Chili Oil Caramelized Onion Pasta
This rich and creamy Chili Oil Caramelized Onion Pasta recipe is quick, easy and absolutely delicious!
How to Make Chili Oil Caramelized Onion Pasta
This quick and easy recipe for Chili Oil Caramelized Onion Pasta is a dream! It is packed with a nice mix of savory, slightly sweet and creamy flavors thanks to ingredients like caramelized onions, garlic and chili crisp. Another added bonus is that this recipe literally takes about 20 minutes to make. To make this pasta dish, you will need the key ingredients shared below. (See recipe card below for the ingredients measurements.)
Key Ingredients
- Spaghetti
- Yellow or White Onion
- Garlic
- Unsalted Butter
- Preferred Oil
- Chili Crisp Oil
- Soy Sauce
- Honey
- Seasonings (Paprika, Black Pepper)
- Heavy Cream
- Pasta Water
- Parmesan Cheese
(See recipe card below for the ingredients measurements.)
Preparation
- Caramelized Onions – in a large saucepan under medium heat, add the oil and the butter. Once the butter is fully melted, add in the onions and cook while stirring occasionally until softened and the takes on a caramelized golden brown color, about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Prepare Pasta – cook the pasta until al dente following the package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water before draining.
- Make Sauce – as the pasta cooks, continue with the sauce. Add the garlic into the pan with caramelized onions and cook while stirring until softened and fragrant. Next, mix in the chili oil crisp and cook for 1 to 2 minutes to allow the flavors to release. Mix in the seasonings, soy sauce and honey. Once combined, mix in the heavy cream and parmesan cheese. To thin out the sauce, mix in a 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta. Taste sauce and season with salt, if needed.
- Finish Dish – reduce heat to medium low. Mix in the cooked pasta into the sauce to combine. If needed, mix in a few splashes of the remaining pasta water if the sauce is too thick. Cook the pasta in the sauce for 1 to 2 minutes to allow the pasta to absorb the flavors of the sauce.
- Serve – add freshly chopped parsley and few spoonfuls of the chili oil crisp before serving.
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Chili Oil Caramelized Onion Pasta
Ingredients
- 6 ounces spaghetti pasta, uncooked
- 1 medium yellow or white onion, sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon preferred oil
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup reserved pasta water
- 2 tbsp chili oil crisp, plus more for serving
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- salt, if needed
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
- fresh Parsley, finely chopped, optional
Instructions
- In a large saucepan under medium heat, add the oil and the butter. Once the butter is fully melted, add in the onions and cook while stirring occasionally until softened and the onions take on a caramelized golden brown color, about 8 to 10 minutes.
- At this point, start to cook the pasta until al dente following the package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water before draining.
- As the pasta cooks, continue with the sauce. Add the garlic into the pan with the caramelized onions and cook while stirring until softened and fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Next, mix in the chili oil crisp (here you want to add mostly the crisp mixture out of the oil to prevent the pasta from becoming too oily) and cook for 1 to 2 minutes to allow the flavors to release.
- Then, mix in the paprika and black pepper, soy sauce and honey. Once combined, mix in the heavy cream and parmesan cheese. To thin out the sauce, mix in 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta. Taste sauce and season with salt, if needed.
- Reduce heat to medium low. Mix in the cooked pasta into the sauce. If needed, mix in a few splashes of the remaining pasta water if the sauce is too thick. You want enough sauce in the pan to cook the pasta in the sauce for 1 to 2 minutes. This will allow the pasta to absorb the flavors of the sauce.
- Before serving, sprinkle some freshly chopped parsley and few spoonfuls of the chili oil crisp over the pasta. Enjoy!
