I love onions. Not necessarily raw— but sauteed and cooked, every which way. I love them so much I made a orecchiette pasta with caramelized onions. So when I thought of making a shallot pasta dish, I made sure it was completely different from what I already had and also what is out there already.
And the fact that I can whip this pasta up in under 35 minutes makes it perfect for those busy weeknights when everyone is just plain exhausted and wants something satisfying and quick.
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What makes this shallot pasta recipe different
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No anchovies. Don’t get me wrong, I love salt. And I love anchovy paste but I don’t love anchovies per se. Some of the recipes for caramelized shallot pasta call for anchovies or paste and I didn’t want to have to buy either of those for a one time use. So instead I opted for something I always have in my fridge (and hope you do too). More on that below.
Tomato paste. My other caramelized pasta recipe gets its acid from apple cider vinegar. This one calls on a little tomato paste to bring richness, tang and color.
A lemony breadcrumb topping. It’s so good. And it adds the final pop of flavor. I love sprinkling toasted breadcrumbs on pasta (like in this lemon bucatini pasta) and these add a fresh brightness to the warmth from the caramelization in the shallots.
Alright…now that I’ve shared what’s different, it’s time to share what’s in it.
Grocery list
I touched on some of the ingredients above but here is what you’ll need to gather:
For the pasta
For the crumb topping
How to make caramelized shallot pasta
Read this first, please…
Don’t let the word “caramelized” intimidate you. Caramelized is just a fancy way of saying that something has been cooked low and slow until it gets golden brown like caramel. If you can chop and stir, you can caramelize!
1. Equipment
Use a wide skillet large enough to toss the pasta in the sauce. While this technically isn’t a one pot dish (we use another pot to cook the pasta), you still need a skillet large enough to caramelize the onions and make the sauce.
2. Caramelize the shallots
- Heat the large skillet over medium heat and cook the pancetta until crispy, about 3 minutes. Remove to a paper-towel lined plate to absorb any grease.
- Thinly slice the shallots and then add them to the same pan heated with a little olive oil and butter.
- Saute the shallots for about 25 minutes on low until caramelized and golden. Stir them every so often to make sure that no “side” gets darker than the other.
3. Make the pasta sauce and breadcrumbs
- After the shallots are caramelized and gorgeous, stir in the fish sauce and tomato paste and cook for another 2 minutes or so.
- Meanwhile saute the breadcrumbs in a little oil and salt until toasty and toss with the lemon zest and parsley.
- Toss the bucatini with the sauce, adding pasta water to loosen the sauce up and help it cling to the pasta.
Pro tip
Don’t add too much water to the pasta or the flavors will be diluted.
More tips for success
To capitalize on all the flavor as the pasta will soak up the sauce, caramelized shallot pasta is best prepared right before it’s served.
Serve the breadcrumbs on the side so everyone can top their portions to their taste. This also makes it easier to reheat the pasta later.
Have leftovers? Refrigerate a little pasta water (about 1/4 cup or so) from making the pasta originally to toss with the pasta in a pan heated on the stove. Toss until heated through over medium heat. You could also use a little milk or cream instead of water.
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35 Minute Caramelized Shallot Pasta (no anchovies)
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Ingredients
- ½ lb bucatini
- 3 oz pancetta, diced; I get mine at Trader Joe's- see below
- 2 T olive oil
- 2 T butter
- 6 shallots, peeled sliced super thin
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 Tablespoons garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce , you could also use a little miso if you have that on hand
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
Lemon Breadcrumbs
- 1 T unsalted butter
- ¼ cup panko
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- zest of 1 lemon
- parmesan cheese for garnish
Instructions
- In a pot of generously salted water, cook the bucatini until al dente according to package directions. Reserve about 1 cup of pasta water.½ lb bucatini
- Saute the pancetta over medium heat until crispy for about 4 minutes. Remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain.3 oz pancetta
- In the same skillet over medium heat, add the butter and olive oil until the butter is melted. Add the shallots and lower the heat. Season with salt and pepper.2 T olive oil, 2 T butter, 6 shallots, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Continue to cook until the shallots are caramelized about 25 minutes or so, stirring every so often to make sure the shallots don't get too dark on any one side.
- After the shallots are golden and caramelized, raise the heat to medium and stir in the garlic for about 30 seconds or so.2 teaspoons fish sauce, 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- After adding the garlic, stir in the fish sauce and tomato paste. Swirl until the tomato paste is caramelized for about 2 minutes.Add in the pancetta.
- Toss the cooked pasta in, adding pasta water in 1/4 cup increments as needed to make the pasta a little saucy. Don't add too much water or you risk diluting the flavors- you just want it all to cling to the pasta, not cover it in sauce.
For the breadcrumbs:
- Over medium high heat, melt the butter. Add the panko and stir until browned, about 5 minutes. Be careful not to burn the breadcrumbs – keep an eye!1 T unsalted butter, ¼ cup panko, ¼ cup chopped parsley, zest of 1 lemon
- Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the pasta to serve along with some parmesan cheese and basil.parmesan cheese for garnish
