Spicy Spaghetti With Caramelized Onions and Herbs
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
Advertisement
Ingredients
- Kosher salt, as needed
- ¼cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2large white or Spanish onions, halved and very thinly sliced
- 12ounces spaghetti
- 6garlic cloves
- ½teaspoon chile paste or red-pepper flakes, or to taste
- 2anchovies, chopped (optional)
- 1cup chopped mix of parsley and basil (or use all parsley)
- ⅓cup chopped cured Moroccan or other intensely flavored black olives
- 2tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
- Lemon wedges, for squeezing
- Grated Parmesan, for serving (optional)
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
547 calories; 23 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 13 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 73 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 14 grams protein; 489 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered by
Opt out or contact us anytime. See our Privacy Policy.
Opt out or contact us anytime. See our Privacy Policy.
Preparation
- Step 1
Put a large pot of heavily salted water on and let it come to a boil.
- Step 2
Meanwhile, cook the onions: Heat ¼ cup oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and pale golden at the edges, 20 to 25 minutes. Lower heat if the edges start to brown too quickly or raise heat if onions aren’t turning golden quickly enough.
- Step 3
When the water comes to a boil, cook spaghetti according to package directions until just al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta water; drain pasta.
- Step 4
Thinly slice 4 garlic cloves, and stir into golden onions, along with red-pepper flakes. Continue to cook until onions are a rich brown, about 10 minutes longer. If the garlic starts to burn, lower the heat.
- Step 5
Finely grate remaining garlic cloves, and mash into anchovies using the flat side of your knife. Move some of the onion mixture to the side of the pan and add anchovy paste to bare spot in the skillet. Cook paste for 1 minute, then add herbs and olives, stir everything together, and cook another 1 minute.
- Step 6
Stir in cooked pasta, butter, and salt to taste, tossing to coat pasta. Add pasta water if it looks dry. Serve with a generous squeeze of lemon, and sprinkle with Parmesan and more chile on top, if desired.
Private Notes
Comments
What brands of dry pasta are “quality”?
Scallions with their greens can stand in for one onion. Fresh dill (I always seem to have some left over) can play a role instead of basil. A tin of smoked mussels can step in for anchovies (though you won’t be mashing them). And, absolutely, do consider some good vinegar a worthy substitute for, or addition to, lemon. If you do have lemon, take the time to add a teaspoon of its zest.
For a higher-end grocery store brand, De Cecco. For a "splurge" brand, Martelli.
This is one of my favorite dishes. For a pasta, it's definitely a little bit of a labor of love, but it's the most comforting of comfort foods. Sweet, spicy, salty, savory, herby, it has it all!
Everyone loved this recipe and a good vegetarian choice. You could have a fried sausage on the side for carnivores. I sautéed chopped broccoli di rape on the side with olive oil and garlic but everyone ended up mixing it in with the pasta, so it could be a good addition to the recipe.
Really good. I now caramelize a bunch of onions early in the week and refrigerate — take that step out of the process and the only real prep is chopping up some olives and parsley, and boiling the pasta. Fast dinner! Liberally salt the water you cook the pasta in and you'll have to add less when you combine it with the onion mixture. Also: Don't skip the squeeze of lemon at the end; that's what *really* makes it pop.
Advertisement