Easy Caramelized Shallot Pasta {Alison Roman Inspired}
Jump to Recipe
This super simple shallot pasta recipe will easily become one of your go-to weeknight dinners. Just a few simple ingredients create a boldly flavored, robust sauce to spice up any old pasta.
Table of Contents
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Bigger Flavors: Sweet caramelized shallots, tangy tomato puree, and salty anchovies make this caramelized shallot pasta a weekly favorite. I use fewer anchovies and more garlic than the original Alison Roman shallot pasta, to really set this dish off!
- Faster to Make: This shallot pasta recipe takes less than 30 minutes to make, unlike the original that takes around 40 minutes..
- More Budget Friendly: At £0.96 ($1.21) per serving, this is a simple weekly meal that won’t break the bank.
Consider making these other delightful pasta dishes during the week; 5 Ingredient Spaghetti Chorizo Carbonara, Lentil Bolognese, and Meatball Marinara with Spiralized Courgette
Ingredients
The main ingredients that make this Caramelized Shallot Pasta recipe fantastic are the following:
Anchovies
The shallot pasta Alison Roman makes uses a lot of anchovies (12 anchovies to be exact). I , however, use ¼ of the amount of anchovies that Alison does as I’m using super cheap anchovies – which are really rich and umami packed but I think slightly stronger than the higher quality anchovies that she uses. This recipe does not taste fishy or like anchovies – trust me on this one! So it is perfect for someone looking for shallot pasta without anchovies!
Shallots
We use more shallots than Alison in this recipe as I find that most supermarkets sell bags weighing around 300g. You might think one bag is enough, but I chose to go with two bags at 600g. The sweetness of the caramelized shallots is what makes this recipe so unique, so I went for double the quantity.
Garlic
I think this recipe can take a lot of garlic. I used 5 cloves with one clove to top, but adjust this depending on your garlic preference.
Spaghetti
You can pair this Alison roman shallot pasta recipe with any pasta shape you like. Alison uses bucatini, but as I’m trying to make this recipe more budget friendly, I’ve gone for the budget spaghetti as you can get it for around 30p!
Tomato Puree
Essential for the depth in flavour of this recipe. We use a whole tube of tomato puree, which is not only super satisfying, but perfect to minimise waste!
See the recipe card for full information on all ingredients and quantities.
Variations/ Adaptations
Tomato paste substitute: A great substitute for tomato paste is tomato puree or tomato sauce that has been cooked until it forms a paste. If you don’t have those, here is a list of some other items you can use as an alternative to tomato paste.
Substitute for shallots: The best shallot substitute is a white or sweet onion. In order to keep the cooking time similar to caramelizing the shallots, be sure to slice the onions very thinly. This would be an onion pasta instead of a shallot pasta.
Make it vegan: If you want to make this shallot pasta without anchovies, a few anchovy paste substitutes are capers, miso, or Worcestershire sauce since they all have a similar salty umami flavor.
Make this low carb and gluten free by substituting the pasta for zucchini pasta, low carb pasta, or gluten free pasta. By the way, you can use any pasta shape you have on hand!
Increase the protein by adding chicken, prawns, or any other type of meat or seafood.
Increase the veggies by adding your favorite such as broccoli, mushrooms, or butternut squash.
How to make Shallot Pastsa
- Start by peeling the shallots (Image 1).
- This may take a few minutes, until all the shallot skins are removed (Image 2).
3. Finely slice the shallots (Image 3).
4. Fry gently and sweat the shallots for around 10 minutes (Image 4).
5. Then add the garlic, anchovies, red pepper/chilli flakes, parsley stems and tomato paste into the pan. At the same time, add the spaghetti to heavily salted pasta water. Set your timer to 2 minutes minus the packet time (Image 5).
6. Continue to fry on a medium/low heat for another 8 minutes, stirring frequently and the paste will darken and the onions will caramelize fully (Image 6).
7. Transfer the undercooked pasta into the pan along with 2 ladles of pasta water (Image 7).
8. Mix the spaghetti with the tomatoey shallot pasta sauce. Serve this shallot pasta recipe with finely chopped garlic and fresh parsley (Image 8).
Other recipes that went viral on TikTok for you to try; Budget Green Goddess Salad, Pizza Toast and Viral Salmon Rice Bowl
Tips & Tricks
Patience
Take your time to slowly caramelise the shallots, as the slow cooking allows the shallots to release their natural sugars and develop a rich, sweet flavor.
Flavour Enhancer
Towards the end of caramelising onions, add a pinch of salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to the shallots for added depth of flavor. Adjust the seasoning according to your taste preferences.
Pasta Water
Always remove a few ladles of pasta water before draining the pasta, this will help create your silky sauce.
Finishing touches
I added fresh parsley, but feel free to add your favorite herb and garnishes.
Make Ahead Instructions
The caramelized shallot pasta sauce is perfect to make ahead, as you can store it in a jar and keep it in the fridge for up to a month.
To meal prep, you can combine the sauce with the pasta and divide the finished recipe into meal prep containers. I also like to steam some broccoli and divide that into the containers too. Store the parsley separately.
When it’s time to reheat the pasta, add 1 tbsp of water into the meal prep container and reheat in the microwave on high for two minutes. Remove from the microwave and stir. Season with salt and pepper and top with the parsley/garlic mix
If you have leftover shallots, consider making one of these yummy recipes; 10 Minute Vegetable Noodle Soup, 10 Minute Naan Bread Pizza, Swedish Gravy Spaghetti with Pork and Courgette Meatballs
Serving Suggestions
I love this shallot anchovy pasta with all my heart, but let’s be honest. It’s a lot of pasta. So when I make it, or if I meal-prep it, I always make sure to add some veggies to either eat in the shallot pasta or on the side. Here are some of my favorites:
Sometimes I also like to add some protein. Some of my favorites are Rotisserie Chicken, Prawns, Cod, Tofu, and Halloumi
Leftover Storage and Reheat Instructions
Refrigerator: This shallot anchovy pasta will keep in the refrigerator for 5 days.
Freezer: If you are planning to meal-prep, this delish pasta dish will keep for up to 3 months in a freezer safe container.
Reheat: When it’s time to reheat the pasta, add 1 tbsp of water into the meal prep container and reheat in the microwave on high for two minutes. Remove from the microwave and stir. Season with salt and pepper and top with the parsley/garlic mix.
FAQs
Yes! Alison recommends using a longer pasta shape so preferably spaghetti, linguine, tagliatelle, bucatini etc, but I’d say you can use any shape that you feel like.
You can, but I’d recommend reducing the quantity slightly as white/red onions are stronger and less sweet than shallots. I would recommend 2 onions if you’re subbing out the shallots. If you can though, try and stick with the shallots as it’s their sweetness that really makes this dish a 10/10.
I promise you that you won’t even realise they’re in this recipe. The recipe isn’t fishy at all, the anchovies just provide a salty umami boost and as they’re gently fried along with all of the other ingredients, they disintegrate into the sauce so you won’t see any visible anchovy bits.
1 month in a jar in the fridge.
For this recipe, you want to slice the shallots thinly so they caramelize quickly.
Shallots are a cousin of the onion, however, shallots have a more mild flavour than onions, resulting in a sweeter, less punchy flavor.
This pasta with shallot sauce will last 5 days in the refrigerator and up to 3 months in the freezer.
If you tried this Caramelized Shallot Pasta recipe, it would mean so much to me if you could leave a review & a star rating to let me know how you found it! I love hearing about your experiences – it motivates me to keep creating more and more recipes for you guys 💛 Let’s get cooking! – Mimi x
Easy Caramelized Shallot Pasta
Ingredients
- 600 g shallots, thinly sliced (£1.50)
- 5 garlic cloves, 4 thinly sliced, 1 finely chopped (£0.29)
- 4 whole anchovies (£0.50)
- 200 g (1 tube) tomato puree (£0.34)
- 350 g spaghetti (£0.70)
- 1 bunch of fresh parsley, leaves and stems finely chopped (£0.50)
Cupboard Essentials
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- ½ tsp chilli flakes
- Salt & Pepper
Method
- Start by adding the olive oil and thinly sliced shallots to a large stainless steel frying pan on a medium/low heat. Season generously with salt and pepper and sweat for around 10 minutes.
- Next add the garlic, anchovies, red pepper flakes, chili flakes, parsley stems, and tomato puree into the pan. Continue to fry over medium/low heat for another 8 minutes, stirring frequently.
- During this time, add the spaghetti to heavily salted pasta water. Set your timer to 2 minutes minus the packet time.
- Once the puree has darkened and the onions are looking really caramelized, transfer the undercooked pasta into the pan along with 2 ladles of pasta water. Stir to combine.
- Serve the caramelized shallot pasta with finely chopped garlic and fresh parsley.
Notes
- Take your time to slowly caramelise the shallots, allowing them to release their natural sugars and develop a rich, sweet flavor.
- Add a pinch of salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes towards the end of caramelising onions for added depth of flavor. Adjust seasoning to taste.
- Before draining the pasta, always remove a few ladles of pasta water to help create a silky sauce.
- Consider adding fresh parsley or your favorite herb and garnishes to enhance the overall dish.
Nutrition
- Weekly meal plans with a £20 budget
- 150+ exclusive recipes
- Personal dashboard
- Exclusive step by step videos
- Shopping list tools
- Advert Free experience
