My new go-to recipe: spicy caramelized onion pasta. It’s a quick, completely satisfying dish that can be made on a busy weeknight when you just need a bit of comfort. I absolutely love this pasta. So simple, full of sweet onion flavor and lots of peppery spice.
This is the time of year I start to crave cozy pasta dishes. I’ve got some regulars – like this paccheri with sausage & greens and this braised short rib spaghetti – but I wanted to create a pasta dish that you truly can make any night of the week because it’s just so simple and craveable.
And so, this spicy caramelized onion pasta was born. Full of caramelized onions and shallots, spicy red fresno chiles, a little bit of butter + starchy pasta water to create a silky sauce, lots of parmesan cheese, fresh oregano, and black pepper.
The best combination that will keep you coming back for just one more bite.
PrintSpicy Caramelized Onion Pasta
simple caramelized onion pasta with red chiles, parmesan, oregano, and black pepper
servings: 2-4
Ingredients
- 1–2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
- kosher salt
- 2 red fresno chiles, thinly sliced
- ½ lb linguine
- 2 tbsp butter
- ½ cup grated parmesan, plus more to garnish
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano, plus more to garnish
- freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil. Once hot, add the red onion and shallot. Season with a pinch of salt. Cook for 8 minutes, stirring often, until tender and caramelized. Add a little bit more olive oil, and reduce the heat to low. Cook for another 8 minutes until the onions are deeply caramelized. Stir in the red fresno chiles and cook for about 3 minutes longer.
- While the onions cook, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a heaping amount of salt to the water. Drop the linguine and cook for 2 minutes less than the package instructions. Right before the linguine is ready, reserve 2 cups of pasta water.
- Add the butter to the spicy onion mixture and let melt. Pour in 1 cup of the pasta water. Let simmer for a minute or so. Drain the pasta and add it right into the pan. Toss to combine and finish cooking for another 2 minutes.
- Stir in the grated parmesan cheese. Mix really well while the cheese melts into the sauce. Continue to add more pasta water if needed to keep the sauce nice and silky. Stir in the oregano right before serving.
- Plate the pasta, spooning all of the onions and sauce over top. Garnish with more parmesan cheese, fresh oregano, and lots of freshly cracked black pepper.
Notes
If serving this pasta as a full meal, I would say it feeds 2 people. If serving alongside other dishes, you can feed 4 people.
