If you’ve been here for a while, you know our obsession with roasted shallots. Sure, they end up looking a little burnt or charred, but all that translates into flavor. We typically recommend making a double batch, because we end up eating them like candy. This caramelized shallot pasta has a similar effect and it’s thanks to the tender shallots and pangratatto topping!
Why do we love this shallot pasta so much? Easy!
- The shallots are sweet and impossibly tender, which is the perfect textural contrast to the crunchy breadcrumbs mixed throughout.
- Bold flavor! While roasted or caramelized shallots are mild in flavor, the breadcrumbs get toasted in a mixture of butter, garlic, and anchovies — in Italy, toasting of breadcrumbs like this is called pangrattato, and it translates into big, bold flavors!
- Balanced! Don’t freak out about the anchovies. Between the lemon zest + lemon juice + sweet caramelized shallots, it’s extremely well balanced. Fresh herbs add a brightness, too, that we just love!
If caramelized shallot pasta doesn’t make you swoon, nothing will! This one is totally, 100% date night and dinner party worthy, so don’t delay one minute more!
Ingredients For Caramelized Shallot Pasta
- Pasta: use a long, thin pasta noodle, such as: bucatini, spaghetti, linguine, or fettuccine
- Large shallots: can’t have a shallot pasta without a boat load of roasted, caramelized shallots! These are the absolute star of the show.
- Pangrattato: we’ll toast Italian style breadcrumbs in melted butter along with garlic cloves and anchovy fillets, giving the shallot pasta a great crunchy texture and it’s signature flavor!
- Unsalted butter
- Lemon: a burst of acidity that balances out the intensity from the garlic and anchovies
- Fresh herbs: Parsley or chives to brighten the flavors
- Kosher salt + freshly ground black pepper: to season the dish!
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Flaky sea salt, for serving
Yep, these totally humble ingredients come together to create the most magical shallot pasta! My mouth is watering just thinking about it!
How To Make Pasta with Shallots
- Roast the shallots. Preheat oven to 425 F. Pour olive oil in a large cast iron skillet or roasting pan. Place shallots on top, cut side down. Drizzle with remaining olive oil, then season with Kosher salt. Roast for 25 minutes.
- Bring water to a boil. Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil. Season generously with Kosher salt (a good 2 Tbsp).
- Add pasta. Place spaghetti or other pasta in the water, then stir gently to separate. Cook for 7 minutes, or until al dente according to package directions.
- Reserve cooking liquid. Reserve 1 – 1 ½ cups of pasta water in a measuring cup, then strain pasta.
- Make the pangrattato. Heat butter and extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add chopped garlic cloves, anchovies, and fresh lemon zest. Stir with a wooden spoon or spatula, breaking up the anchovies so they melt into the sauce. Once dissolved, add breadcrumbs, then stir until toasted and all the liquid has been absorbed, about 1-2 minutes. Breadcrumbs should be light golden brown and evenly toasted.
- Add pasta to the pan. Pour the cooked pasta into the skillet with the toasted breadcrumbs. Add the remaining shallot mixture, some reserved pasta water, grated Parmigiano Reggiano, butter, fresh lemon juice, and chopped parsley. Use tongs to mix, then taste and adjust seasoning as needed. If you want a looser, thinner sauce, add more reserved pasta water.
- Finish and serve. Transfer the shallot pasta to a large serving bowl or divide pasta between plates. Top with additional parsley and parmesan cheese. Serve with a drizzle of high quality olive oil and a generous pinch of flaky salt. Enjoy immediately!
Tips For The Best Caramelized Shallot Pasta
- Reserve at least 1 cup cooking water before draining pasta! This starchy water is the secret to making any pasta sauce extra creamy!
- Finish the shallot pasta directly in a skillet. Cooking pasta will help it absorb all those flavors better!
- To reheat pasta, place in a large skillet, then add a splash of water and cook over medium heat until it comes back to life. Add a drizzle or two of olive oil or a couple tablespoons of butter to bring it back to life.
- Don’t underestimate the power of lemon! If you’re scared or anxious about cooking with anchovies, trust us, the lemon helps to balance everything out! And if, like us, you already adore anchovies, be sure to check out our favorite anchovy chicken, spicy crab pasta, homemade Caesar dressing, and these outrageously simple French green beans!
Variations On Shallot Pasta
- What if I don’t have shallots? Well, how does caramelized onion pasta sound to you? 🤣 Go ahead and take a few large onions (white, sweet, or red — all are fine substitutions), then cut them into quarters leaving the root attached. You can roast onions just like shallots, they’ll just need slightly longer since they’re bigger/thicker.
- We enjoy this as a meatless entrée, but you can of course add chicken or seafood to bulk it up. We particularly love crispy chicken thighs and roasted salmon with the anchovies, garlic, and lemon flavor of the pasta!
- Don’t have parsley or chives? You can use a variety of fresh herbs in their place: basil, thyme, tarragon (kind of tastes like licorice, but better!) or rosemary are all great choices.
- Have leftover garlic confit or roasted garlic from another recipe? Add a few spoonfuls in here, would be so delicious!
- For a similar pasta recipe with your favorite jar of red sauce, check out NYTimes Alison Roman shallot pasta which looks insane and can be made entirely on the stove top!
FAQs
Is this how traditional pangratatto is made? Pangrattato literally translates into grated bread, so beyond pan frying breadcrumbs in olive oil and/or butter, the rest is up to you! We think the combination of anchovies + garlic + and lemon zest is stellar, but you could serve this in the fall with freshly chopped rosemary or sage, or really any aromatics you want — basil, oregano, lots of freshly cracked black pepper, even red pepper flakes for heat.
It’s referred to as a poor man’s Parmesan, as its meant to be a suitable replacement for the more expensive topping of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. You’ll want to add it every pasta dish moving forward! And yes, you can absolutely use fresh, homemade breadcrumbs here. Yum!
Panko vs. breadcrumbs — can I use panko in this recipe? Yes! We prefer Italian style or homemade breadcrumbs as they absorb the melted butter and oil more easily (panko style breadcrumbs are much crunchier already!).
One bite is all you need to become a believer in cooking with anchovies, promise! Savory and full of umami flavor, it is simply irresistible. If you make this Shallot Pasta, please let us know by leaving a review and rating below! Have this sneaking suspicion that you are going to be low key obsessed, and for good reason!!
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For more pasta recipes we love, check out the following recipes:
- Chicken Pesto Pasta
- Lemon Garlic Pasta with Shrimp and Scallops
- Rigatoni Bolognese
- Pappardelle With Corn, Tomatoes, and Basil Cream Sauce
- Spaghetti alle Vongole
Caramelized Shallot Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb bucatini or other long thing pasta
- 10-12 large shallots peeled, and halved or cut into thirds, depending on size
- 5 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil divided, plus more for serving
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter divided
- ½ tsp Kosher salt
- 4 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 4 anchovy fillets
- 1 lemon zested and juiced
- ½ cup seasoned Italian breadcrumbs or plain breadcrumbs
- ½ cup Parmigiano Reggiano grated
- 2 Tbsp finely chopped parsley
- Pinch of flaky sea salt for serving
- Freshly cracked black pepper for serving
Instructions
- Roast the shallots. Preheat oven to 425 F. Pour 2 Tbsp olive oil on a rimmed baking sheet, a large cast iron skillet, or roasting pan. Place shallots on top, cut side down. Drizzle with another 1 Tbsp olive oil, then season with ½ tsp Kosher salt. Roast for 25 minutes.
- Bring water to a boil. Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil. Season generously with Kosher salt (a good 2 Tbsp).
- Add pasta. Place bucatini or other pasta in the water, then stir gently to separate. Cook for 7 minutes, or until al dente according to package directions.
- Reserve cooking liquid. Reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water in a measuring cup, then strain pasta.
- Make the crunchy breadcrumbs. Meanwhile, melt 2 Tbsp butter and 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add 4 cloves finely chopped garlic, 4 whole anchovies, and 1 tsp lemon zest. Stir with a spatula, breaking up the anchovies so they melt into the sauce. Once dissolved, add ½ cup breadcrumbs, then stir until toasted and all the liquid has been absorbed, about 1-2 minutes. Breadcrumbs should be light golden brown and evenly toasted.
- Add pasta to the pan. Pour the cooked pasta into the skillet with the toasted breadcrumbs. Add the caramelized shallots, ¼ cup reserved pasta cooking water, ¼ cup Parmigiano Reggiano, remaining 2 Tbsp butter, 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, and 2 Tbsp chopped parsley. Use tongs to mix everything together. Taste, then adjust seasoning as needed. If you want a looser, thinner sauce, add more reserved pasta water a little at a time.
- Finish and serve. Transfer the shallot pasta to a large serving bowl or individual plates. Top each with additional chopped parsley or parmesan, as desired. Serve with a drizzle of high quality extra virgin olive oil and a generous pinch of flaky sea salt. Enjoy immediately!
Video
Notes
- Reserve at least 1 cup cooking water before draining pasta! This starchy water is the secret to making any pasta sauce extra creamy!
- Finish the shallot pasta directly in a skillet. Cooking pasta will help it absorb all those flavors better!
- To reheat pasta, place in a large skillet, then add a splash of water and cook over medium heat until it comes back to life. Add a drizzle or two of olive oil or a couple tablespoons of butter to bring it back to life.
Absolutely delicious! I harvested a bountiful crop of shallots from my garden and so I was on the hunt for a recipe to make use of them. The directions were spot on and it turned out great. Thanks Ari!
So jealous of your shallot bounty, ours aren’t growing in yet! Bet it gave the pasta the best flavor! xo, Ari
This recipe is FULL of umami goodness!! The shallots are so sweet and melt in your mouth. And those garlic anchovy breadcrumbs are amazing! I made this with gluten-free pasta, gluten-free breadcrumbs and vegan butter and it was such a decadent and delicious meal! I highly recommend!
I love, love, love that you adapted this to fit your needs! Umami is the perfect word to describe it. So good!!! xo, Ari
Very tasty! I reduced the anchovies because my kids can’t be fooled and I wasn’t sure they’d go for the flavor. They loved the dish! The lemon and parsley really brought a freshness to it. Thanks!
Love the umami flavor in this dish. Smart to cutback on anchovies for the kids, mine don’t love them either hah! xo, Ari
I LOVED this. I have always been an anti anchovy kind of gal but you truly would never know these were in there. This is super tasty and surprisingly fresh. The only thing I have a question on is if there is a way to prevent the breadcrumbs from going soggy? As soon as I added the pasta water they went a little pasty. Any tips?
The anchovies totally melt into the sauce, so good! You can absolutely toss everything together with pasta water EXCEPT the breadcrumbs, then stir those in at the end. They’ll probably have a more pronounced texture this way. I prefer the breadcrumbs to absorb the flavors in the sauce, which is why I add them directly to the skillet, but you can’t go wrong either way. Thanks for the review! xo, Ari
This was stellar! The roasted shallots are to die for!
Roasted shallots should be their own food group!! So glad you enjoy this as much as we do, Kelsea! xo, Ari