Thick spaghetti with spring onion and chili
- Difficulty: Easy
- Prep time: 20 min
- Cook time: 60 min
- Serving: 4
- Cost: Low
PRESENTATION
Spaghettoni with scallions and chili is something truly delicious straight out of Milan’s colorful food scene. And honestly, it's amazing. This dish, called 'spaghettoni con cipollotto e peperoncino,' was whipped up back in 1965 by Aimo Moroni at the famed restaurant Il luogo di Aimo e Nadia. In Northern Italy, this spaghettoni recipe is loved for its simple, fresh ingredients like Tropea spring onions, chili and fragrant basil. Really, these basics transform into something so so special, capturing the essence of Italian culinary magic.
And look, the sauce—creamy thanks to sweet onions and cherry tomatoes—gives every strand of pasta a velvety coat. Unlike heavier dishes, this scallion pasta stays light, with just the right chili kick to keep things exciting. Nothing overpowering. Each bite offers a hint of warmth, tender onion, and a gentle spicy lift that makes you crave just one more forkful.
In Lombardy, stories float around about how this chili pasta connects past and present culinary wonders. Cooks in Milan took the classic pasta aglio, olio e peperoncino and gave it a fresh spin with spring onions and tomatoes. A sauce that's super lush and rich. Tropea onions, known for their natural sweetness and mild flavor, give this spicy spaghetti its standout taste. It's a dish that brings back memories of Sunday dinners, family gatherings—pretty much all the warm feelings.
Here's the thing, this spaghettoni recipe offers a bit of history, a ton of flavor, and a creamy sauce that clings to every bite. For anyone after a quick dinner or just some really really good scallion chili pasta, this classic from Milan’s gourmet scene sticks around. Bridging tradition and taste with every forkful. The blend of simple ingredients and rich history makes it a true staple of the Italian culinary landscape, especially in the Northern regions where flavors meet innovation. And, you know, it’s a keeper.
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- INGREDIENTS
- Spaghettoni 11.5 oz (320 g)
- Fresh scallion 2.25 lbs (1 kg) - from Tropea (without the stems)
- Piccadilly tomatoes 5.3 oz (150 g)
- Garlic 2 ½ tbsp (20 g)
- Parmigiano Reggiano PDO cheese 1.5 oz (40 g)
- Vegetable broth 4 ¼ cups (1 l)
- Green Peperoncino to taste
- Bay leaves 3 leaves
- Parsley to taste
- Basil to taste
- Extra virgin olive oil to taste
- Fine salt to taste
How to prepare Thick spaghetti with spring onion and chili
To prepare the thick spaghetti with spring onion and chili, first make the vegetable broth and keep it warm. Clean the spring onions: remove the green part 1, peel off the outermost layer 2 and thinly slice them julienne-style 3.
Remove the inner germ from the garlic 4 and mince it very finely 5. Put the garlic in a large saucepan with a generous drizzle of oil 6 and sauté for a couple of minutes.
Add the spring onion 7 and moisten with a ladleful of hot broth 8, then season with salt 9.
Aromatize with bay leaves 10 and cook over medium heat for about 50 minutes, adding more broth as needed 11. Meanwhile, prepare the cherry tomatoes: blanch them for 2-3 minutes and cool them in an ice bath, then remove the skin 12 and the seeds.
Cut the flesh into very small dice 13 and transfer it to a bowl. Dress with a drizzle of oil 14, toss 15 and set aside.
Towards the end of the spring onion's cooking time, break the spaghettoni in half 16 and cook them in boiling salted water for the time indicated on the package 17. At this point the spring onions will have become almost creamy, so lower the heat and add the chili for seasoning 18.
Add the cherry tomatoes as well 19 and the chopped parsley 20. Drain the spaghettoni al dente and transfer them to the saucepan 21.
Add a ladleful of cooking water 22, a drizzle of oil 23 and grated Parmigiano Reggiano 24. Stir to thoroughly combine the pasta with the sauce.
Plate 25 and garnish with fresh basil leaves 26. Finally, finish with a final drizzle of oil. Your thick spaghetti with spring onion and chili are ready to be served 27!