Recipe | French Onion Pasta

Pasta. I keep five boxes in all different shapes because I have a nine year old who still decides what to eat based on the shape. Since she was in a bowtie mood this week, that's what ended up in this dish! I guess if I'd used rigatoni she would've starved.

Caramelized onions are delicious but time consuming. For some reason, every recipe that calls for caramelizing says it takes "around 15 minutes" and that is the biggest fib I've ever heard. You need to be prepared to spend 30-45 minutes checking on and stirring the onions frequently. If that's too much, we can part here as friends and you can appreciate that I was honest about this up front! I'll end by saying the flavor this step adds is amazing and worth the time in my opinion. (Also - wine. Pour some in the pot, pour some in a glass for yourself! It makes the process more enjoyable)

Ingredients:

• 6 tablespoons butter

• 3 small onions, thinly sliced

• 3/4 cup white wine (your favorite bottle of white or some cooking wine usually found around the baking aisle of your grocery store)

• 6 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 tablespoon thyme leaves, chopped

• 2 tablespoons sage, chopped

• salt and pepper, to taste

• 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth

• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire

• 1 pound short pasta (Rigatoni or bow ties work great here)

• 1/2 cup heavy cream or milk

• 1/4 cup feta (or whatever cheese you like!)

• 3 cups kale

Directions:

1. Melt together the butter and onions in a Dutch oven (or any heavy pot you have) over medium-high heat. Cook until softened, about 10 minutes.

2. Slowly add the wine, stirring often as the wine cooks into the onions, another 10-15 minutes. (Pour yourself a glass, too!)

3. You want these onions to caramelize so be prepared to now spend a good 30-45 minutes checking on and stirring them frequently. (Anyone who says you can caramelize onions in 15 minutes is telling a big ol’ fib)

4. Once caramelized; add the garlic, thyme, and sage. Season with salt and pepper, add the broth and Worcestershire. Bring to a boil.

5. Add your favorite short cut pasta and stir frequently until the broth has been absorbed, about 12 minutes.

6. Turn off the burner and stir in the cream and feta (or your cheese of choice).

7. Add kale immediately and stir in so it wilts.

8. Optional: top with crispy prosciutto or bacon chunks for a little something extra!