta
- ¼ cup miso paste (I use a lighter miso. Red or brown miso will be saltier and stronger tasting.) (use gluten-free if necessary)
- ½ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- ground black pepper, to taste
- sliced green onion and red chili flakes to garnish, optional
Instructions
For the Cauliflower:
- Defrost the cauliflower overnight in the fridge or a few hours at room temperature.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly oil a large baking sheet, or line it with parchment paper.
- Cut up any larger pieces of cauliflower so that the florets are all roughly the same size for even cooking. Drain the cauliflower and dry it on paper towel or a clean tea towel if necessary, and place on the prepared baking sheet. Toss the cauliflower with the sesame oil and Everything-but-the-Bagel spice.
- Spread the cauliflower out on the prepared baking sheet, ensuring there's space between each floret so they can crisp on the edges. If they are all together, they will steam and remain soft. Once the oven has preheated completely, place the cauliflower on a middle rack and roast for 25-30 minutes, tossing once half way through.
For the Garlic Miso Pasta:
- Prepare your pasta noodles according to package instructions except reduce the cooking time by 2 minutes. When the time is up, reserve 2 cups of the pasta cooking water. Drain the pasta in a colander.
- While the pasta drains, place the pot back on the stove over medium heat. Add the oil. When the oil is shimmering, add the garlic and cook it for 30 seconds. Add the water and miso – whisk well until the miso is dissolved. Whisk in the nutritional yeast, rice wine vinegar and black pepper to taste.
- Add the pasta back to the pot, stirring to coat and bring to a simmer for 1-2 minutes, or until the noodles are al dente. The sauce will look thin at first but it will thicken as the noodles finish cooking.
- Serve the pasta immediately with roasted cauliflower over the top, and garnish with green onions and chili flakes if desired. Store leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Like any pasta, the noodles will soak up any excess sauce – add a splash of water to leftovers when reheating to loosen them up.
Nutrition Info:
Notes:
- 1 ½ tsp coarse salt (if using table salt, use ¾ tsp)
- 1 ½ tsp poppy seeds (optional)
- 1 ½ tsp dried minced garlic
- 1 ½ tsp dried minced onion
- ½ tsp yellow sesame seeds
- ½ tsp black sesame seeds
The Nutrition Information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the Nutrition Information for any recipe on this site cannot be guaranteed.
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Ann Davis-Rowe
Sunday 19th of September 2021
Used this as meal prep (keeping most of the sauce on the side to add before reheating) and LOVED it.
Crumbs & Caramel
Wednesday 22nd of September 2021
I'm so happy you enjoyed the pasta, Ann! I love the idea of using it for meal prep, too! ~ Bronwyn