Onion ragu is a delicious onion-based sauce, a simple recipe, that just requires a bit more cooking time. Great for dressing pasta or serving as a side dish or starter on bread crostini. It’s also worth trying as a filling in a luscious vegetarian lasagna.
I don’t know the origins of this onion ragu, but like all the humble recipes of peasant cooking I’ve appreciated its taste and simplicity for many years and when I cook it, everyone always enjoys it. Try it to dress twist fettuccine or egg tagliatelle, or mezze maniche, paccheri, tortiglioni, and ziti.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very economical
- Portions: 4 People
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 26 oz onions
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 espresso cup olive oil
- Half cup dry white wine
- Half teaspoon sugar
- sautéed vegetables or ready-made mix
- to taste salt and pepper
Steps
To slice all the onions without crying, I recommend preparing a large tub with water, first peel the onion and then slice it thinly by immersing it directly in the water.
Slice them all and leave them immersed in the water, just before cooking them, drain and rinse.
For slow and even cooking, a clay pot is ideal, if you have one, use it to cook the onion ragu.
Place the olive oil on the bottom and a few tablespoons of ready-made sauté, or a chopped mix of vegetables, and let it sauté for a few minutes.
Drain the onions, rinse, and throw them into the pot. Add the garlic cloves, mix well, cover, and cook on low heat for 45 minutes.
After 45 minutes, the onions will have cooked and reduced in their water, add the wine, sugar, tomato paste, salt, and pepper to taste.
Put the lid back on and continue cooking the ragu for another 45 minutes, always on low heat.
After an hour and a half of cooking, the onion ragu is ready to dress the pasta or to be served with your favorite dishes.
