The blustery, freezing winter weather is bad for many things - my hair, my commute, my morning run. But it's awfully good for baking a cheesy pasta in a skillet.
That's not to say that I wouldn't make this cozy, gooey Cheddar-rich casserole in nicer weather. But the colder, darker and gloomier the day, the more entitled I feel to plunge my spoon into the still-bubbling pan as soon as it comes out of the oven, devouring bite after bite.
And to drink …
Some dishes cry out for a certain type of wine. This one depends on your mood. The sweetness of the onions and the richness of the melted cheese will be the dominant flavors, which argue for a crisp white, the sort you find all over Italy. Fiano from Campania, vermentino from Liguria, a good Orvieto from Umbria, all should work well. At the same time, the cooked tomato sauce will be inviting to a red, preferably one that’s not too tannic or oaky. Barbera — a red that often acts like a white because of its high acidity and modest tannins — would be ideal. Dolcetto would also be lovely, as would a dry Lambrusco. From the more esoteric side, you might try a cesanese from Lazio, which can be deliciously fresh and aromatic.— Eric Asimov, The New York Times
What makes this pasta casserole a little different from others of its cheese-laden, tomato-sauced ilk is the addition of onions and spices.
The onions, sautéed until golden all over and quite tender, do double duty. After being cooked hot and fast in a deep-sided skillet until they brown and collapse, some are left in the pan to bolster the tomato sauce and form the foundation of the dish's flavor. The rest are combined with the Cheddar topping so that the sweet oniony strands can mingle with the melted cheese, adding silkiness to every forkful.
The onions here aren't just jammy and sweet: They've got spunk. They're spiced with both ground and whole cumin seeds for earthiness, coriander and allspice for depth, and cayenne and black pepper for a sharp bite. As the sauce simmers, a heady fragrance will waft from the pan and settle over your kitchen, brightening the dampest evenings even before you dig in.
Mozzarella is usually the cheese of choice for baked pastas, but I use Cheddar here for its tanginess, which is better able to hold its own against the cumin-scented onions and zippy tomato sauce. Cheddar, especially the kind that's been aged for more than six months, also has a slightly lower moisture content than most mozzarella, so it is more likely to singe and blacken at the edges of the skillet you bake it in. These nearly burned spots are my favorite, and it takes all my willpower not to pick them off before bringing the pan to the table for everyone to share.
But share them I do, because a golden-topped pan full of baked pasta studded with crisp shards of browned onion and cheese is a savory and satisfying delight, whether it's a bone-chilling winter evening, or a temperate spring afternoon.
Baked Skillet Pasta With Cheddar and Spiced Onions
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Total time: 1 hour
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 large onions, thinly sliced
1 large bay leaf
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Pinch of cayenne, plus more to taste
1 1/4 teaspoons fine sea salt, plus more as needed
3 fat garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1 (15-ounce) can whole peeled plum tomatoes
1 pound small pasta, such as rotini or shells
3/4 cup chopped parsley or cilantro (or use a combination of cilantro and parsley), plus more for serving
8 ounces shredded Cheddar
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
Hot sauce, for serving (optional)
Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet over high heat. Add onions and bay leaf, and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and browned in spots, 12 to 20 minutes. (Reduce heat if the pan starts to scorch.) Lower heat to medium, and stir in coriander, ground cumin, cayenne and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook 1 more minute. Transfer half the onions to a bowl and reserve (leave the bay leaf in the skillet).
Add garlic, cumin seeds, pepper and allspice to the skillet, and stir. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Pour in the juice from the canned tomatoes. Use your hands or kitchen scissors to squish or cut the tomatoes into pieces and add to pan. Fill the empty tomato can with water, and pour into the skillet. Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil and remaining 1 teaspoon salt, and bring mixture to a simmer. Simmer until thickened, about 20 minutes. Taste, and add more salt and cayenne if you like. Remove bay leaf.
As mixture cooks, heat oven to 400 degrees and bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until just about 2 minutes shy of al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta water, and drain pasta.
Stir pasta, reserved pasta water and parsley into skillet with tomato sauce. Top with reserved browned onions, Cheddar and Parmesan. Transfer to oven and bake until golden and bubbly, 20 to 25 minutes. If you like, you can run the pan under the broil to brown the top, or leave it as is. Let cool slightly, top with more parsley, if desired, and serve with hot sauce, if you like.