Creamy Fettuccine with Caramelized Onions and Spinach

Creamy fettuccine with caramelized onions and spinach is a simple dish full of sophisticated flavors! Caramelized onions flavor the sauce and spinach adds a fresh component to this creamy pasta dish.

Creamy fettuccine with caramelized onions and spinach is the pasta dish of your dreams! You do dream about pasta, right? It can’t just be me!

There are few things I love more than a heaping bowl of pasta. Especially one tossed with a creamy sauce, flavorful caramelized onions, and fresh spinach. This simple but sophisticated pasta is a perfect one to make for an at-home date night.

Date nights feel like a very distant memory for us between having a baby in 2019 and 2020 being…well, you know. It’s really crazy to think we haven’t dined in at a restaurant since early March. And even crazier to think it’s been over a year since just the two of us have had a night out!

Creamy Fettuccine with Caramelized Onions and Spinach

I promise this is a very simple pasta dish that just takes a bit of patience to caramelize the onions. But while the onions cook, you can get everything else together. Boil your pasta, chop the garlic, wash the spinach, grab the cream, and grate the cheese. Don’t forget to save some of that pasta water – it makes all the difference in bringing it all together.

Once the onions are caramelized, you basically just toss it all together in the pan until the sauce nicely coats everything and the spinach just wilts. Make sure you top it all off with lots of extra parm and a bunch of black pepper, if that’s your thing.

All in, this dish will take around 45 minutes of your time…30 if you’re quick in the kitchen! So, if you’re craving a little sophistication in your life go ahead a get dressed up, grab a bottle of wine, and make this pasta!

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Creamy Fettuccine with Caramelized Onions and Spinach

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

25 mins

Total Time

40 mins

 

Creamy fettuccine with caramelized onions and spinach is a simple dish full of sophisticated flavors! Caramelized onions flavor the sauce and spinach adds a fresh component to this creamy pasta dish.

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon Butter
• 1 Tablespoon Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 Large Yellow Onions, thinly sliced
• ½ Teaspoon Kosher Salt, plus more to taste
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper, to taste
• 3 Cloves Garlic, finely minced
• 1 lb. Fettuccine
• ¾ Cup Heavy Cream
• 1 Cup Freshly Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese
• 1 5 oz. Package Fresh Baby Spinach
• Extra Parmigiano Cheese, for serving

Instructions

1. Melt the butter with the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Once it’s melted, add the onions and stir. Season the mixture with ½ teaspoon salt and turn the heat down to medium low. Allow the onions to cook low and slow until nicely caramelized, about 20-25 minutes. Make sure to stir pretty frequently so they don’t burn. It helps to have a lid handy to cover the pan for a few seconds if the onions are looking dry.

2. While the onions cook, bring a large pot of water to a boil and season generously with salt. Stir in the fettuccine and cook to al dente. Drain, being sure to reserve about a cup of the pasta water.

3. Once the onions are a deep golden brown, season well with black pepper and add in the minced garlic. Turn the heat off and allow the pan to cool before adding in the cream. 

4. Stir in the cream to the onions and allow it to heat through for a minute or so over low heat. Add in the spinach, pasta, parm, and ½ cup of the pasta water. Toss over low heat until the sauce coats the pasta and the spinach is just wilted. Add more pasta water if needed to loosen the sauce.
5. Pile the pasta into bowls and top with parm and black pepper. Enjoy!