This Creamy Gochujang Pasta dish is a fusion dish with incredible umami flavor and just the right amount of heat. The smooth, creamy gochujang sauce coats every bit of pasta, while crispy tempeh adds satisfying crunch and protein. Ready in about 30 minutes, it's a spicy, comforting pasta dish you'll want to make again and again.
Ohhhh baby
Friends, hello. This creamy, perfectly spicy, just ever so slightly sweet fusion pasta dish is one of my favorite things I've eaten lately. Like, standing over the stove eating it straight from the pan kind of favorite thing. It's just so, so good.
Honestly, I'm mad that it took me this long to consider using gochujang paste in place of tomato paste in a pasta dish. But I'm making up for lost time by eating this Korean-inspired pasta as often as I possibly can right now.
The gochujang cream sauce is so easy to make. It coats the slippery linguini noodles just so, and then we throw in a few handfuls of baby spinach to wilt down in the sauce, cubes of crispy tempeh, and finish the whole thing with lots of freshly cracked black pepper.
If you're not into tempeh, you can skip it or top your pasta bowls with a crispy fried egg instead. I've made tempeh pasta before with our protein-packed tempeh bolognese, and I'm thrilled to have another delicious way to incorporate this nutty plant-based protein into a pasta dish.
Let's make Gochujang Pasta together!
Alrighty, friends! You'll find detailed instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post (use the "jump to recipe" button to skip right to it) but for now let's take a visual walk through together.
Step 1: crisp your tempeh
Heat the avocado oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat. Add the tempeh cubes, and sauté until golden brown, then add the soy sauce.
Transfer the tempeh to a bowl, and return the pan to the heat.
Step 2: sauté the onions and garlic
Add the minced red onion to the pan and sauté until translucent—about 2-3 minutes. You may need to add a little more avocado oil to the pan at this point—tempeh is thirsty and soaks up a lot of oil!
Add the crushed garlic and sauté for a minute more.
Step 3: add the gochujang paste
Add the gochujang paste, and sauté for a minute until the color deepens.
Step 4: add the cream
Add the heavy cream, honey, and lime juice and stir to combine.
Taste the sauce, and adjust the seasonings as needed.
Step 5: add the pasta!
Add the drained pasta to the pan, and stir to combine with the sauce. Add a bit of pasta water, a couple of tablespoons at a time, until the sauce coats the noodles well.
Add the baby spinach, and the tempeh cubes. Stir to combine, until the spinach is wilted.
Season with salt and pepper, and serve!
Creamy Gochujang Pasta with Tempeh
Ingredients
- 10 ounces dried pasta I like linguini
- 2 Tablespoons avocado oil or other neutral oil
- 8 ounces tempeh cut into small cubes.
- 1 Tablespoon light soy sauce
- ¼ cup red onion finely minced
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 2-3 Tablespoons gochujang paste
- 1 Tablespoon honey or other liquid sweetener
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 1 cup pasta water
- 1 medium lime juiced
- salt and pepper
- 2-3 cups baby spinach
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt it well, and add the pasta. Cook according to package directions until al dente (about 10 minutes).
- Important! Before draining the pasta, be sure to scoop out 1 cup of the pasta water.
- Drain the pasta and set aside.
- While the pasta is cooking, heat a large heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat. Add the avocado oil, and then the tempeh cubes. Sauté until golden brown.
- Add the soy sauce and stir to combine.
- Transfer the tempeh to a bowl, and return the pan to the heat.
- Add the minced red onion to the pan and sauté until translucent—about 2-3 minutes. You may need to add a little more avocado oil to the pan at this point—tempeh is thirsty and soaks up a lot of oil!
- Add the crushed garlic and sauté for a minute more.
- Add the gochujang paste, and sauté for a minute, then add the heavy cream, honey, and lime juice.
- Add the drained pasta to the pan, and stir to combine with the sauce. Add a bit of pasta water, a couple of tablespoons at a time, until the sauce coats the noodles well.
- Add the baby spinach, and the tempeh cubes. Stir to combine, until the spinach is wilted.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Serve!
Notes
- Nutrition values are an estimate only
- Leftovers will last for 3-5 days in an airtight container in the fridge
Holly says
OMG another amazing hit! My Korean boyfriend is definitely enamored and said you could call this the new "Marry Me Pasta"!
It was a perfect foil to use up half and half and fresh spinach I didn't want going bad.
I didn't have tempeh but I used chickpeas instead.
This will be a new weekly meal- always love your work Katie! Thanks!!
Carol-Jean says
This wonderful combination of flavors immediately went into our regular menu rotation and works with or without the tempeh. Also good as a side dish.
I got the gochujang paste at Trader Joe's and have successfully substituted frozen spinach and other dairy and non-dairy milk for the cream.