Natto Spaghetti is a type of wafu pasta (Japanese-style pasta). It is delicious and full of flavor. Toss hot spaghetti with mixed natto, butter, black pepper, Maggi (or soy sauce), and green onions. Top with shredded nori and enjoy. This is a natto pasta for natto lovers!
We love natto!
We love natto with rice, natto and egg toast, natto and cabbage (and cheese) toast. There are a million ways to enjoy natto and natto spaghetti is one of our favorites.
This super simple pasta comes together in minutes. Just cook the spaghetti. And while it's cooking, combine all the ingredients in a big bowl. Add the cooked spaghetti and toss, toss, toss. That's it ^_^
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Ingredients
Here's what you'll need:
- Spaghetti
- Butter - we usually use salted butter, but just use what you have on hand.
- Natto - plus the seasoning packets that come with the natto.
- Black pepper - pre-ground black pepper is fine but if you can do freshly ground black pepper, it makes a tasty difference.
- Maggi seasoning sauce (or soy sauce)
- Green onions
- Shredded nori
See recipe card for quantities.
What Is Natto?
Natto is fermented soybeans. It's sold at most Japanese markets. Natto is affordable, delicious, and good for you!
Many people say natto is an acquired taste. But it's actually just super tasty. The silky (and yes, slimy) texture is addictive.
Natto is sold in 3-packs of individual serving containers (usually about $3-5 for a 3-pack set). Natto is ready to eat, you don't even need to cook it.
The individual containers usually come with 1-2 seasoning packets. Add the seasoning packets to the natto container and use chopsticks to mix/whip it well. You can eat it just like that plain, or with rice, or even two types of toast.
Instructions
Let's get cooking:
Cook the pasta.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the spaghetti (follow the cooking time instructions on the box).
Prepare the natto.
Open the package of natto. Remove the seasoning packets (there are usually two - one is soy sauce-based and another is hot mustard).
Slide the plastic layer/cover off the natto and discard. Open the seasoning packet(s) and add it to the natto.
Use chopsticks to mix/whip the natto with the seasonings. Mix it really well until the natto looks almost frothy. Aim for 100 mixes!
Combine ingredients.
In a large bowl, add the butter, black pepper, Maggi seasoning sauce (or soy sauce), half of the chopped green onions, and the mixed natto.
Mix, mix, mix.
Once the spaghetti is done cooking, use tongs to move the spaghetti from the pot into the bowl with all the other ingredients. Add a splash of pasta water.
Use the tongs to gently toss and mix everything together until the spaghetti is evenly coated. You can also use chopsticks to mix.
Top and finish.
Top with the other half of the chopped green onions and the shredded nori. Eat hot and enjoy!
P.S. You can add a ton more nori if you like...I always add a lot more ^_^
Substitutions and Variations
Here are a few popular ideas:
- Bacon - Panfry and crumble crispy bacon on top of the pasta right before serving
- Prosciutto - Looking for an even easier protein to add? Use prosciutto! Tear the slices into bite size pieces and toss with the pasta.
- Shiso - Shiso works beautifully in this dish! Use about 10 leaves (shiso leaves are often sold in packs of 10). Slices into thin strips. Toss half with the pasta and use the other half to top the dish right before serving.
- Spicy - Sprinkle shichimi togarashi on top for some heat. This is a popular brand, or try a fancy version.
Enjoy!
Storage
This dish does not keep well. Pasta doesn't reheat well in general, and pasta with natto really does not reheat well. Just make as much as you plan to eat.
Top Tip
Mix the natto really, really well. The better you mix it, the tastier it will get (for real)! We aim to mix a minimum of 100 times to get it really light, airy, and frothy. It starts off as sticky, then gets really frothy (and somewhat less sticky) the more you mix/whip the natto.
Some people believe that you even have to mix it 400 times to get it super good ^_^
FAQ
Oh yes ^_^ Try our recipes for:
- Natto Rice (a classic, I eat this once a week at the very least!)
- Natto Egg Toast (natto and egg salad combo, so good)
- Natto Toast with Cheese and Cabbage (an awesome easy breakfast or lunch).
Spaghetti is the default pasta shape for this dish, but we also love making it with angel hair. Any long noodle-y pasta works well for this recipe.
Don't use short pasta shapes (like rigatoni, penne, etc) because it won't "catch" the natto pieces as well.
Natto Spaghetti Recipe
Natto Spaghetti
Ingredients
- ⅓ pound dried spaghetti
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 packages natto about 50 grams each. (Plus the seasoning packets that come with the natto)
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 2 teaspoons Maggi seasoning sauce (or soy sauce)
- 2 whole green onions finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons shredded nori
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the spaghetti (follow the cooking time instructions on the box).
- While the spaghetti is boiling, prepare the other ingredients:Open the package of natto. Remove the seasoning packets (there are usually two - one is soy sauce-based and another is hot mustard).Slide the plastic layer/cover off the natto and discard. Open the seasoning packet(s) and add it to the natto.Use chopsticks to mix/whip the natto with the seasonings. Mix it really well until the natto looks almost frothy. Aim for 100 mixes!
- In a large bowl, add the butter, black pepper, Maggi seasoning sauce (or soy sauce), half of the chopped green onions, and the mixed natto.
- Once the spaghetti is done cooking, use tongs to move the spaghetti from the pot into the bowl with all the other ingredients. Add a splash of pasta water.
- Use the tongs to gently toss and mix everything together until the spaghetti is evenly coated. You can also use chopsticks to mix.
- Top with the other half of the chopped green onions and the shredded nori. Eat hot and enjoy! P.S. You can add a ton more nori if you like...I always add a lot ^_^
Nutrition
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Mahalo for Reading!