Creamy miso butter noodles
Easier-to-swallow option below ↓Some evenings sweetness is the last thing you want, and that's when savoury earns its keep. Miso whisked into melted butter102 kcal makes a sauce that clings to every noodle and wakes an appetite that sugar can't reach.
The whole dish leans on one small technique: emulsion. A ladle of starchy noodle water whisked into butter and miso turns into a glossy sauce that coats instead of pooling. It's the same trick behind cacio e pepe, pointed somewhere new.
Umami is the flavour that asks you back for a second bite.
Why it works
Soft wheat noodles go down easily even on low-appetite days, and butter is the quietest way we know to raise the energy in a bowl without raising its size. The miso brings depth and a little salt, which is often exactly what a tired palate is missing.
Creamy miso butter noodles
Ingredients
- 200 g udon or other thick wheat noodles
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1.5 tbsp white miso paste
- 1 small garlic clove, finely grated
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 2 tbsp finely grated parmesan110 kcal (optional, for body)
- Toasted sesame seeds and sliced scallions, to finish
Method
- Cook the noodles in well-salted water until just tender. Scoop out a mug of the cooking water before you drain.
- In the same warm pot, melt the butter with the garlic over low heat.
- Whisk the miso into the butter with a splash of noodle water until smooth and glossy.
- Return the noodles and toss, adding more noodle water a spoonful at a time until the sauce clings. Finish with sesame oil, parmesan if using, sesame seeds, and scallions.
An extra tablespoon of butter or a soft-boiled egg72 kcal on top adds ~100-150 kcal without changing how the bowl eats.
Make it your own
- White miso is the gentlest; if you only have red, start with half the amount.
- A teaspoon of honey64 kcal rounds the sauce out if your miso runs sharp.
- It reheats kindly with a splash of water in a covered pan — low and slow.
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