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Alison Roman’s Caramelized Shallot Pasta

Caramelized shallot pasta is served in two white bowls. Next to the bowls is chopped parsley and garlic for garnishing.
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4.8 from 10 reviews

When you make this pasta for the first time…I promise, you will wonder where it has been your whole life! It’s that delicious!

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 6 large shallots, sliced very thin
  • 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
  • 1 (2-ounce) can anchovy fillets, drained, but not rinsed.
  • 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste or one (4.5-ounce) tube of tomato paste
  • 10 ounces bucatini pasta (with reserved pasta water…don’t forget)!
  • 1 cup parsley, chopped (combine parsley with one minced garlic clove)

Instructions

  • Heat olive oil in a heavy dutch oven (I used my Le Creuset) over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and the garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally until the shallots have softened with golden brown edges. This takes about 20 minutes
  • Add red-pepper flakes and anchovies drained and straight from the can. No need to chop them. They will dissolve when they’re cooked. Stir to combine the anchovies with the shallots, about 2 minutes.
  • Add tomato paste and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly to prevent any scorching, until the tomato paste has started to cook in the oil a bit, caramelizing at the edges, and turning from a bright red color to a deeper brick color, about 2 minutes
  • Remove the pot from the heat and transfer about half of the sauce into a jar or small bowl, leaving the rest behind. (These are the leftovers that you can use for a future dish).
  • Fill another large pot with salted water and bring to a boil. Cook pasta according to package instructions or until very al-dente. Save a cup of pasta water when draining (save more to use for reheating leftovers). Transfer the cooked pasta to a Dutch oven with the remaining shallot mixture and one cup of pasta water. Cook over medium-high heat, tossing the pasta with the shallot mixture to coat each piece of pasta, use a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape up any bits at the bottom until the pasta is a thick sauce and is reduced and is sticky, but not saucy, 3 to 5 minutes. Divide pasta into bowls or one large serving bowl and top with a little chopped garlic and fresh parsley mixture.

Notes

Make sure that you use the correct amount of pasta. This recipe calls for 10-ounces and most boxes of pasta are a pound, so you’ll want to take some out! 

Also, you’ll want to undercook your pasta a little because it continues to cook once you transfer it to the Dutch oven with the sauce and add the reserved pasta water.

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