Simple and Genius Weeknight Meal: French Onion Pasta

I sometimes stumble upon recipes that are so simple and genius, I wonder why I never though of it. This tomato sauce by Marcella Hazan, was one of them. When I saw this recipe for Pasta with Yogurt and Caramelized Onions , it all of a sudden seemed so obvious.  How come we don't make more pasta sauces with yogurt as a base? Just combine caramelized onions with yogurt, cheese and pasta. It's genius... and kinda healthy...

I've made my own modifications to the recipe that I think make it even better than the original. It's so good. Like mac and cheese the healthy way, but equally (or more) delicious.

French Onion Pasta
makes 4 servings (total prep. time: 35 minutes)

2 large onions (sliced very thin)
1 1/2 cups Greek yogurt
3/4 cup grated hard aged Gouda (sub. Parmesan or Romano)
1/2 - 1 cup reserved pasta water
1 lb. macaroni noodles
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
salt and pepper
olive oil

Here it goes. This is crazy simple, but ridiculously delicious.

Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat. Add onions, crushed red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Lower heat to medium low. Let cook for 30 minutes, uncovered, stirring occasionally. They will wilt down to nothing.

As onions cook, boil pasta in salty water. Before draining pasta, reserve 1 cup of the water. Don't forget!

When onions are done, combine yogurt, grated cheese, onions and 1/2 - 1 cup of pasta water in a large mixing bowl. Adjust the amount of water based on how thick the sauce looks. It should be creamy but smooth. There's not science to it. Just eyeball it.

Add the pasta and a dash of salt to the bowl. Mix everything to combine.

That's it. Cook onions. Cook pasta. Combine everything in one bowl. It's so genius and simple. As my mom said when I shared the recipe with her, "I've been looking for a reason to eat French Onion dip with a spoon my whole life." I think we all can agree.