Caramelized Onion and Anchovy Pasta

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This delicious recipe is absolutely loaded with big flavors. The combination of rich, Caramelized Onions along with briny, salty Anchovies makes for a perfect match of flavors! This is a simple dish to prepare and works just as great as a main course as it does a side course. However you wish to enjoy it, we can only encourage you to please make this amazing Caramelized Onion and Anchovy Pasta recipe. You’ll love it so much!

The simplicity of this dish is what really separates it from so many others. There are very few ingredients in the dish, but you wouldn’t know it from the immense flavors they can produce. It’s all about the ingredients. By slowly caramelizing Onions and then adding powerful flavors of Anchovies to them you are creating a simply amazing tasting plate of food

Slowly cook the Onions to achieve a silky-smooth Caramelization

There are two ways you can Caramelize Onions, both of them are great. The first is the classic BBQ / Grilling approach, which is cooking them down over a relatively high heat. This is a great way to cook onions when you want them charred and a little crispy. These work great in Burgers, Hot-Dogs, or any kind of grilling foods

However, for our Caramelized Onion and Anchovy Pasta recipe, we want to slowly Caramelize the Onions. This method will achieve a very different texture and flavor to the Onions. By slowly cooking the Onions over a low heat, the Onions will eventually caramelize and turn into a silky-smooth texture

This method is what is typically used in traditional French recipes such as French Onion Soup. The Onions are less crispy and charred, and in doing so can absorb a load more flavor than the faster cooked method

This is exactly what we want! Once the Onions are cooked we add those beautiful Anchovies to them. The Onions will absorb the Anchovies and take on the most amazing rich flavor. It’s truly a unique flavor, and can only be achieved by slow cooking the Onions

So, take your time and let those Onions do their thing for about 40 minutes on the stovetop over low heat. It’s well worth it!

It doesn’t really matter which type of Onions you use

Onion purists will tell you there are certain sugar levels in certain types of Onions that lend themselves better for caramelizing. While this may be true, I can categorically tell you that you’ll get great Onions whatever type you use. I’ve caramelized every color of Onion you can think about, and they all turn out great

Sure the ‘best’ Onions are probably Yellow or Spanish Onions (for their sugar content), however we used Red Onions for this recipe as it was all that we had in the pantry. Guess what? They turned out amazing! All Onions will break down and turn beautiful and sweet once cooked for long enough. So we recommend using whichever type of Onions you like for our delicious Caramelized Onion and Anchovy Pasta recipe!

No Salt is required in this dish, this is covered by the Anchovies

The true hero of this dish is not the Pasta, or the Onions. It’s those wonderful Anchovies. The amount of flavor that one of these small little fishes packs is truly astonishing! For this recipe you’ll need to use the Red Anchovies which typically come in a jar. These have a much more concentrated, salty flavor than the White Anchovies which is what we want

The reason for this is the Anchovies aren’t really used in this dish (or many recipes for that matter) to achieve a fishy / seafood flavor. Quite the contrary in fact! These Anchovies have a beautiful salty, briny flavor that provides the seasoning for the recipe

These Anchovies are cured in Salt, and then bathed in Oil. These salty, oily flavors are then transferred into the Onions, providing their seasoning. So, there’s no need to add any more Salt. The Anchovies are plenty salty, so you won’t need any more

We recommend adding a bit of that wonderful Oil to the Onions too. The Onion is loaded with briny, fatty flavor and is liquid gold! Add about ½ a tsp. of it when you add the Anchovies and thank me later!

This delicious Pasta recipe can be enjoyed as a side dish or a main course

Depending on what you’re after, you can enjoy this recipe as either a main or a side. It’s quite a rich dish, so enjoying a plate of Caramelized Onions and Anchovy Pasta as a side dish along with a protein and some salad will be a great plate of food

The recipe below will produce a substantial quantity of food, however. You’ll easily get two main courses out of this, likely with some leftovers too. As a side, you’ll easily get 4+ servings. All we can suggest is make this tasty dish and then make your mind up if it’s best as a side or main. Personally, we ate it as a main course, and it was amazing! Try a light salad on the side such as our Apple and Arugula Salad with Goats Cheese for a perfectly balanced meal

Caramelized Onion and Anchovy Pasta Recipe

Ingredients

• 170g / 6 oz. Fettuccini Pasta
• 3 Onions, finely sliced
• 60g / 2 oz. Red Anchovies in Oil, finely chopped
• 30g / 1 oz. Parmesan Cheese
• 2 tbsp. Unsalted Butter
• 1 tsp. of Salt (for Pasta Water)
  
  

Instructions

1. Melt the Butter in a large saucepan over low / medium heat, then add the Onion Slices. Slowly cook the Onions until they begin to Caramelize, stirring occasionally. This should take about 40 minutes
2. About 30 minutes until cooking the Onions, bring a separate large saucepan filled with water to a boil. Add the Salt and Fettuccini and cook until al-dente (cooked, but with a little bite to it), about 8 minutes or so
3. Strain the Fettuccini but reserve 1 cup of the Pasta Water
4. Add the chopped Anchovies to the Onions and stir until they completely dissolve. Add ½ a cup of Pasta Water and grated Parmesan Cheese and mix well
5. Mix the Fettuccini with the Onion Sauce and then plate. Finish with more Parmesan Cheese and serve
   
   

Recipe Notes

• We recommend reserving 1 cup of Pasta Water. If the Onion Sauce is still a little too thick after adding ½ cup of Water and the Cheese, add a little bit more Water until you reach the desired consistency
• You can replace the Fettuccini with your favorite type of Pasta if you prefer
  
  

We know you’re going to love eating this delicious Caramelized Onion and Anchovy Pasta dish. The big flavors in this dish make for a fantastic eating experience. If you’re enjoying this recipe as a side, here are a few main courses that we recommend pairing it with:

• Crispy Skin Chicken Thighs
• Grilled Chipotle Chicken Sandwich
• Peruvian Chicken with Spicy Green Sauce
• Pork Chops and Green Beans
  
  

Happy Cooking!