Delicious Caramelised Onion Pasta

I’m really excited to put this simple and delicious pasta on your radar. I’m certain it’s going to make your regular midweek rotations! Follow me…

Oven Caramelised Onions

Slow-roasting onions is an easy way to caramelise them. It’s a fairly hands-off method in comparison to caramelising them in a pan, meaning you don’t need to watch over them and constantly stir them.

How to caramelise onions in the oven

Whilst you can caramelise onions without any extra ammo, I love adding in some balsamic glaze so they go nice and sweet/sticky. Alongside that, I go in with a good amount of olive oil to keep them moist and prevent them from burning, alongside some salt and pepper.

Roasted Garlic

Since roasted garlic goes hand in hand with caramelised onions, it’d be rude not to roast up some up alongside the onions. I originally tried roasting the garlic in with the onions, but it never properly caramelised due to the excess steam from the onions. It caramelises much more efficiently wrapped in foil outside the baking dish.

Low ‘n’ Slow

With both caramelised onions and roasted garlic, it’s important to make sure you cook them low and slow to tickle out their natural sugars. Don’t rush this process otherwise, they will both end up far too pungent. The flavours should transform into something far more subtle and sweet. Process shots: add sliced onions to baking dish (photo 1), add olive oil, balsamic glaze, salt and pepper (photo 2), toss (photo 3), add foil and bake (photo 4), slice garlic and drizzle in oil (photo 5), wrap in foil and bake (photo 6).

Caramelised Onion Pasta

The caramelised onions and roasted garlic make a lovely base for this dish, but we’re going to add in some extra goodies:

Sun Dried Tomatoes – These add a good punch of tangy flavour that balances out the sweetness of the onions and garlic. Basil – Pairs beautifully with the tomatoes and balsamic onions. Mascarpone – Creates a creamy sauce. Parmesan – Adds flavour and highlights the ‘cheesy’ aspect of the mascarpone.

The beauty of this recipe is you can mix everything in the baking dish. The residual heat will melt the cheese to form the sauce.

Starchy Pasta Water

This is a key ingredient in creating a creamy, glossy sauce. You’ll need to add in a splash to form the sauce and more from there to thin out as needed. Just make sure the pasta water is well-seasoned so you don’t dilute the flavour of the sauce. Process shots: remove foil (photo 1), add mascarpone, roasted garlic and sun dried tomatoes (photo 2), mix with pasta water (photo 3), stir in cooked pasta, basil and parmesan (photo 4).

What kind of pasta should I use?

Any shortcut pasta will do the trick – here I use Farfalle.

How do I prevent the onions from burning?

Don’t be tempted to crank up the heat, low and slow is the key. You’ll also want to toss the onions 2-3 times during baking. You can check to see if they’re burning and if they look like they’re starting to char just decrease the oven temp slightly.

Is there anything else I could add to this dish?

Chicken goes nicely! I haven’t tried it, but I imagine sausage would go nicely too.

Serving Caramelised Onion Pasta

You want to work fairly quickly as you mix everything in the baking dish so it all stays hot. From there, you can serve with some extra parmesan and basil if you fancy! Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for this caramelised onion pasta shall we?!