Ingredients
Onion base
- 600 g yellow onions peeled weight, thinly sliced; about 3 large
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 28 g
- 1 tablespoon olive oil 13.5 g
- 2 cloves garlic 6 g, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme 1 g
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 1 g
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt 1.5 g
Pasta and finish
- 320 g dry rigatoni about 11.3 ounces
- 1000 ml reduced-sodium beef broth about 4 1/4 cups; use ready-to-serve broth
- 1 cup hot water 240 ml, plus more only as needed
- 80 g Gruyère cheese finely grated
- 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar 10 g
Equipment
- 1 wide heavy pot or Dutch oven
- 1 wooden spoon
- 1 cheese grater
- 1 Food thermometer
Instructions
Method
- Melt butter with olive oil in a wide heavy pot over medium heat. Add onions and salt. Cook for 8–10 minutes, stirring, until starting to soften. Reduce to medium-low and continue for about 30–40 minutes, stirring more often as they color, until deeply golden and soft. Add a spoonful of water if brown fond sticks; lower heat if it blackens.
- Stir in garlic, thyme and pepper for about 1 minute. Pour in a little broth and scrape up the golden brown bits, then add the remaining broth, rigatoni and 1 cup hot water.
- Bring to a steady simmer and cook uncovered, stirring to the bottom frequently, for about 12–16 minutes or until the pasta is tender with a slight bite. Begin checking at the package’s earliest cooking time. Add small splashes of hot water if the liquid runs low before the pasta is ready.
- When the pasta is tender and a loose sauce remains, remove from the heat. Stir in vinegar, then Gruyère in several additions. Add a splash of hot water if needed so the sauce coats the pasta without clumping. Serve promptly.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 serving (1/4 batch)Calories: 538kcalCarbohydrates: 75.1gProtein: 21.1gFat: 17.1gSaturated Fat: 8.2gSodium: 863mgPotassium: 478mgFiber: 5.3gSugar: 9.1gCalcium: 272mgIron: 3.5mg
Notes
Onion caramelization and pasta timing vary by pot, stove and pasta brand. Allow longer if needed; use color and tenderness as the endpoint. Contains wheat and milk. Vegetable broth and suitable cheese can make a meatless variation, changing nutrition. Refrigerate promptly in shallow containers, use within 3–4 days, and reheat leftovers to 165°F (74°C) with a splash of water. Nutrition estimates one-quarter of the batch using USDA SR Legacy raw onion, dry pasta, reduced-sodium ready-to-serve beef broth (1000 g), butter, cheese and all remaining measured ingredients. Values are ingredient-sum estimates, not cooking-retention-adjusted. Incomplete cholesterol, trans-fat and unsaturated-fat fields and cooking-sensitive vitamins are omitted.
