This delicious, creamy pasta is a meatless version of the Neapolitan classic: Genovese. Because the onions naturally create a thick and satisfying sauce, this dish is surprisingly light and healthy as it requires very little olive oil or cheese.
It's a long-simmering, slow-cooked sauce but it's very simple to make!
Watch the Pasta Grammar video where we make this recipe here:
Serves 2.
For this recipe, you will need:
- 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp minced carrot
- 2 tbsp minced celery
- 1 large red onion, thinly sliced
- Salt
- Fresh black pepper
- 1/2 cup (120ml) white wine
- 1/2 tsp tomato paste
- 6.5 oz. (180g) spaghetti
- Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for topping
Add the olive oil, carrot and celery into a skillet over medium heat. Sauté for 2-3 minutes, then stir in the sliced onion.
Season the onion with a generous pinch of salt and pepper, then add the white wine and tomato paste. Sauté for about 2 minutes or until the smell of alcohol has dissipated.
Pour in enough warm (or at least room temperature) water to cover the onion and bring to a simmer. Partially cover the pan and cook until the onions are extremely tender, almost dissolved into a creamy sauce—about 2-2.5 hours. Occasionally check and stir the sauce, and add more water as needed to maintain the moisture level.
When the sauce nears completion, stop adding more water so it can reduce and thicken. Salt/pepper it to taste and turn off the heat.
Bring a large pot of water to boil, salt it generously, and cook the spaghetti as directed.
Using tongs, transfer the cooked pasta into the sauce and stir all together over medium/high heat. If the sauce is too thick, simply thin it with some of the pasta water.
Serve immediately, topped with grated Parmigiano cheese. Buon appetito!