Italian
Creamy Caramelized Onion & Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta
Rigatoni with deeply browned onions, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted garlic, Parmesan, basil, and lemon in a creamy sauce.
4 servings · 20 minutes prep · 75 minutes cook
Ingredients
Pasta and roasted onion sauce
- 12 ounces rigatoni or penne rigate
- 2 medium yellow onions (about 14 ounces), halved and thinly sliced
- 3/4 cup drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, roughly chopped, drained and roughly chopped; reserve the jar oil
- 1 whole garlic head, top 1/4 inch sliced off to expose the cloves
- 2 tablespoons oil from the sun-dried tomato jar, use extra-virgin olive oil if the jar does not provide enough
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sweet paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt, plus more for the pasta water and final seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
- 1/2 cup half-and-half
- 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan, plus more for serving, finely grated, plus more for serving
- 1/2–1 cup reserved pasta water, as needed, reserved from cooking the pasta; begin with 1/2 cup
- 1–2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, to taste, begin with 1 teaspoon
- 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, torn, torn just before serving
Directions
Roast the onions, tomatoes, and garlic
- Heat the oven to 400°F (205°C) with a rack in the center.
- Spread the onions and sun-dried tomatoes in a 9-by-13-inch (23-by-33-cm) baking dish. Add the reserved tomato oil, paprika, black pepper, salt, and red pepper flakes, if using, and toss until evenly coated.
- Set the trimmed garlic head cut-side up in the center and lightly coat its exposed surface with oil from the dish. Cover the dish tightly with foil and roast for 40 minutes.
- Remove the foil, stir the onions and tomatoes around the garlic, and roast uncovered for 20–25 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until the onions are collapsed and deeply browned at the edges without dry or blackened patches.
Cook the pasta and build the sauce
- During the final 15 minutes of roasting, bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until just al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the starchy pasta water, then drain.
- Lift the garlic head from the baking dish and let it cool for 2–3 minutes. Squeeze the soft cloves into the onions, discarding the papery skin, then mash the garlic and roughly one-third of the onions and tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon to form a chunky base.
- Let the baking dish stand for 2 minutes so it is no longer fiercely bubbling, then stir in the half-and-half and 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water until evenly combined.
- Add the drained pasta and Parmesan. Toss vigorously for 1–2 minutes until the cheese melts and the starch binds the sauce, adding more pasta water 2 tablespoons at a time until the sauce is glossy and fluid enough to coat the tubes inside and out.
Balance and serve
- Stir in 1 teaspoon of the lemon juice. Taste and add the remaining lemon juice, salt, or black pepper only as needed; the tomatoes and Parmesan already contribute salt.
- Fold in most of the basil and serve immediately, finishing each portion with the remaining basil and additional finely grated Parmesan.
