Caramelized Shallot Pasta

Name: Caramelized Shallot Pasta
Cuisine: European, Italian, Mediterranean
Ingredients: ¼ cup olive oil; 1 pound large shallots (about 6–8), very thinly sliced; 4 thinly sliced garlic cloves; Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper; 1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes, plus more to taste; 1 6-ounce can of tomato paste (about 1/2 to 3/4 cup); 10 ounces pasta; 1 cup parsley, leaves and tender stems, finely chopped; 1 large garlic clove, very finely chopped; Flaky sea salt

5 steps

The two best pieces of advice I can give you while making this are to take the shallots to a more frizzled, caramelized place than you think (do not be afraid!) and please, whatever you do, do not skip the garlic/parsley topping. Re: the half of the shallot paste, save it for more pasta. Spread it onto buttered toast. Spoon it over scrambled eggs. Put it on an avocado. Give it as a gift. While I can technically say that the paste keeps for up to six weeks refrigerated, I can also say that I have kept my shallot paste refrigerated for up to two months and counting. - Alison Roman

Updated at: Thu, 17 Aug 2023 00:22:47 GMT

Nutrition balance score

Great

Glycemic Index

Low

Glycemic Load

High

Nutrition per serving

Calories508.4 kcal (25%)

Total Fat15.8 g (23%)

Carbs80.4 g (31%)

Sugars15.2 g (17%)

Protein14.3 g (29%)

Sodium438 mg (22%)

Fiber7.9 g (28%)

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Ingredients

4 servings

¼ cupolive oil

1 poundshallots

large, very thinly sliced

4garlic cloves

thinly sliced

kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoonred-pepper flakes

plus more to taste

1 x 6 ouncetomato paste

can

10 ouncespasta

1 cupparsley

leaves and tender stems, finely chopped

1garlic clove

large, very finely chopped

flaky sea salt

Instructions

Step 1

Heat olive oil in a large skillet or heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium-high. Add shallots and thinly sliced garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally until the shallots have become totally softened and caramelized with golden-brown fried edges, 15 to 20 minutes.

Step 2

Add red pepper flakes and tomato paste and season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly, until the tomato paste has started to cook in the oil a bit, caramelizing at the edges and going from bright red to a deeper brick red color, about 2 minutes (this is caramelizing the sugars in the tomato paste which will remove the raw, metallic flavor and contribute to a deeper, richer flavor in the end).

Step 3

Remove the paste from heat and transfer about half the mixture to a resealable container, leaving the rest behind. (These are your leftovers to be used elsewhere: in another batch of pasta or smeared onto roasted vegetables, spooned over fried eggs - this paste will be good for up to two months refrigerated, likely more.)

Step 4

To serve, cook pasta according to package instructions in a large pot of salted boiling water until very al dente (perhaps more al dente than usual). Transfer to the skillet or Dutch oven with remaining shallot mixture and about 1 cup/8 ounces pasta water. Cook over medium-high heat, swirling the skillet to coat each piece of pasta, using a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape up any bits on the bottom, until pasta is thick and the sauce has reduced and is sticky, but not saucy, 3 to 5 minutes.

Step 5

In a small bowl, combine parsley and finely chopped garlic clove, and season with flaky salt and pepper. Divide pasta among bowls, or transfer to one large serving bowl, and top with parsley mixture and a bit more red pepper flakes, if you like.