Caramelised Onion and Goat’s Cheese Pasta Bake

SERVES: 4
TIME: 1HR
About this Recipe
One of our favourite vegetarian pasta bakes to date: Pasta in a creamy goat's cheese sauce, topped with balsamic caramelised onions and baked to bubbly perfection! Recipe created by: www.hobandlarder.com

Ingredients

Caramelized Onions:

  • 25 g butter (1 1/2 tablespoons)

  • 4 large onions (peeled, halved and very thinly sliced)

  • 1 teaspoon brown sugar

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • 1/8 teaspoon bicarb of soda

  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

For the pasta:

  • 25 g unsalted butter (1 1/2 tablespoons)

  • 20 g plain flour (1 heaping tablespoon)

  • 100 ml dry white wine (3 1/2oz)

  • 500 ml stock (plus more as needed; 2 cups)

  • 500 ml whole milk (plus more as needed; 2 cups)

  • 360 g dried pasta (12oz)

  • a few sprigs fresh thyme (leaves only)

  • 100 g fresh Crosswind goat chevre (3 1/2oz)

  • 100 g grated pecorino cheese (3 1/2oz)

  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard (I used a whole grain variety)

  • Grated pecorino cheese

Instructions

Make the caramelised onions:

  • Melt 25g butter in a wide pan over medium heat. Add onions and sprinkle evenly with sugar, salt and bicarb. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring often.

  • Cover the pan with a lid and reduce the heat to medium-low. Sweat the onions for 10 minutes, stirring once or twice.

  • Stir the balsamic vinegar into the onions and ccok for one more minute. Check for seasoning and add more salt if needed, then remove onions to a small bowl.

Make the pasta:

  • In the same pan (don't wipe it!), melt another 25g of butter over medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minutes, constantly stirring.

  • Next, stir in the white wine, scratching any browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Let the wine simmer until it has almost all cooked away, then whisk in the stock and milk until smooth and no more floury lumps remain.

  • Stir the dry pasta and thyme leaves into the milk mixture, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until pasta is just al-dente. There should be plenty of creamy sauce at this point. If the pasta seems too dry/the sauce too thick (this can depend a LOT on your exact brand of pasta used!), add up to 200ml more milk or stock as needed.

Assemble the bake:

  • While the pasta is cooking, heat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Once the pasta is finished, stir in the goat's cheese, grated pecorino and mustard. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed. Transfer it to an approximately 2 liter (2 quart) baking dish. Dot with the caramelised onion, then sprinkle generously with extra grated cheese.

  • Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until bubbly. Serve right away with a side of salad greens lightly dressed in olive oil and balsamic vinegar, if you like.