Easy Italian red onion pasta with guanciale or pancetta

Method7 steps · about 30 min

1. 1

   Step 1: Peel and thinly slice the 2–3 red onions. Cut the 7 oz guanciale or pancetta into lardons (strips).

   Uses 2–3 medium red onions · 7 ounces guanciale or pancetta (cut into lardons (strips))

   
2. 2

   Step 2: Sauté all the sliced onions from step 1 in the 3 tablespoons olive oil over low to medium heat until soft and jammy, without caramelising them. If using ordinary red onions instead of sweet Cannara or Tropea onions, the author suggests a little sugar to mimic their sweetness.

   Uses All sliced red onions from step 1 · 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil. · A little sugar, only for ordinary less sweet red onions

   
3. 3

   Step 3: Add the guanciale or pancetta lardons from step 1 to the softened onions from step 2. Cook until the fat melts and the meat starts to brown.

   Uses All softened onions and their oil from step 2 · All 7 oz guanciale or pancetta lardons from step 1

4. 4

   Step 4: Pour the 75 ml dry white wine into the onion and cured-meat mixture from step 3 over medium heat and let it reduce slightly. Season with a little salt and freshly ground black pepper; be cautious with salt because the meat and cheese are salty.

   Uses The onion and cured-meat mixture from step 3 · 75 ml dry white wine (author’s metric equivalent of 2.5 fluid ounces, half a glass) · Salt for the onion and guanciale sauce, to taste · Black pepper to taste; save some for serving

5. 5

   Step 5: Cook the 12 oz rigatoni in a pot of boiling salted water until al dente, following its package instructions.

   Uses 12 ounces rigatoni pasta · Water for cooking the rigatoni; reserve at least half a cup before draining · Salt for the pasta water

6. 6

   Step 6: Reserve at least half a cup of the pasta cooking water from step 5, then drain the rigatoni. Add the cooked pasta to all the onion and guanciale sauce from step 4 and mix over low heat. Keep the reserved water for step 7.

   Uses The cooked rigatoni and cooking water from step 5 · All onion and guanciale sauce from step 4

7. 7

   Step 7: Grate the 2 oz Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano. Add two thirds of it and half a cup of the cooking water reserved in step 6 to the mixed rigatoni. Stir over low heat until the sauce is creamy. Serve immediately with the remaining third of the measured cheese and freshly ground black pepper; add extra cheese beyond the 2 oz total only if desired.

   Uses All the mixed pasta and onion sauce from step 6 · Half a cup of pasta cooking water reserved in step 6 · All 2 oz Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano, divided: two thirds in the sauce and one third at serving · Freshly ground black pepper for serving · Extra grated Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano for serving, if desired, beyond the 2 oz recipe total