Okay, so the other day I was craving mac and cheese, but I wanted something a little…different. I’d heard about miso mac and cheese and thought, “Why not give it a shot?” I’m no chef, but I do like to mess around in the kitchen.
First, I gathered my stuff. You know, the usual suspects: elbow macaroni (because that’s the classic, right?), butter, flour, milk. Then, the star of the show: some white miso paste I picked up from the Asian grocery store. And cheese, of course! I used a mix of sharp cheddar and Monterey Jack because that’s what I had.
Making the Sauce
I cooked the pasta according to the box, just regular boiling water and a pinch of salt. While that was going, I started on the sauce. Melted some butter in a saucepan, then whisked in the flour to make a roux – that’s just a fancy word for the base of the sauce, makes it thick and creamy.
Once the roux was cooked for a minute or two (don’t want it to taste like raw flour!), I slowly poured in the milk while whisking constantly. Gotta avoid those lumps! Kept stirring until it started to thicken up, then I turned the heat down low.
Here’s where the magic happened. I scooped in a couple of tablespoons of the miso paste and whisked it until it was all dissolved. It smelled kinda funky, but in a good way! Then, I dumped in the cheese and stirred until it was all melty and gooey. Seasoned it with a little salt and pepper – tasted pretty good!
Putting It All Together
Once the pasta was done, I drained it and added it straight into the sauce. Gave it a good stir to make sure every single noodle was coated in that cheesy, miso-y goodness.
- Boil pasta
- Make roux with butter and flour
- Whisk in milk until thick
- Add miso paste and cheese
- Stir in cooked pasta
And that was it! I scooped myself a big bowl and dug in. Honestly, it was way better than I expected. The miso added this savory, umami flavor that was totally addictive. It was creamy, cheesy, and just a little bit different. Definitely making this again!
