Our ziti recipe with caramelized onion sauce breaks the tomato-based pasta sauce habit. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that!) The onions and herbs make this perfect for adults, so wait until the kids are in bed to share this dish with your significant other.

Ingredients
2 T olive oil
3 yellow onions, sliced thin
1 T sugar
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 C vegetable or chicken stock
4 T plus 1/4 C Parmesan cheese, grated, divided
2 t dried oregano
1 t dried thyme
1 t dried parsley
2 T balsamic vinegar
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
6 oz. ziti pasta or use penne for a change of pace
Instructions
Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Do not let it get so hot that it begins to smoke.
Stir in onions and coat with oil.
Cover pan, reduce heat to low and sweat the onions 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. (You may see steam during this step.)
Add sugar and mix.
Stir in minced garlic.
Raise temperature to medium high and stirring often, cook uncovered for 15 minutes or onions are golden brown.
Add stock; bring to a brisk boil then lower the heat to medium.
Cook 20 minutes to reduce the liquid to half, stirring often.
Stir in 4 T of Parmesan cheese.
Add oregano, thyme and parsley and stir well to mix thoroughly.
Add vinegar, salt and pepper and stir to combine.
Cook the pasta according to package directions. Some brands cook more quickly than others, so be sure to check the package for amount of time.
Drain well and rinse with cool water.
Add the pasta to the sauce pot and stir to cover well.
Divide between two plates and top with the remaining 1/4 C of cheese.
Ziti Recipe for Two
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 2 T olive oil
- 3 yellow onions sliced thin
- 1 T sugar
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 3 C vegetable or chicken stock
- 4 T plus 1/4 C Parmesan cheese grated, divided
- 2 t dried oregano
- 1 t dried thyme
- 1 t dried parsley
- 2 T balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 t salt
- 1/4 t pepper
- 6 oz. ziti pasta or use penne for a change of pace
Instructions
Instructions
- Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Do not let it get so hot that it begins to smoke.
- Stir in onions and coat with oil.
- Cover pan, reduce heat to low and sweat the onions 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. (You may see steam during this step.)
- Add sugar and mix.
- Stir in minced garlic.
- Raise temperature to medium high and stirring often, cook uncovered for 15 minutes or onions are golden brown.
- Add stock; bring to a brisk boil then lower the heat to medium.
- Cook 20 minutes to reduce the liquid to half, stirring often.
- Stir in 4 T of Parmesan cheese.
- Add oregano, thyme and parsley and stir well to mix thoroughly.
- Add vinegar, salt and pepper and stir to combine.
- Cook the pasta according to package directions. Some brands cook more quickly than others, so be sure to check the package for amount of time.
- Drain well and rinse with cool water.
- Add the pasta to the sauce pot and stir to cover well.
- Divide between two plates and top with the remaining 1/4 C of cheese.