A couple of weeks ago I shared a great side dish for the holidays, bruleed cauliflower with chorizo breadcrumbs. Today I'm taking the same breadcrumbs and pairing them with kimchi pasta. What can I say, I'm addicted to those breadcrumbs! And this pasta is just the perfect dish for them. Just imagine al dente noodles tossed in a spicy creamy sauce, topped with a perfectly poached egg, and finished with scallions and chorizo breadcrumbs. Heaven.

Recipe

Print Recipe

Kimchi Pasta with Chorizo Breadcrumbs

Total Time45 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Korean

Keyword: pasta

Servings: 4

Author: Christine Ma

Ingredients

Chorizo breadcrumbs

• 2 ounces chorizo cured
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 cup breadcrumbs

Kimchi pasta

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 cups kimchi chopped with its juices
• 1 tablespoon gochujang
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 lb spaghetti
• ½ cup reserved pasta water
• 1 tablespoon butter
• ½ cup grated parmesan
• 4 poached eggs
• ¼ cup scallions chopped

Instructions

• Make the chorizo breadcrumbs. Chop the chorizo into small chunks. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the chorizo and saute until browned, about 3-4 minutes. Add the breadcrumbs and stir to combine. Continue to cook until the breadcrumbs become golden brown. Remove from heat and drain the chorizo breadcrumbs on paper towels.
• Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add 2 cups chopped kimchi with its juices in the pan and saute until caramelized, about 5 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon gochujang, stirring to combine. Add 1 cup coconut milk and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Heat a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the spaghetti until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving ½ cup pasta water.
• Add the pasta to the kimchi sauce along with ½ cup pasta water, ½ cup grated parmesan, and 1 tablespoon butter. Stir to combine and season with salt and pepper.
• Portion the pasta into 4 bowls and top with a poached egg and chopped scallions. Serve immediately.

**Helpful tips and common mistakes

Kimchi pasta combines all of my favorite comfort foods into one: kimchi, parmesan, eggs, and pasta. This dish is that perfect weeknight dinner on a rainy night, or for well, any other occasion.

First things first, the chorizo breadcrumbs. These are so incredibly easy to make. Simply, saute the chorizo, add the breadcrumbs and that's it! Chorizo can be oily so drain the breadcrumbs on paper towels to remove any excess oil. Although I prefer fresh breadcrumbs, panko also works.

Now let's get to making the main dish, the kimchi pasta. While the pasta is cooking, make the sauce. Saute the kimchi with its juices until it's nice and caramelized. Since kimchi is a fermented vegetable it can taste sour; however, when it's sauteed, that sour flavor diminishes and the savory notes are highlighted.

Season the sauteed kimchi with gochujang, a Korean chili paste, and coconut milk. If your kimchi is on the salty side, add a pinch of sugar.

Now add the cooked noodles to the sauce along with the reserved pasta water, parmesan, and butter. As always, season with salt and pepper.

And for the finishing touches, top the kimchi pasta with a poached egg, chopped scallions, and those addicting chorizo breadcrumbs. Break into that runny egg and take a big bite. Seriously, don't hold back. This is the best fusion comfort dish that will warm you up from head to toe. So savory, so good!

For more pasta inspiration check out this pici with lamb ragu!