Recipe: Spaghetti with Caramelized Onions and Radicchio

As much as I like to cook impressive, complicated, time-consuming dishes, I also work a full-time job and sometimes just don’t have it in me after a long day at the office.  So, I’m always searching for recipes that are at least mildly creative and interesting (at least, more so than boxed pasta and Ragu) but that don’t require a ton of prep and cooking time.

This dish, which I saw in a recent Cooking Light magazine, seemed to fit the bill for a quick and tasty weeknight meal.  Other than some slicing and chopping of veggies and herbs, there really wasn’t much prep work involved at all.  You could definitely stick to the recipe as-is and have a delightful vegetarian meal; however, I had some big, beautiful shrimp on hand that I grilled (seasoned with olive oil, kosher salt, and black pepper) and served on top.  My one caution: don’t be stingy with the seasoning on this one!  Since there’s no real sauce, and since the onions and radicchio mellow out once they are cooked, don’t be afraid of the salt and red pepper flakes–you don’t want to wind up with a big pot of bland pasta.  This is a great dish to make in bulk and then eat leftover, as the flavors mingle together in the fridge and taste even better the second time around.  Enjoy!

• 1  tablespoon  olive oil
• 6  cups  thinly sliced yellow onion (about 1 3/4 pounds)
• 1/2  teaspoon  crushed red pepper
• 6  garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2  cup  dry white wine
• 1  pound  uncooked spaghetti
• 3 1/2  cups  thinly sliced radicchio (about 1 head)
• 2  tablespoons  chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2  teaspoons  chopped fresh oregano
• 1  teaspoon  salt
• 1/2  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4  cup  (3 ounces) crumbled Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 15 minutes or until almost tender, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook until deep golden (about 20 minutes), stirring occasionally. Add red pepper and garlic. Cook 3 minutes; stir occasionally. Add wine; cook 4 minutes or until liquid evaporates.

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain pasta in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Add reserved cooking liquid, pasta, radicchio, parsley, and oregano to onion mixture. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper; toss to combine. Top with cheese.

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Posted in Recipes
Tags: Cooking Light, Dinner, Pasta, Shrimp