I’ve been a total grandma lately. Case in point: I’m currently sitting in my living room under a crocheted blanket and a snoozing lap dog. Cookie makes a fine laptop stand. My other grandmotherly activities of late include polishing silverware, tending to my houseplants, mending my chambray shirt and baking cookies. I can’t decide if I want to pick my knitting needles or golf clubs once all my things are in order.
A few Saturday nights ago, I stayed in and spent the evening testing roasted eggplant techniques. Good grief, I’m 27 going on 70! Salted vs. unsalted, halved vs. cubed, skin on vs. peeled. I decided on unsalted, cubed and peeled. You’ll see that I didn’t completely peel the eggplants in these photos. I wanted to verify my peeled verdict (ok, I was being lazy) and later regretted it.
I also tried miso butter, an idea I picked up from a recent issue of Martha Stewart Living. I decided to brown the butter first, add black pepper, and toss it with spaghetti and cubed eggplant roasted to golden pillowy perfection. Japanese miso might seem like a funny addition to Italian pasta, but the Japanese have been serving eggplant with miso (Nasu dengaku) for ages. The miso lends a salty, umami-flavored, magical je ne sais quoi to the dish.
I always know when I’ve hit something really good when I lose my grasp on space and time whilst going back for the next bite, and finally push back my plate with a “woah.” In reality, the woah might be an expletive, but my grandmother reads my posts so I try to keep myself in check. I hope you’ll give the recipe a shot and come back to report your uncensored opinion.
More Eggplant Recipes to Try
- Caponata, perhaps with Crostini
- Italian Eggplant Parmesan
- Pasta alla Norma
- Ratatouille
- Roasted Eggplant & Tomato Orzo Pasta
Roasted Eggplant Spaghetti with Miso Brown Butter Sauce
- Author:
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Main
Roasted eggplant and spaghetti tossed in an incredibly flavorful brown butter-miso-black pepper sauce. This dish is more buttery and carb-heavy than most others in my index, but some days call for butter and carbs. On those days, make this.
Ingredients
- 1 large or 2 medium eggplants (about 1.75 pounds), skin peeled off with a vegetable peeler
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- sea salt
- 6 ounces whole grain thin spaghetti (about ½ box)
- 5 tablespoons butter
- freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons white miso*
- ⅓ cup freshly grated Parmesan
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Chop the eggplant into ¾-inch chunks and toss in olive oil until all the edges are lightly coated in oil. Sprinkle with salt and arrange on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, tossing halfway. Pierce one of the large pieces with a fork and make sure it doesn’t offer any resistance—if it does, put the pan back in the oven for a few more minutes.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook the spaghetti according to package directions. Remove the pan from heat, reserve one cup of cooking water and drain off the rest. Return the spaghetti to the pan.
- Plop the butter into a small saucepan and let it melt over medium heat. Shimmy and swirl the pan by the handle often so the butter doesn’t splatter (if you hear a gurgling, pressurized sound, you need to stir the butter immediately!). Continue to heat the butter, swirling frequently, until you see little brown flecks in the bottom of the pan (this takes about three minutes).
- Remove the butter from heat and add a few twists of black pepper to the pan. Let the butter cool for a minute, then use a small whisk to mix in the miso. Then whisk in ¼ cup cooking water. (Do not add water to boiling hot butter!)
- Toss the spaghetti with the roasted eggplant, miso brown butter and ample grated Parmesan. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Miso butter adapted from Martha Stewart.
- *I used Miso Master Organic’s mellow white miso. It’s pretty readily available in well-stocked supermarkets and health food stores these days. Look for it in the refrigerated section near the tofu.
▸ Nutrition Information
P.s. Find my gingersnap pumpkin ice cream sandwiches on Design Sponge!
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
janae @ bring joy
“include polishing silverware, tending to my houseplants, mending my chambray shirt and baking cookies. I can’t decide if I want to pick my knitting needles or golf clubs once all my things are in order.”
You put Martha to shame.
I love keeping house & doing grandma-stuff. It’s kind of addicting too :). My favorite is organizing my cupboards. I’m a dork, I know.
Kate
Ha! I could hardly put Martha to shame. She probably pays people to tend to her things. I organized my cupboards the other day. It’s so much easier to find what I need now!
Laura (Tutti Dolci)
Um, sometimes I think I’m 27 going on 70, too ;). You had me at brown butter miso!
erin @ yummy supper
Kathryne, you are adorable! I have a huge smile over here thinking of you as a 27 year old grandma:)
And I’m digging your eggplant and miso combo. Yum! I bet it would be delicious on buckwheat noodles too.
Enjoy your cozy time,
xoxo
E
Kate
Thank you, Erin. :) Great idea to serve the eggplant and miso with buckwheat noodles. I bet that would be delicious.
Kelli
Way too often I feel like I’m 33 going on 83, and I’m sort of totally ok with it. You can never really go wrong with a Saturday evening spent in the kitchen. This beautiful dish is a nice reminder that I need to make eggplant more often.
Abby @ The Frosted V
WHOA! Ok I totally admit that I am a total grandma myself. I looove baking and cooking on the weekend as opposed to going out and dealing with the crowds, parking, etc. Old ladies for life! : )
Kate
Oh, parking is the worst! Old ladies for life!
Lindsey
I can totally relate to the 27-going-on-80 feeling! I prefer a night in over a night out any day…
As for the recipe, I can’t wait to try this! I’m new to miso, so anything that allows me to try it in a new way is high on my “to-make” list these days. Unfortunately, I am currently without a stove, so I will have to file this one away until my kitchen is back in action in a few weeks…
Kate
Sorry to hear about your stove situation, Lindsey! Hope you’ll get a chance to try this dish once your kitchen is up and running.
Kathryn
I’m totally a grandmother and proud of it. Eggplant roasting experiments sound like a truly excellent way to spend a Saturday night especially when there’s a bowl of this pasta at the end of it!
Angela
From one grandmother to another, this looks delicious! :) I too have caught myself doing several grandmotherly things lately, the most obvious of which involves going to bed at 8pm and being exceptionally excited about doing so. I’m intrigued by this miso butter concept, and pairing it with eggplant too! I love eggplant because it sops up whatever flavour it’s immersed in, so I bet this tastes incredible!
Kate
I might be a grandma, but I’m still a night owl! 8 pm is impressive. Hope you’ll try miso butter soon!
Nik
Not a fan of roasted eggplant (I know, I know) but I might try this with roasted mushrooms. That miso brown butter sauce is intriguing and I for one cannot resist the idea of “salty, umami-flavored, magical je ne sais quoi”
Kate
Oh, the sauce would be great with mushrooms! I also tried it with sweet roasted winter squash (kabocha). Pretty sure this sauce is good with everything.
Ruthy @ Omeletta
This would make a fantastic weeknight dinner- I love slathering eggplant with straight up miso and roasting it, so this miso butter sounds divine (and it’s BROWNED! I love it).
Kate
Thanks, Ruthy! I’ll have to try slathering eggplant with miso next. Sounds amazing.
Stefanie
Mmm, I am loving the total fallness of this dish. The colors and the warm earthy flavors! It is a dish like this that makes you excited about vegetables!!! Or maybe I am just as much of a grandma as you are! ;)
Grace @ Earthy Feast
I think we all have a little Grandma living inside us – mine tells me to be in bed by 9pm every night! This miso + brown butter situation has got me really excited, not only for eggplant but for all those squashes I have begging to be roasted! Yum! :)
Rebecca
Can I use vegan butter for this recipe:
Kate
Great question, Rebecca. I haven’t tried using vegan butter, but I googled it and it sounds like you should be able to brown vegan butter. If all else fails, you could just melt the vegan butter and proceed with the recipe. It will still be delicious.
Katrina @ WVS
I’m especially loving that sauce! Eggplant is fabulous in pasta…need. this. now.
Sophie @ dinnersforw
You’re so cute! And so productive!
And YES to this! Making it as soon as I get home from the gym (sprints today… oh boy). I mean I needed to roast some of the eggplant I have at home for packed lunches this week, but the rest? Needed to be dancing in miso browned-butter. With noodles and parm?? SO GOOD, I DIE
Kate
Sophie, how did the pasta turn out? I gotta know!
Tieghan
Ha! I am 20 going on 70! And I am not joking at all! LOL
Love this pasta!
Joanne
Is it weird that the idea of spending a friday recipe testing eggplant makes me super happy?
And miso brown butter. WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE?!?
Kate
I wish we were real-life friends, Joanne! We’re clearly kindred spirits.
Colleen
I absolutely love miso but I never quite know what to put it in. This is genius!
Kate
Thanks, Colleen! I love mixing miso into salad dressings, too. Anything that needs a salty kick of flavor seems to benefit from white miso. I think I might try adding it to mac and cheese soon!
dixya
brown butter miso – this just made my day. I will be reporting you back soon :)
Kate
Please do! :)
Maria
I want this for lunch!
Lauren
I can definitely relate on the ‘grandmother’ feeling. My fun comes from baking, reading old cookbooks, and watching reruns of ‘I Love Lucy’. Not the coolest stuff these days. Your recipe sounds delicious. To be honest, I wasn’t sure what I thought of all the ingredients together at first, but the fact that you uttered an expletive seriously gave me all the determination I need. :-)
Kate
I promise, it’s so good! :)
Belinda
oh I am 21 and I send more time at home on the coach than my parents do! We have swapped life styles, they party and I knit…
That miso butter sauce is divine! Can not wait to try it on my own meal of pasta
Chelsea@TableForOne
It’s ok Kate, I love doing grandmotherly things. Sometimes they are more fun than being young, wild, and free. Baking cookies and sitting under crocheted blankets are just about perfect. And that recipe….it looks so delicious. I just recently experienced my first eggplant baking and I decided that I love the vegetable.
Sylvie@GitK
Woah indeed, that miso brown butter sauce sounds amazing!
sharon
oh man, if you thought 27 going on 7o was bad, i’m 20 going on 70. i knit while drinking tea early in the mornings before work and school. i listen to the classical and npr station while i’m home. and my definition of going out is finding nice yarn, stopping at my favorite coffee shop/bakery and independent bookstore. old ladies unite!
kelsey
I would very much like to put that miso butter on EVERYTHING.
Tammela
This sounds good — I bet it’d be great with soba noodles to go with the Asian flavors.
Kate
I bet you’re right! Why didn’t I think of that?
Mary Ann
Hi Kate, and hello to Cookie too!
This weekend, I made your eggplant and miso recipe. It is really good. I used red miso, that was what I had, I did salt the eggplant before roasting and while my pieces were not uniform, the eggplant roasted well.
There was a small amount of left over and my guy took it for lunch today. (I made it while on a short vacation trip with my best friend). Joe really liked it and asked me to make it again.
And so, another winner from Cookie and Kate!
Many thanks,
Mary Ann and 7 wonderful rough collies who also like eggplant!
★★★★★
Kate
Mary Ann, thank you for commenting! I’m delighted to hear that you and Joe enjoyed the eggplant. And seven collies! Oh my. Cookie says hi, all.
karen
I made this with basmati rice instead of spaghetti. It was so good!. I preferred it without cheese. I would never have thought of this combination – thanks for sharing.
Kate
Thanks for commenting, Karen! I bet basmati rice is lovely with the miso and eggplant flavors.
Sara C
This looks soooo good! I have red miso in my fridge that never gets used. Do you know if there’s a big difference between the two?
Definitely having this for dinner tomorrow!
Kate
Hey Sara, I’m sorry I didn’t answer you sooner! I’ve never tasted red miso so I’m not sure about the difference between the two. I think that it has a bolder flavor, so you might want to scale back a little on the miso. Please let me know if you tried it out!
Devon, Shayna & AP
AP and Shayna made this when I was still at work – they added some wilted arugula. When I got home, I loaded it up with parmesan cheese, as I’m known to do, and devoured the bowl. So fantastic!
★★★★★
Kate
Thanks for the report! :) Arugula sounds like a terrific addition.
nhammm
Such a pretty looking recipe. Photography is amazing.
★★★★
Anna
This is delicious!!! I went a little light on the butter, and I think it could have used a little less still (I love the taste of the butter, but in small amounts).
Such a wonderful and surprising dish :-)
Kate
Thank you, Anna! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Monica
THIS WAS DELICIOUS!! My teenage daughter deemed it “a restaurant-worthy meal.” Can not wait for the leftovers for lunch tomorrow!
Kate
Hip hip hooray! Thanks, Monica! Glad you both enjoyed it.
April
I’ve made this several times and it has quickly become one of my favorites! I have been experimenting with miso for the last year, and it is an excellent addition to the brown butter and eggplant. I use whole wheat pasta with the following changes:
I add lots of crushed garlic (at least 5-6 cloves) to the butter while it’s getting brown;
I also add chopped fresh tomato to the pasta with the eggplant & sauce. Delicious! I’m so glad I found your recipe on pinterest!
Kate
Hooray! Thanks, April! Your version sounds stellar. The more garlic, the better, if you ask me!
Lynn
I wish the comments/review section was used for actual reviews. If folks need to make other comments, including “this looks good maybe I’ll make it some day”, perhaps that can be separated out: like a comment section and an actual “review” section. I still don’t know how good/worthwhile this recipe is.
Kate
Hi Lynn, you’ll have the best luck scrolling to the bottom of the comments to look for actual recipe feedback. I’d love to be able to highlight the comments from people who have actually made them, but I haven’t found a viable option yet.
Rebecca
This was so delicious! I couldn’t image how all of these ingredients were going to come together and was surprised how rich and creamy it tasted. This will definitely be a new favorite in our household. Thanks for always giving me new ideas Kate! :-)
★★★★★
Kathryn
I was really hesitant to try this because I’m only so-so on eggplant, but this was delicious and easy to execute! I did have one question: when I coat vegetables with olive oil I usually just pour a couple of table spoons on top and mix with my hands and with a couple of turns they are all covered, but when I try this with eggplant it always immediately absorbs any oil that touches it, so when I go to turn it, there’s no extra oil to spread around, then the eggplant tends to stick. Is there a secret to eggplant and olive oil you can share? Thanks!
Breanne
Made this last night – wasn’t a huge fan of the eggplant, but the sauce was amazing! Will make again with a different veggie – squash, zucchini, broccoli…it’ll support any veggie if one is eggplant averse.
Beth
My favorite eggplant recipe! Thanks
★★★★★
Pat
I would just like to say that I made this recipe tonight and it was delish! Also, every dish I’ve tried from your site has been really good…thanks for sharing these recipes
Kate
Thank you, Pat!
Yvette Mendez
Tried this recipe with whole wheat noodles tonite for dinner. It was delicious indeed. I’m just looking forwards to cooking so many of the dishes on this site. Everything I have tried so far is fantastic. You are an amazing cook!! Vegetarianism has been easy with your help. I’m going on my fourth week. All pain in my knees and arthritis in my hands is completely gone. My energy levels are off the charts, and I AM a grandmother. Today I was told I look like I am losing weight. I haven’t even bothered to weigh myself. I’m just going by how I feel but clothes are loser around the waist. I don’t want to obsess just enjoy my good eating habits now.
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Yvette! I appreciate your kind words and I am happy your are noticing an improvement in your overall health.
Claire Lee
My hubby says its a keeper.
Minus the fact that I forgot to get some parmesan cheese, it tastes very buttery and savory. It went really well with the white wine we brought from the winery visit last weekend :) thanks Kate
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome! Thanks for sharing, Claire.
Aileen Hentz
Clearly I’m a few years late, but I tried this recipe and really enjoyed it. I added roasted zucchini as well as the eggplant and some rehydrated sauteed shiitake mushrooms. It was delicious! I’m excited to try some more of your recipes.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Aileen! I appreciate your review.
Sharon Faibish
I liked this recipe but it tastes kind of buttery. I am wondering if I did something wrong.
Cindy Tracy
Wow – I just got a new favorite recipe from you – my husband loved it too!!!
★★★★★
Lara
My life changed when I found your cookbook and then I discovered your website! Absolutely can’t live without your recipes. No one even comes close to you. Can’t wait to try this recipe tonight.
★★★★★