Pasta With Caramelized Onion, Swiss Chard and Garlicky Bread Crumbs

Name: Pasta With Caramelized Onion, Swiss Chard and Garlicky Bread Crumbs
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 2 to 3 servings
Cuisine: italian
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons butter or olive oil; 5 anchovy fillets; 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 2/3 cup bread crumbs; 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus additional for drizzling; 1 yellow onion, halved from stem to root and thinly sliced crosswise; Kosher salt; pepper; 1 pound Swiss chard, ribs removed, leaves chopped; 1/2 pound whole-wheat pasta, such as fusilli

By Melissa Clark

Total Time: 40 minutes
Rating: 4(735)
Comments: Read comments

The warm, nutty flavor of good varieties of whole wheat pasta is robust enough to stand up to intense, complicated sauces, yet satisfying with just a little butter and Parmesan shaved over the top.

Featured in: Fiber Meets Flavor in New Whole-Grain Pastas

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Ingredients

Yield:2 to 3 servings

3tablespoons butter or olive oil
5anchovy fillets
2garlic cloves, finely chopped
⅔cup bread crumbs
1tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus additional for drizzling
1yellow onion, halved from stem to root and thinly sliced crosswise
Kosher salt
pepper
1pound Swiss chard, ribs removed, leaves chopped
½pound whole-wheat pasta, such as fusilli

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add 3 anchovies to the skillet; cook until melted, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute. Stir in the bread crumbs and toast until golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
Step 2
Wipe the skillet clean and return it to a medium-high heat. Add the oil, the onion and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until very soft and caramelized, 15 to 20 minutes. Chop the remaining 2 anchovies and add them to the skillet. Cook until melted. Add the Swiss chard, a handful at a time, and cook until wilted, about 4 minutes. Cover and keep warm.
Step 3
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions. Drain well. Toss with the chard mixture and bread crumbs, season with salt and pepper and drizzle with oil.

Ratings

4 out of 5

735 user ratings

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Comments

bacongougere7 years ago

You can use capers instead of anchovies. They pack sort of the same briny, salty punch. I might also fry some capers.

Spendthrift7 years ago

I realize this doesn't answer your question, but when I use anchovies, which is seldom, I take the unused filets and lay them out on waxed paper, freeze them, then put them in a baggie in the freezer for future use. I don't care about the texture and the flavor doesn't seem to suffer.

Leonard7 years ago

Is it ok to use anchovy paste? Rather than open a tin of anchovies? What are the equivalent amounts?

Hannah2 months ago

Thanks to the commenter who suggested adding miso - I added it with the second round of anchovies and it was delicious!! This is my go-to recipe when our farm share sends lots of chard!

Scott5 months ago

This was delicious. But we cheated. We had a mess of leftover onions that we'd roasted in the pan with our Christmas prime rib (sorry, vegetarians), so the pasta had a richer, deeper flavor that reminded of mushrooms. I used spinach because my garden chard got fritzed last week. Five anchovies, but could've used more. A really simple and fulfilling post-holiday meal for us.

profenyc10 months ago

This surprised me! Such a flavorful dish. So much more than the sum of its parts. I did add capers and a splash of lemon juice at the end.

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