Very oniony pasta with parmesan and black pepper
I love French onion soup…a lot. Actually, I just love onions in general. This dish is a marriage of French onion soup, cacio e pepe and a store cupboard pasta recipe. It comes together very easily with minimal ingredients. I’ve served it plain here, but it’s also great with parsley and the crispy breadcrumbs.
This recipe is an extract from Make More With Less: Foolproof Recipes to Make Your Food Go Further by Kitty Coles (Hardie Grant).
Next, why not try more pasta recipes from the House & Garden recipe archive?
Recipe information
Yield
Serves 2
Ingredients
Preparation
Method
Step 1
Heat the oil in a large saucepan or casserole dish (Dutch oven) over a medium-low heat. Add the onions and a pinch of salt and gently fry for 15 minutes until very soft and translucent, stirring often and adding a little more oil if you need to. Turn up the heat a little and fry for a further 5–8 minutes until very soft and slightly caramelised. Put some time into cooking the onions here as they are such an essential part of this dish – the more love you give the onions, the better this is going to taste. If they start to catch and caramelise before they are soft, simply add as splash of water and continue.
Step 2
Alternatively, if you have a microwave, use it to get things started (I do!). Put the chopped onions into a microwaveable container or bowl with the oil and salt and cover with cling film (plastic wrap) or a loose-fitting lid, then microwave on high for 10 minutes, stirring halfway until translucent and really soft. After this time, transfer to a pan and finish cooking to caramelise the onions.
Step 3
Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of salted boiling water according to the packet instructions. Reserve a large mugful of the pasta water before draining – this is very important!
Step 4
Meanwhile, add the garlic to the onions, along with the chilli and anchovies, if using. Fry for 2 minutes before adding a generous splash of pasta water. The onions and garlic should soak up the water and become soft, sort of like an onion ragu. Continue to gently bubble on medium-low for 5 minutes. Add the lemon zest and juice and about 15 grinds of freshly ground black pepper, then turn the heat down to the lowest it will go. Taste and check for seasoning.
Step 5
Add the drained pasta and Parmesan, along with half a mugful of pasta water and parsley, if using. Mix until the sauce thickens a little but is loose enough to coat every strand of spaghetti. Sometimes I need a full mug of the pasta water to get the right consistency, so keep mixing and tossing until you’re happy. Serve immediately.
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