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caramelized onion & roasted garlic pasta

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caramelized onion & roasted garlic pasta | two red bowls

caramelized onion & roasted garlic pasta | two red bowls

A couple of months ago I stumbled on this caramelized onion and yogurt pasta by Diane Kochilas.  It’s just like it sounds — tangles of caramelized onions and thick, strained Greek yogurt, tossed with sunshine-yellow pasta and a few ladles of starchy water, then served with nothing more than a generous grating of salty cheese on top.  Yogurt in pasta!  And by all accounts, super delicious.  I’ve been meaning to try it ever since, totally fascinated by the idea that you could get a rich, alfredo-like sauce from Greek yogurt instead of cream.  The one thing that continues to surprise me as time goes on is how rich foods tend to overwhelm me easier and easier these days — clearly this blog shows that I still love it as much as I ever did, but somewhere along the way, slightly more nourishing alternatives, especially when they’re not “lighter” substitutes but just really genius ideas that happen to be good for you, got super exciting.  (15-year-old belly with an appetite for Jack-in-the-Box breakfast sandwiches every morning, where did you go?!)

So, when I was in the mood for a big, unapologetic bowl of pasta but didn’t want to be totally incapacitated for the night, I finally tried Diane’s pasta this past Saturday. Oh my gosh, so good.  This is my slightly-adapted take on it, with a little bit of chicken broth and a healthy dollop of roasted garlic paste because B2 loves garlic.  At its heart, the dish is still eggy, springy carbs, but everything that dresses it is both nourishing and impossibly complementary — the onions are slowly caramelized into deep, molasses-like sweetness that perfectly offsets the tang from the Greek yogurt so that neither overpowers the other, and pungent, earthy roasted garlic adds a bit of savory pique.  I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous about adding Greek yogurt to my pasta, but it turned out to be even more delicious than I imagined — thinned out with chicken broth, the yogurt makes a pure, creamy sauce that isn’t tart in the least, but thick, decadent, and, if anything, an improvement on cream, not a replacement.  The ultimate pantry (and things that last a long time in the fridge?) meal.

Hope you’re all having lovely Wednesdays!

caramelized onions & roasted garlic pasta | two red bowls

caramelized onion & roasted garlic pasta | two red bowls

caramelized onion & roasted garlic pasta | two red bowls

caramelized onion & roasted garlic pasta | two red bowls

caramelized onion & roasted garlic pasta | two red bowls

caramelized onion & roasted garlic pasta | two red bowls

caramelized onion & roasted garlic pasta | two red bowls

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Caramelized onion & roasted garlic pasta.

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Inspired by Diane Kochilas, via Food52. I used chicken broth here just because I liked the touch of depth it added, but it’s by no means necessary — just use the starchy water from boiling the pasta instead if you don’t have it on hand. You may want to add a bit of salt at the end to compensate.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 bulb garlic
  • 1/2 tsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 2 cups sliced onions (about 1 to 2 onions)
  • 3/4 cup chicken or vegetable broth, divided (plus more as needed to thin)
  • 8–10 ounces homemade or storebought tagliatelle (or pasta of your choice)
  • 1/2 cup Greek yogurt (the creamier and less tart, the better — I liked Fage best for this)
  • freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • Parmesan cheese, for topping (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Cut about 1/2″ off the top of the garlic bulb so that all cloves are partially exposed. Rub the cut side lightly with olive oil, then wrap the entire bulb in foil and roast for 45-50 minutes, or until cloves are very soft. The bulb should give when touched.
  2. While the garlic is roasting, melt the butter in saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onions and stir just until well-coated in butter. Let the onions cook gently in a single layer for about 45-50 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so, until they turn brown, jammy, and sweet. In the last few minutes, add 1/4 cup of the chicken broth to the onions to loosen any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
  3. Meanwhile, bring a pot of well-salted water to boil for the pasta. When the garlic bulb is done roasting, remove from oven and let cool. Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out from the bulb and add it to a food processor or blender, then process with the Greek yogurt until smooth. Thin the resulting mixture with another 1/4 cup chicken broth.
  4. Boil the pasta according to package directions. Drain, then toss with the yogurt mixture and the caramelized onions, then add the remaining chicken broth, a few tablespoons at a time, until the sauce is thinned to your desired consistency. Serve immediately, with black pepper and shaved Parmesan on top if desired. Enjoy!

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    • tworedbowls

      Right?! I’m actually not sure which I was more blown away by, caramelized onions in pasta or yogurt! And thank you so much for the super kind words, Abby :):)

      Reply

    • tworedbowls

      Yes! My favorite part was how incredibly easy it was 🙂 I can always use another one of those in my arsenal. Thank you so much, Kristina!

      Reply

  6. Sylvie @ Roamingtaste

    Oh my goodness, is there anything more basic in anyone’s kitchen then onion and garlic, and yet these two backbones to any great dinner take center stage and it looks incredible! I have to add this to my winter list of dishes.

    Reply

  13. Alanna Taylor-Tobin

    Get in my face! I love yogurt in anything and always have it in my fridge; I absolutely cannot wait to make this. My mind is swirling with possibilities! Your photos slay me every time, Cynthia – so gorgeous. Thanks so much for this beautiful recipe!

    Reply

  17. Sara @ Cake Over Steak

    I’ve been meaning to try this, too! My only problem is … I despise Greek yogurt. But I’ve been making coconut yogurt so I bet that would be an interesting substitute. I love your addition of roasted garlic to this. Lovely post as usual, Cynthia!

    Reply

  18. Brooke Bass

    Cynthia! I made this for dinner last night and it was AMAZING! I ended up adding some parm-crusted eggplant b/c I had it and wanted to use it up. Both the mister and I agree–the whole thing was rich and flavorful in its simplicity. Thanks for sharing such a wonderful recipe!

    Reply

  19. Considering The Radish

    I made the yogurt pasta a while ago and while I liked the idea, I didn’t love the end result- it was a bit too thick and not saucy enough for me. But with chicken broth and roasted garlic it sounds perfect. I may have to try it again…

    Reply

  21. emily

    I can’t imagine anything sounding more appetizing at the moment, Cynth! And those photos — I just want to lick that saucy plate. Gaaaaahhhhhgeous. <3

    Reply

  24. Ellie@fitforthesoul

    I adore roasted garlic, or garlic in general! And yes, I always go for mostly healthier alternatives with a little bit of traditional in the mix. Welcome to the semi-healthy and late 20s club! Hehe. ;))

    Reply

  27. thebrickkitchen

    What a gorgeous simple pasta – and yet I can imagine that it would have incredible depth of flavour, with the slow roasted garlic and caramelised onions. Absolutely stunning photos too, as always!

    Reply

  31. Lisa

    We are very into simple pasta these days so I have to try this. I agree with you that Fage is the best choice for this. It’s the only Greek yogurt that I can eat. I have a weird aversion to almost all yogurt. I don’t think gagging was the plan when they created it! Probably more than you wanted to know.

    Reply

  32. Jeff Winett

    I made this ummmazing pasta dish during the week, and believe me, this will be on my rotation for as long as I live. With every bite, my taste buds were swooning over what felt like was a big bowl of “Lipton California Dip” pasta. Just stupendous. I feel that a good quality purchased or home made egg pasta is important here, but I suppose what pasta dish doesn’t benefit from this? My only tweak was to make the sauce much earlier in the day, including mixing in the yogurt/garlic mash. I used 1/4 cup of the chicken broth as directed, to loosen the flavor bomb bits that formed in the sauce pan. But instead of thinning the yogurt with 1/4 cup, I used 1/2 cup of the broth for the very end when I dropped the pasta into the re-warmed sauce. Thank you so much for sharing this.
    Cheers,
    Jeff

    Reply

  33. Anjali

    Hi – I dont get greek yoghurt where I live (India), but we do set yoghurt every day at home. Could I use that? It’s not very solid and mildly tart. Else any substitutes? Thanks!

    Reply

    • tworedbowls

      Hi Anjali, that sounds like it would work wonderfully! I would just use a bit less chicken (or vegetable) stock — maybe try blending just the garlic and yogurt together in Step 3, without any stock initially, then toss with the pasta and add any stock after that as needed to loosen the sauce? I’d love to hear how it goes if you try it!

      Reply

  35. ML

    I made this last night for my sister and her friends, and it was delicious ! I admit I was sceptical at first about the yoghurt sauce thing, but it was very creamy and not weird at all, so I’ll be making this again !

    Reply

    • tworedbowls

      Oh my gosh!!! That’s the BEST news, thank you so much for sharing! I was totally skeptical too 🙂 Thank you for making my day!

      Reply

  39. Trudy Wodinsky

    I’d love to make this as my son loves creamy pasta and garlic. Unfortunately he doesn’t like onion. Should I just leave the onion out and maybe double the garlic, or not even attempt this? Thanks for your suggestion.

    Reply

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