I first saw the caramelized onion pasta on Instagram just last week. It is a viral recipe that apparently has been making the rounds for a while now. I am a little late to the game BUT I am glad I stumbled upon it.
It is super easy, super flavorful, and inexpensive. We added our own twist by putting in some seafood and fresh herbs - the original recipe does not have any meat so feel free to leave it out OR I feel like this would also be delicious with a shredded rotisserie chicken if you want the extra protein.
We used spaghettini, but you can use whichever pasta you prefer. It's a pretty easy recipe to adapt.
Also - we used the fresh herbs we had available from our garden but you can switch them up for dried or leave them out or change them up to what you have on hand.
Caramelized Onion Seafood Pasta
Ingredients
3 large onions, sliced
1 head garlic, top cut off
1 jar of sundried tomatoes, with oil (about 1/2 cup)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup fresh basil
1/4 cup fresh parsley
2 Tbsp fresh chives
4 cups cooked pasta
2 cups scallops, cooked
2 cups prawns, cooked
Garnish
parmesan cheese, grated
garlic chili oil (or similar)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400.
Place sliced onions in a 9 X 13 pan. Place the head of garlic in the middle of the pan. Spread the sundried tomatoes over the onions, making sure the oil is drizzled evenly. Drizzle the olive oil over the garlic and onions.
Cover with tin foil and place in 400 degree oven for one hour - stirring half way.
After an hour, add in the herbs and stir again. Shut oven off and place covered onions back in while you cook the pasta.
If onions are not caramelized at the one hour mark, add the herbs, remove the tinfoil and place back in oven while you prepare the pasta. Do not shut the oven off.
Prepare pasta by boiling according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
Remove onions from oven. Squeeze out the roasted garlic into the onion mixture and stir.
Toss pasta into the onion mixture.
Add your cooked seafood or chicken, if using. Toss well.
Pop back into oven for about 10 minutes to make sure everything is heated through.
Serve immediately.
You can enjoy like this...
Or you can top with parmesan cheese or chili garlic oil (or crispy chili oil) if you'd like to spice it up a bit.
I love the addition of fresh herbs like basil and parsley, but they aren't in the original viral recipe, nor is the added protein. I am adding this to my "make again" list. For how flavorful it is, it is really quite easy to whip up.
**You can make the pasta ahead of time if you want; it is easy enough to reheat when you toss it with the onions.
