Creamy Gochujang Pasta

5 from 1 vote

Creamy Gochujang Pasta is a 15 minute pasta dish made with korean gochujang paste, heavy cream, and red pepper flakes for added spice.

Prep Time5

Cook Time10

Total Time15

Course: Pasta

Cuisine: korean

Servings: servings

Calories: 712kcal

Cook pasta according to the packaging instructions. Once cooked, reserve at least ½ cup of pasta water before draining the pasta.
In a large skillet, melt butter and olive oil over medium heat.
Add minced garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
Add gochujang paste and allow to caramelize and deepen in color, around 2-3 minutes. Stir periodically to avoid burning.
Whisk in heavy cream, shredded parmesan cheese, and red pepper flakes and then reduce heat to low. Allow sauce to thicken for 5 minutes, stirring periodically.
Add in reserved pasta water as needed to thin out the sauce. I found ½ cup total of pasta water works best. Add cooked pasta to the finished sauce and stir to coat.
Serve topped with fresh basil and additional red pepper flakes, if desired.

Be sure to save a little pasta water before draining your noodles to use in the cream sauce. It's best to save more than you need, rather than risk not having enough. The recipe calls for ½ cup of pasta water, but I suggest reserving a full cup just in case your sauce needs it.

Start the pasta first, and then create the sauce. The sauce will come together in almost exactly the time most noodles take to boil.

If you are unsure how spicy you want your sauce, wait until the end to add your red pepper flakes and simply sprinkle them over the top.