Let me start this off by saying that I used to hate anything and everything relating to onions. All of it. Not a fan of onion. And then I realized….ONIONS ARE THE SHIT. They help flavor everything so perfectly and even though they make me cry when I cut them, I love them. Shallots are like onions cute little sweet sister. Do not use onion here, only shallots, as onions are way too strong and will create a very distinct ONION punch,when the shallots deliver a sweet little twang.
what you need:
- 6 oz your fave pasta I used bowties but honestly anything but penne or rigatoni works, avoid anything tubular
- 1 shallot, diced into small pieces
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt, as needed
- Pepper, as needed
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes add more if you like SUPER SPICY
- 2 gloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce or crushed tomato if you’re into that sorta thing
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- Fresh parsley and parmesan, for serving
what you need to do:
- In a nonstick skillet, heat your butter and oil on medium heat. Once melted, add in your shallots, sugar, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Adjust heat to low. Let cook about 10 – 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until caramelized and dark in color. You do not want them to get crispy, just browned and translucent.
- While shallots cook, boil your water and begin to cook your pasta as instructed on the box. Make sure to salt your water!
- Once shallots are caramelized, add in the garlic and red pepper flakes. Stirring frequently to make sure you do not burn your garlic. Once garlic is toasted, add in the tomato sauce and stir until combined.
- Add in heavy cream and mix. Taste and adjust for salt and pepper as needed. I do not have measurements here because it is difficult to gauge with pasta, as everyone has different preferences. I used about 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper, but I like things on the salty side.
- Let simmer for about 5 minutes, then add in the pasta. Do NOT drain the pasta, keep the water on hand to add as needed if sauce is thick.
- I added 1 small ladle of pasta water to help coat my noodles and even out the sauce. Stir to combine and let the sauce and water combine over heat.
- When ready to serve, pour into your bowl and then top with freshly cracked pepper, a bit of Parmesan, and fresh parsley!