Southern Italian nonnas caramelize onions for 45 minutes until they dissolve into sweetness, turning three ingredients into ragu-level depth.
Pasta with Onions
Dive into a delightful dish of pasta that's bursting with flavor! This quick recipe features perfectly caramelized onions and aromatic garlic, creating a savory sauce that clings to every noodle. Ready in just minutes, it’s the ultimate comfort food for any night of the week!
Prep
15
min
Cook
30
min
Serves
4
people
Level
beginner
📝 Ingredients
Serves 4🥬Fresh Produce(3)
- 1-2 cloves of garlic
- 2-3 onions
- Parsley (optional)optional
🥛Dairy & Eggs(2)
- 1 knob of butter
- 1 handful of grated Gruyère cheese
🫙Pantry Staples(4)
- 1 large glass of broth
- 1 tablespoon of flour (15 ml)
- Olive oil
- 150-200g of raw pasta (5.29-7.06 oz)
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
315
Protein
11g
Carbs
43g
Fat
11g
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Finely slice the onions.
- 2
Sauté the onions in a drizzle of olive oil and a knob of butter until they color.
- 3
Add the garlic after a few minutes.
- 4
Sprinkle with flour and deglaze with broth.
- 5
Cook the pasta according to package instructions, removing it one minute before it's done.
- 6
Reserve a ladle of pasta cooking water.
- 7
Combine the pasta with the onion mixture, adding a bit of cheese and a splash of cream.
- 8
Let it cook for a few minutes to allow the sauce to stick to the pasta.
- 9
Add parsley at the last minute if desired.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Slice onions to 3-4mm thickness and cook over medium heat for 25-30 minutes, stirring every 3-4 minutes, to achieve deep caramelization without burning. This breaks down sulfur compounds into sweet-tasting caramel sugars through the Maillard reaction.technique3-4mm slices, 25-30 minutes, medium heat
- ✓Dust the caramelized onions with flour (1 tablespoon per 3 medium onions) and cook for 60-90 seconds before adding broth to create a roux that thickens the sauce to coat pasta evenly and prevents separation.timing1 tablespoon flour, 60-90 seconds
- ✓Add pasta to onion sauce at 1 minute before al dente (typically 1-2 minutes early depending on package instructions) so residual starch gelatinization and continued cooking allows the pasta to absorb the sauce and bind at 2:1 pasta-to-liquid ratio.timing1-2 minutes before package al dente
- ✓Use 60-80ml of reserved starchy pasta water per 150g dry pasta when finishing the dish—the starch acts as an emulsifier to bind cheese, butter, and sauce together through a process called mantecatura, creating a creamy coating without cream.ingredient60-80ml per 150g pasta
- ✓Finish with Gruyère (30-40g per serving) off-heat after the 2-minute final cook, stirring constantly, because proteins denature above 65°C and create a grainy, broken sauce if melted over direct heat.technique30-40g per serving, off-heat, 65°C threshold
Share this recipe
Prep
15
min
Cook
30
min
Serves
4
people
Level
beginner
Share this recipe
Southern Italian nonnas caramelize onions for 45 minutes until they dissolve into sweetness, turning three ingredients into ragu-level depth.
Pasta with Onions
Dive into a delightful dish of pasta that's bursting with flavor! This quick recipe features perfectly caramelized onions and aromatic garlic, creating a savory sauce that clings to every noodle. Ready in just minutes, it’s the ultimate comfort food for any night of the week!
📝 Ingredients
Serves 4🥬Fresh Produce(3)
- 1-2 cloves of garlic
- 2-3 onions
- Parsley (optional)optional
🥛Dairy & Eggs(2)
- 1 knob of butter
- 1 handful of grated Gruyère cheese
🫙Pantry Staples(4)
- 1 large glass of broth
- 1 tablespoon of flour (15 ml)
- Olive oil
- 150-200g of raw pasta (5.29-7.06 oz)
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
315
Protein
11g
Carbs
43g
Fat
11g
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Finely slice the onions.
- 2
Sauté the onions in a drizzle of olive oil and a knob of butter until they color.
- 3
Add the garlic after a few minutes.
- 4
Sprinkle with flour and deglaze with broth.
- 5
Cook the pasta according to package instructions, removing it one minute before it's done.
- 6
Reserve a ladle of pasta cooking water.
- 7
Combine the pasta with the onion mixture, adding a bit of cheese and a splash of cream.
- 8
Let it cook for a few minutes to allow the sauce to stick to the pasta.
- 9
Add parsley at the last minute if desired.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Slice onions to 3-4mm thickness and cook over medium heat for 25-30 minutes, stirring every 3-4 minutes, to achieve deep caramelization without burning. This breaks down sulfur compounds into sweet-tasting caramel sugars through the Maillard reaction.technique3-4mm slices, 25-30 minutes, medium heat
- ✓Dust the caramelized onions with flour (1 tablespoon per 3 medium onions) and cook for 60-90 seconds before adding broth to create a roux that thickens the sauce to coat pasta evenly and prevents separation.timing1 tablespoon flour, 60-90 seconds
- ✓Add pasta to onion sauce at 1 minute before al dente (typically 1-2 minutes early depending on package instructions) so residual starch gelatinization and continued cooking allows the pasta to absorb the sauce and bind at 2:1 pasta-to-liquid ratio.timing1-2 minutes before package al dente
- ✓Use 60-80ml of reserved starchy pasta water per 150g dry pasta when finishing the dish—the starch acts as an emulsifier to bind cheese, butter, and sauce together through a process called mantecatura, creating a creamy coating without cream.ingredient60-80ml per 150g pasta
- ✓Finish with Gruyère (30-40g per serving) off-heat after the 2-minute final cook, stirring constantly, because proteins denature above 65°C and create a grainy, broken sauce if melted over direct heat.technique30-40g per serving, off-heat, 65°C threshold