Miso Carbonara Recipe

Cook pasta

Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until very al dente (about 1–2 minutes less than package instructions). Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.

Before draining, reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Drain the pasta well and set aside briefly.

When sauce is ready (see below), add the hot drained pasta to the skillet with the rendered miso-guanciale and toss to coat, then remove the skillet from heat and proceed to sauce emulsion.

Finish: after tossing pasta with the sauce (see sauce emulsion step), add the 3 tbsp grated Pecorino Romano and freshly ground black pepper. If the sauce seems too thick, add reserved pasta water, 1–2 tbsp at a time, until silky and coating the noodles. Taste and adjust seasoning (a tiny pinch of salt only if needed; miso and guanciale are salty). Sprinkle chives or scallions if using and serve immediately.

Prepare egg-miso mixture

In a medium bowl, whisk together 4 egg yolks and 1 whole egg until smooth. Whisk in 2 tbsp white miso paste until fully combined and no lumps remain. Add 2 tbsp grated Pecorino Romano and (if using) 2 tbsp heavy cream; whisk until silky. Cover and keep at room temperature while pasta and guanciale cook (or chill briefly if kitchen is hot).

Temper eggs (to avoid scrambling)

When pasta is cooked and you have reserved pasta water, ladle about 1/4 cup of the hot pasta water into the egg-miso mixture while whisking constantly to temper the eggs and loosen the sauce. Set aside.

Emulsify with pasta: after removing the skillet from heat and tossing the pasta with the rendered miso-guanciale, pour the tempered egg-miso mixture over the pasta and toss vigorously (or stir rapidly) until the sauce thickens into a glossy, creamy coating. If necessary, add reserved pasta water, 1–2 tbsp at a time, to reach desired consistency. Work quickly so the residual heat cooks the eggs but does not scramble them.

Render guanciale with miso

While pasta water heats, place a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tsp neutral oil and 6 oz diced guanciale (or pancetta). Cook, stirring occasionally, until the fat renders and the meat becomes crisp at the edges, about 6–8 minutes. If using, add the smashed garlic clove and/or minced shallot for the last 1–2 minutes to soften and perfume — remove and discard the garlic clove before combining with pasta.

When the guanciale is nearly done, stir in 1/2–1 tsp of the reserved rendered fat into a small spoonful of white miso (or dissolve 1/2 tbsp miso in a little hot fat) to loosen it, then return this mix to the pan and stir to coat the meat and flavor the fat. This step blooms the miso flavor and helps it incorporate into the sauce base. (Note: do not add the main 2 tbsp miso paste directly to the hot pan; it goes into the egg mixture to ensure smoothness.)

Keep the skillet off direct high heat before adding the egg mixture; residual heat is used to cook and emulsify the sauce without scrambling the eggs.