Wafu Mushroom Pasta
Japanese-style spaghetti with mushrooms, butter, and soy.
Ingredients
- 200 g Spaghetti
- 200 g Shimeji mushrooms
- 30 g Butter
- 2 tbsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu)
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 1 tbsp Salt
- 1 sheet Nori sheets (optional)
- 2 Scallions (optional)
Method
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- While the water heats, slice the garlic, shred the nori, and thinly slice the scallions.
- Cook the spaghetti in the boiling water one minute shy of al dente, about 9 minutes.
- While the spaghetti cooks, saute the shimeji and garlic in the butter over medium-high heat until browned, about 6 minutes, then add the soy.
- Reserve a mugful of the pasta water, then drain.
- Toss the drained pasta with the mushrooms and a splash of the reserved water.
- Top with the shredded nori and sliced scallion and serve.
Tap “Start cooking” for live timers that flag what to get ahead on while something simmers.
About Wafu Mushroom Pasta
Wafu pasta is Japan's home-cook take on Italian spaghetti, reworked around a Japanese pantry rather than an Italian one — the word wafu simply means Japanese-style. This mushroom version leans on the deep savory backbone of shimeji browned in butter and finished with koikuchi shoyu, a combination that reads instantly familiar yet nothing like a Mediterranean sauce. It belongs to a broader tradition of yoshoku cooking, in which Western dishes were absorbed and quietly reinvented to suit Japanese tastes, and it's the kind of quick supper that turns up on weeknight tables across Japan.
The flavor is all umami and toast: butter and soy caramelizing against the mushrooms, garlic rounding it out, and a splash of starchy pasta water pulling everything into a light, glossy coat rather than a heavy sauce. The strips of nori torn over the top melt slightly against the hot noodles and add a whisper of the sea, while sliced scallion cuts through with freshness. It's fast — barely longer than it takes to boil the spaghetti — and satisfying in a clean, unfussy way, best eaten straight from the bowl while the butter is still glistening.
Wafu Mushroom Pasta: frequently asked questions
How many calories are in Wafu Mushroom Pasta?
A serving has about 543 calories — 17.6g protein, 85.8g carbs, 14.3g fat, 7.1g fiber. Figures are estimated from the ingredient amounts and will shift with your portions and brands.
Is Wafu Mushroom Pasta gluten-free?
As written, no — it contains Spaghetti, Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu). You'd need a certified gluten-free swap for those ingredients to make it gluten-free.
Is Wafu Mushroom Pasta dairy-free?
Not as written — it uses Butter. Swapping it for a plant-based alternative makes it dairy-free.
How long does Wafu Mushroom Pasta take to make?
About 21 minutes start to finish, but only around 13 of those are hands-on — the rest is cooking time. In the Homecooked app the timers and parallel steps are sequenced for you so the hands-on part feels even shorter.
Do I need every ingredient to make Wafu Mushroom Pasta?
The core ingredients are essential, but you can leave out nori sheets, scallions — they're optional and mainly there for extra flavor or finish.
How many servings does Wafu Mushroom Pasta make?
This recipe makes 2 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.