Roasted garlic and gochujang prawn pasta with cream cheese garlic bread

Roasted garlic and gochujang prawn pasta delivers a creamy, savoury kick with sweet cherry tomatoes, soft spring onions and tender prawns. Cream cheese garlic bread adds a rich, garlicky side that soaks up the sauce and makes the whole meal feel bold, cosy and properly satisfying.

By Poppy O’Toole
From Saturday Kitchen Recipes

This roasted garlic and gochujang prawn pasta is creamy, energy-dense and fairly rich because it combines cream cheese, butter, cheese, prawns and garlic bread. The tomatoes, spring onions and spinach help balance the plate, but the overall profile still points to Nutri-Score D rather than a lighter score.

Method

1. Roast the garlic: Heat the oven to 190C/175C Fan/Gas 5, or preheat the air fryer to 175C. Wrap each garlic bulb in foil, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Roast for 50 minutes in the oven, or 30 to 40 minutes in the air fryer, until soft, then leave it until cool enough to handle.
2. Mix the garlic bread filling: Keep the oven or air fryer on. Put the cream cheese, Parmesan, mozzarella and half the parsley into a mixing bowl. Squeeze in half of one roasted garlic bulb, season with salt and pepper, and mix until smooth and well combined.
3. Make the garlic butter: Melt the butter in a small saucepan, then stir in the remaining parsley and the rest of the roasted garlic from the same bulb. Season with salt and pepper, then set it aside for a moment so it thickens slightly while you prepare the bread.
4. Shape and fill the cobs: Cut a cross into the top of each cob without cutting all the way through, then make another cut through the middle of the cross to form a star shape. Spoon the cream cheese mixture into a piping bag and pipe it into the cuts so the bread fills generously. If you do not have a piping bag, use a teaspoon or small knife.
5. Coat and bake the bread: Dip the filled cobs into the garlic butter mixture, then place them in the oven or air fryer. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden and crisp on the outside and soft in the centre.
6. Cook the spaghetti: Bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil. Cook the spaghetti for about 12 minutes, or until al dente, then reserve a mugful of the pasta water and drain the pasta. Try to time this so the sauce finishes just as the pasta is ready.
7. Build the sauce: While the pasta cooks, heat a little olive oil and the butter in a large high-sided frying pan or wok over a medium heat. Add the shallot and cook until softened and lightly browned, then add most of the spring onions, keeping the green ends back for garnish. Squeeze in the roasted garlic from the remaining bulb and cook until it starts to bubble.
8. Finish the pasta: Add the cherry tomatoes and turn the heat up high so they begin to burst. Stir in the tatsoi or baby spinach and cook until softened, then add the gochujang and cream cheese and stir until the sauce looks smooth and creamy. Add the cooked spaghetti and a ladleful of reserved pasta water, toss for about 30 seconds, then add the raw prawns and a little more butter. Cook, stirring, until the prawns turn pink and the sauce turns silky. Add more pasta water if needed, then season with salt and pepper.
9. Serve everything: Divide the pasta between bowls and finish with the sesame seeds, crispy chilli oil and reserved spring onion greens. Serve with the cream cheese garlic bread while everything is hot.

Tip: Use the reserved pasta water a little at a time so the sauce stays glossy instead of turning loose.