Tagliatelle with Yogurt, Spinach and Caramelised Onions

When this recipe arrived in my mailbox I just saw the header “Pasta with Yogurt & Caramelised Onions” and thought: “Ewwww” as in the Netherlands yogurt is typically quite runny. I was proven wrong… again 😉When reading the actual blog post from Josette @ TheBrookCook and about its Greek origins, it all started to make more sense to me. We have been many times to Greece on holidays and the combination of sheep cheeses (both the hard kefalotyri-type and softer feta-types), thick Greek yogurt and (caramelized) onions are indeed found in abundance. Therefore, combining them with spinach – another classic staple in the Greek cuisine – and pasta suddenly seemed much more appealing. Slicing a load of onions less so, but the delicious smell of caramelized onions does make up for it.

After caramelising the onions (yes, they should have been a bit longer for that intense brown color, but I had to feed a family that was getting a bit rowdy) and cooking the pasta (to which I added 450g/1 pound of wild spinach in the last minute of boiling to just let it wilt down), you just have to mix 60ml / ¼ cup of the reserved cooking water with a 450g tub / 2 cups of Greek Yoghurt. Add the yogurt mixture to the pasta/spinach that was added to the pot once drained, stir thoroughly and serve immediately with a good grating of hard sheep cheese (I used Pecorino Romano) and fresh black pepper.

Using Greek yogurt as a sauce is a great idea. It is not as heavy as using cream, whilst it does give the dish a fresh and tangy lift. Even the kids liked it (although we had to withhold that it was yogurt at first), but we thought that it could use a bit more flavor in the form of some minced cloves of garlic (to be added to the caramelized onions in the last 5 minutes or so) and some fresh thyme.

Recipe accuracy:
The recipe was easy to follow and timing was accurate. Besides caramelizing the onions (which usually takes 30-45 minutes) the rest of this 5 ingredient dish can be done in under 10 minutes, especially if you use fresh tagliatelle pasta! It serves indeed about 4-6 persons, so I had some leftovers that I took with me to work the next day. Even cold it was very nice, so I will definitely keep this recipe in mind to make during the summer as a pasta salad!

Verdict: 8/10;  definitely worth making again