Caramelized Shallot Pasta Recipe
Deeply caramelized shallots blend with tomato paste, anchovies, and Calabrian chilies to make a rich sauce bursting with umami. Lemon-garlic breadcrumbs and a mountain of freshly grated parmesan cheese make this pasta recipe even more special.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Makes: 4 servings
Ingredients
Caramelized Shallot Pasta
- 10 oz bucatini pasta
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 tablespoons salted butter, divided
- 5 shallots thinly sliced
- 5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 2 teaspoons chopped Calabrian chilies
- 3 anchovy fillets, finely minced
- 1/2 cup chopped castelvetrano olives (optional)
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 1/2 cups reserved pasta water
- 1 cup freshly grated parmesan
Lemon-Garlic Breadcrumbs
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 garlic clove, grated or finely minced
- 2/3 cup fresh breadcrumbs (or panko)*
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
Instructions
- Boil the pasta until al dente. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the bucatini until al dente (about 1-2 minutes shy of package instructions). Reserve 1 1/2 cups of pasta water and set aside. Drain the pasta and set aside until ready to use. I always cook my pasta while my sauce is cooking vs cooking it ahead of time.
- Caramelize the shallots. Melt 1 tablespoon butter and olive oil in your skillet over medium heat. Add all the thinly sliced shallots and toss to coat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until the shallots start to turn golden brown. Add the thinly sliced garlic and continue to cook until the shallots and garlic are caramelized.
- Build the sauce. Add the minced anchovies and olives, and cook while stirring to break them down into the shallots and garlic. Add the tomato paste and Calabrian chilies to the skillet and stir to incorporate. Cook, stirring often, for 3-4 minutes, until the tomato paste has darkened in color. Add the wine to the skillet and stir to bring to a simmer. Once most of the wine has evaporated, add the reserved pasta water and bring to a simmer.
- Make the lemon garlic breadcrumbs. Melt the butter in a separate small skillet over medium heat. Grate 1 clove of garlic into the butter and cook for 1 minute. Add the breadcrumbs and toss well to coat in the butter. Cook, stirring often, for 4-5 minutes or until the breadcrumbs are golden brown. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon zest.
- Finish the pasta. Add the pasta to the sauce along with the remaining butter and stir to emulsify the butter as it melts. Squeeze in a little lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the parmesan cheese and stir to melt. Divide into bowls. Top with breadcrumbs, basil, and more parmesan.
Notes
To make your own breadcrumbs (recommended): Tear some pieces of stale bread into chunks and throw them into a food processor and run it until you have small crumbs. It’s THAT easy. Alternately, if you don’t have a food processor, just break the bread up into the smallest pieces possible.
