So yeah, Marmite Pasta is totally a thing. No seriously I’ve been making this stuff for years. Ever since the queen Nigella Lawson graced us with her Marmite Spaghetti I’ve been absolutely hooked on this dish. If you’re a Marmite lover, get ready for your tastebuds to tingle, because this dish is about to change your go-to Marmite recipe forever! Follow me…
Marmite Pasta Ingredients
I don’t know about you, but when I first thought of ‘Marmite Pasta’ I got visions of pasta absolutely drowned in Marmite, or even worse, just pasta with Marmite drizzled over it. Yeah, that is pretty gross. Just because Marmite is a fun and kind of ‘novelty’ ingredient, doesn’t mean it can’t actually make a really delicious dish. Here’s what you’ll need:
Pasta – I find spaghetti (or any long cut pasta) works best for this recipe. Marmite – A little goes a long way! I find 1 heaped tsp hits the sweet spot, but if you’re at all weary start off with less as it’s easy to adjust. Butter – This makes the base of the sauce. I recommend using unsalted butter as Marmite is already quite salty. Parmesan – Marmite and cheese is a glorious combo! Parmesan melts nicely into the sauce. Garlic – Adds a gentle bit of flavour to compliment the Marmite, butter & parmesan. Mushrooms – These help bulk out the pasta. They also take on the flavour of Marmite amazingly! Parsley – This adds a nice fresh burst of flavour.
I’ve never had Marmite before, should I go straight in for the kill?
Marmite’s slogan is ‘you either love it or you hate’ and I really believe that’s true. My advice would be try Marmite (maybe just on buttered toast) and if you love it, go ahead!
Can I use Vegemite?
Vegemite is Australia’s answer to marmite and the answer is yes you can use it! In fact, I first tested this recipe with Vegemite when I was living in Australia!
Making Marmite Pasta
As you can imagine it truly couldn’t be easier to make. The key is creating a simple sauce to carry the Marmite.
Starchy Pasta Water
Whilst the butter does make up a good portion of the sauce, just butter and Marmite would create a rather dry pasta. Throw in some parmesan and you’ve got clumpy dry pasta. The key to creating the sauce is adding in some of the water your pasta cooks in. The starch molecules help create an emulsion with the butter to create a very light, slightly creamy sauce. Well, less of a sauce, more of a glossy coating to the pasta. It’s important to scoop out the water JUST before you drain the pasta, just so it’s extra starchy. If you scoop it right at the beginning not only will it be less starchy, which means the sauce will end up too watery, but it’ll also dilute the flavour. Either way, this is a crucial ingredient so don’t skip it!
Can I use other types of pasta?
I tend to stick with spaghetti because it distributes the sauce more evenly, so you’re not stuck with a clump of Marmite in a pasta shell or something. However, feel free to choose whatever type you want, just mix it well! Process shots: fry mushrooms (photo 1), fry garlic then melt in butter (photo 2), stir in pasta water (photo 3), add Marmite (photo 4), stir to combine (photo 5), toss in pasta then toss in parmesan and parsley (photo 6).
Serving Marmite Pasta
Once the sauce soaks up and begins to wrap around the pasta, serve up right away. I like an extra helping of parmesan, but that’s totally optional. Kind of 😛 I tend to serve this for lunch because it’s fairly light, and also incredibly quick and easy! After another recipe that uses Marmite? Check out my Puff Pastry Pinwheels! After another quick, easy and delicious pasta recipe? Give my Cream Cheese Pasta a go! Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for this Marmite Pasta shall we?!
How to make Marmite Pasta (Full Recipe & Video)
If you loved this Marmite Recipe be sure to Pin for later! Made this recipe or got a question? Let me know how you got on in the comments and pick up your free ecookbook along the way!
