Dinner Tonight: Umami makes the world go ’round

Plus, an excellent weekend baking project

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January 15, 2026 8:04am EST

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Weeknight recipes that work.

January 15th, 2026

Two unexpected ingredients amp up the savory notes in this simple pasta dish with bacon and mushrooms.

Umami makes the world go round

Jack Bishop

Author, editor, and avid home cook

There are five basic tastes—salty, sweet, sour, bitter, and umami. Umami is the meaty quality in dishes made with glutamate-rich ingredients such as seaweed, soy sauce, anchovies, tomato paste, Parmesan, and dried mushrooms.

The smart use of “umami bombs” is a great way to build flavor in a flash. If you’re curious about the science here, which is so cool, check out this informative article and video by my colleague Dan Souza.

Now, bacon and mushrooms are pretty savory on their own. But Maggie Zhu uses two “helper” ingredients—soy sauce and dashi powder—to turn up the volume in this extra-savory spaghetti recipe.

Featured Recipe

Super-Savory Mushroom Bacon Spaghetti

In the test kitchen, we use soy sauce in everything from vegetarian chili to beef stew. You don’t actually taste the soy sauce, but you do notice an extra oomph in recipes that call for its inclusion. I even add a spoonful of soy sauce when making my marinara sauce.

It was the use of instant dashi in Maggie’s recipe that really grabbed my attention. I know dashi as the basic stock used in countless Japanese dishes. It’s made by steeping seaweed and dried bonito in water. Instant dashi is just what it sounds like. Think powdered chicken bouillon but with more umami plus hints of smokiness and the sea. I’ve used instant dashi as intended (dissolved in water) but never as an umami booster. Count me in on this idea!

While the ingredient list for this pasta dish is a bit unexpected, the cooking method couldn’t be easier. Crisp up the bacon in a large skillet and set it aside to drain on paper towels. Cook fresh mushrooms in the bacon fat and perfume them with scallion whites and garlic. Stir in reserved pasta cooking water, butter, soy sauce, and instant dashi to create a velvety sauce. Toss with noodles and garnish with scallion greens.

I’ve made this dish with shiitake and oyster mushrooms. So good. But I’ve also used plain old cremini mushrooms and the sauce was equally good, thanks to the two umami boosters. Big flavor in less time. Sign me up for that!

P.S. Exciting news for fans of this newsletter. I’ve put together my all-time favorite 200 weeknight recipes, all ready in less than an hour, in a new book that will be published in a few weeks. Dinner Tonight is available for preorder today, and I predict it will become the most-used cookbook in your kitchen. Stay tuned for more details in the coming weeks.

My Weekend Recommendations

I’ll be back in your inbox on Sunday. Until then, here are some suggestions for the days ahead.

Read

I’ve never met a fried chicken I didn’t like. I’m currently captivated by dry chili chicken, which is popular in southwestern China, including in Sichuan province. The combination of heat (from Sichuan chili flakes and an eye-popping number of dried chiles) and tinglingly citrusy Sichuan peppercorns is incredibly appealing. Serve with ice cold beers and let the party start. If you’re curious about the history and technique behind this recipe, check out David Yu’s well-researched article in Cook’s Illustrated.

Bake

I don’t eat breakfast during the week. A double cortado and I’m good to go until lunch. But on the weekend, Lauren and I often bake in the morning. We especially like Light and Crispy English Muffins because the process is so satisfying. Yes, this is a two-day recipe, but there’s not all that much hands-on work. The recipe relies on cold fermentation in the fridge to slowly develop flavor. Opening each muffin reveals plenty of nooks and crannies to hold good Irish butter or maybe a spoonful of strawberry jam. I can’t think of a nicer way to start the day.