This gochujang pasta dish is spicy, salty, and slightly sweet. Loaded with ground chicken, sliced mushrooms, spinach, and a gochujang peanut sauce, and topped with scallions, crushed peanuts, and cilantro, this is the perfect fusion recipe to replace take-out for the week!
Table of Contents
This recipe is…
Gochujang (a spicy Korean paste made from red chilies, rice, soybeans, among a few other ingredients) and pasta don’t sound like an obvious match, but according to our research, people love this combination! A lot of what you’ll find on the web in this regard is more of a creamy gochujang pasta (think: an Italian vodka sauce-style dish but with a gochujang twist), but we wanted to bring you a complete meal, protein included!
Our gochujang pasta is made with spaghetti noodles (or any noodles you have on hand, really), ground chicken, spinach, mushrooms, and a creamy gochujang peanut sauce. The entire dish gets topped with cilantro, crushed peanuts, and scallions.
While this dish is absolutely delicious, fair warning that it is quite spicy. This isn’t your typical family-friendly pasta dish and, instead, would best be enjoyed by spice lovers for a special date night!
If you’re looking for more Asian-inspired recipes, we’ve got you. These lettuce wraps are our delicious spin on famous restaurant lettuce wraps, this crispy General Tso’s chicken is easy and so much tastier than take-out, and this Mongolian beef is the healthiest (but yummiest) riff off of the classic garlicky dish.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s different – if you’ve been making the same ole special pasta meal for date nights-in, this is your sign to change it up! I can guarantee that you’ve never had anything like this gochujang pasta.
- It’s easy – made in one pot (with the exception of boiling the noodles), this pasta dish makes for easy clean-up.
Gochujang Pasta Recipe Ingredients
You’ll need a handful of ingredients for this recipe! Find ingredient notes (including substitutions and swaps) below.
- Spaghetti – we chose spaghetti noodles for this recipe, but from ramen to penne, any shape of noodle will do.
- Gochujang paste – if you haven’t purchased gochujang paste before, it’s pretty easy to find. You can usually find it in the international aisle of the grocery store, and it’s typically sold in a tub (vs. a jar). If you can’t find it at your local store, this is a great Amazon option!
- Cilantro – we used cilantro as a garnish here, but fresh basil will also work!
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Recipe Variations and Modifications
- Use a different protein – while this recipe calls for ground chicken, feel free to swap it for ground pork or ground beef if you’d like. In that same vein, if you’d like to use a different cut of chicken, thinly sliced chicken thighs or chicken breasts would be really delicious too.
- Make it vegetarian – while we are definitely animal protein eaters over here, if you want to skip the ground chicken, feel free. The rest of the recipe will stay the exact same! This is also a great option if you want to serve the pasta as a side dish vs. the main event.
- Make it dairy-free – this recipe is dairy-free as-is.
- Make it grain-free – use a grain-free pasta (this Jovial cassava pasta is delicious) to make this recipe grain-free.
- Make it gluten-free – grab a box of gluten-free pasta (our favorite is Barilla’s gluten-free option for the most authentic pasta taste and texture) to make this dish gluten-free (that’s what we did!).
- Make it nut-free – skip the peanut garnish altogether or garnish with cashews for a nut-free alternative.
How to Make Gochujang Pasta
This recipe is incredibly easy to make! You’ll start by browning the ground chicken, then sautéing the mushrooms, making the sauce, boiling the pasta, and, finally, combining everything together. Follow along below for the full how-to.
Step 1: Cook the noodles in salted water according to package instructions, reserving 1 cup pasta water. While the noodles cook, heat the sesame oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the ground chicken to the pot, sprinkle with the salt, and cook and crumble until cooked through, about 7 to 9 minutes. Once cooked, remove the ground chicken and set it aside.
Step 2: Add the mushrooms to the pot and saute for 10-12 minutes over medium-high heat, until browned and reduced in size.
Step 3: While the mushrooms cook, add the chicken broth, gochujang paste, peanut butter, honey, and lime juice to a small bowl or jar and whisk (or shake) until combined.
Step 4: Return the chicken to the pot with the mushrooms, and add the spinach. Toss to combine and saute for an additional 5 minutes, until the spinach is wilted.
Step 5: Add the pasta to the pot, then pour the sauce over the top. Toss to combine. If needed, add the pasta water, until you have a smooth, sauce-like consistency.
Step 6: Garnish with scallions, cilantro, crushed peanuts, and sesame seeds, then serve and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
If, after you add the pasta noodles and sauce to the pot with the other ingredients, the dish seems too dry, simply add the reserved pasta water a little bit at a time, until you reach a smooth, sauce-like consistency.
How to Serve
Serve this pasta dish warm, all on its own, for a complete meal. Because it includes pasta, ground chicken, and a couple different veggies, it’s a solid meal as-is.
How to Store and Reheat
Store any leftover pasta in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
To reheat, simply pop a serving in the microwave for 1-2 minutes or reheat in a skillet over medium heat for 5-6 minutes, until warmed through.
Frequently Asked Questions
Gochujang is a thick, spicy, red paste made of red chile pepper flakes, sticky rice, fermented soybeans, and salt.
While gochujang and sriracha are both spicy, made from red peppers, and used in Asian cooking, they aren’t exactly the same. Gochujang is a paste that is typically added into sauces but packs too much of a punch to be used as a “finishing” sauce (how sriracha is typically used).
More Favorite Asian-Inspired Recipes
If you tried this Gochujang Pasta or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below!
Gochujang Pasta
Ingredients
- 12 ounces dry spaghetti noodles
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 pound ground chicken
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 large portabello mushrooms, cut into thin strips
- ¾ cup chicken broth
- ¼ cup gochujang paste
- 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons honey
- Juice of 1 lime, about 2 tablespoons
- 2 cups fresh spinach
- 6 scallions, sliced, for garnish, optional
- ½ cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped, for garnish, optional
- ¼ cup crushed peanuts, for garnish, optional
- 1 tablespoon white sesame seeds, for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Cook the noodles in salted water according to package instructions, reserving 1 cup pasta water.
- While the noodles cook, heat the sesame oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the ground chicken to the pot, sprinkle with the salt, and cook and crumble until cooked through, about 7 to 9 minutes. Once cooked, remove the ground chicken and set it aside.
- Add the mushrooms to the pot and saute for 10-12 minutes over medium-high heat, until browned and reduced in size.
- While the mushrooms cook, add the chicken broth, gochujang paste, peanut butter, honey, and lime juice to a small bowl or jar and whisk (or shake) until combined.
- Return the ground chicken to the pot with the mushrooms, and add the spinach. Toss to combine and saute for an additional 5 minutes, until the spinach is wilted.
- Add the pasta to the pot, then pour the sauce over the top. Toss to combine. If needed, add the pasta water, until you have a smooth, sauce-like consistency.
- Garnish with scallions, cilantro, crushed peanuts, and sesame seeds, then serve and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- Use a different protein – while this recipe calls for ground chicken, feel free to swap it for ground pork or ground beef if you’d like. In that same vein, if you’d like to use a different cut of chicken, thinly sliced chicken thighs or chicken breasts would be really delicious too.
- Make it gluten-free – grab a box of gluten-free pasta (our favorite is Barilla’s gluten-free option for the most authentic pasta taste and texture) to make this dish gluten-free (that’s what we did!).
- Make it vegetarian – while we are definitely animal protein eaters over here, if you want to skip the ground chicken, feel free. The rest of the recipe will stay the exact same! This is also a great option if you want to serve the pasta as a side dish vs. the main event.
Nutrition
what brand of gochujang did you use? I am struggling to find some that is gluten free?