Chewy pasta noodles tossed in the most insanely delicious kimchi cream sauce with cheese and pork belly! This quick and easy kimchi cream pasta is ready in 15 minutes with simple ingredients. A great meal or main dish for the kimchi-lovers!
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Kimchi Cream Pasta features cooked spaghetti noodles coated in a creamy sauce featuring kimchi, onion and heavy cream with tender pork belly.
This is a very delicious Korean-Italian fusion dish that will satiate your taste buds like no other! The best part it's super easy, made with minimal ingredients and in little time.
It's a perfect busy weeknight meal or for lunch when you have little time or energy to cook but you're craving some noodles!
This kimchi pasta is so delicious I couldn't stop at seconds and had to have thirds! It's a fantastic pasta recipe if you want to impress guests or a special someone.
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
- Spaghetti: or substitute with spaghettini, linguine, fettuccine or any Italian pasta you enjoy and prepare to package directions.
- Pork Belly: or substitute with uncured bacon, ham, chopped sausage, bratwurst, mini cocktail sausages. For a leaner alternative, substitute with boneless pork shoulder.
- Heavy Cream (36% M.F.) or Whipping Cream (30-36% M.F) or Table Cream (18% M.F): any of these will work. Avoid using whole milk as it's not thick enough.
- Kimchi: napa cabbage kimchi that is well-fermented. Well-fermented kimchi contains cabbage that is more red than white and more soft than crisp. Kimchi is sold at Korean grocery stores or select Asian grocers.
- Onion: or substitute with 2 shallots.
- Parmigiano Reggiano: or substitute with Grana Padano or Pecorino Romano.
- Black Pepper
- Salt
Expert Tips
- Use well fermented kimchi for best taste because older kimchi is more tangy and more flavorful.
- Use freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano for more flavor over store-bought parmesan cheese.
- Cut kimchi with kitchen shears in a bowl to make preparation easier. Koreans do this all the time to prevent their cutting boards from staining.
- Don't over cook the pasta and always perform a taste test to ensure the pasta is al dente.
- Don't forget to reserve hot pasta water near the end of the cooking process because this water is very starchy and salty so it makes the pasta sauce thicker and more flavorful. It also helps the sauce stick to the pasta. Italian chefs do this all the time!
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make kimchi cream pasta:
- First bring a large pot filled with water to boil on medium-high heat and season with salt. Then add spaghetti pasta and boil until al dente to package directions, about 8-9 minutes. Next reserve 3 tablespoon or 45 ml hot pasta water.
- Strain cooked pasta in a colander.
- Heat a large pan on medium heat, fry pork belly until cooked for about 1 minute. Add onions and sauté until translucent.
- Add kimchi and sauté for 1 minute or until juices release.
- Reduce to medium-low heat, stir in cream and simmer until thickened. Once thickened, mix in hot pasta water.
- Toss in cooked pasta. Lastly, season with black pepper. Mix in grated parmigiano reggiano and garnish with more cheese to enjoy!
Storage
- Leftovers will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat: microwave for 2-3 minutes until hot or reheat in a pan on medium heat with a few splashes of water.
- Freezer friendly? I don't recommend freezing kimchi cream pasta as the noodles will become soggy.
Pairing Suggestions
Kimchi cream pasta serves well with:
- Starters like fresh salad with Italian dressing, Caesar salad, or antipasto salad, calamari, garlic bread, or bruschetta.
- Pizza or risotto
- Italian meatballs or chicken parmesan
- Sautéed or grilled vegetables
- Stuffed mushrooms
- Baked Italian eggplant
FAQ
Kimchi cream pasta can be made up to 4 days in advance and I recommend storing the cream sauce and cooked pasta in separate airtight containers in the fridge. To reheat, microwave or in a pan on the stovetop on medium heat with a few splashes of water.
Kimchi is usually made of napa cabbage, gochugaru, garlic, salt, sweet rice flour, sugar, water, ginger, onion, fish sauce, leek, green onions, carrot and Korean radish.
I don't recommend using other types of kimchi, like green onion kimchi or cucumber kimchi, because cabbage kimchi has a different flavor profile than others.
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📖 Recipe
15-min. Easy Kimchi Cream Pasta
Ingredients
- 4.05 oz spaghetti or spaghettini/linguine/fettucine
- ½ cup pork belly or uncured bacon, chopped
- ¾ cup heavy cream or whipping cream or 18% table cream for a low calorie version
- ⅓ cup kimchi chopped
- ¼ cup onion sliced
- ⅓ cup parmigiano reggiano or grana padano or pecorino romano, grated
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt to season pasta water
Instructions
- First bring a large pot filled with water to boil on medium-high heat and season with salt. Then add spaghetti pasta and boil until al dente to package directions, about 8-9 minutes. Next reserve 3 tablespoon or 45 ml hot pasta water.
- Strain cooked pasta in a colander.
- Heat a large pan on medium heat, fry pork belly until cooked for about 1 minute. Add onions and sauté until translucent.
- Add kimchi and sauté for 1 minute or until juices release.
- Reduce to medium-low heat, stir in cream and simmer until thickened. Once thickened, mix in hot pasta water.
- Toss in cooked pasta. Lastly, season with black pepper. Mix in grated parmigiano reggiano and garnish with more cheese to enjoy!
Annika
What cream did you use?
I'm going to make it next weekend, so excited!😁
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for your question! I used 18% table cream for a lower calorie version but feel free to use 35% heavy cream if you wish. Enjoy!
Natalia
Tried this and it’s so addicting! Even my 2yo ate a lot.
christieathome
Thanks so much for making my recipe, Natalia! So glad you and your 2 year old enjoyed it so much 🙂
Chris vestman
Just made this a nice take on a carbonara it was really good.
christieathome
Thanks so much for making my recipe! So glad you enjoyed it!
Lily
I made this a few nights ago and it is now on repeat! So good!!!
christieathome
Thanks for making my recipe! Glad you enjoyed it! ☺️