Caramelized Onion and Bacon Kohlrabi Spaghetti with Shaved Parmesan
Try this Caramelized Onion and Bacon Kohlrabi Spaghetti with Shaved Parmesan recipe, or contribute your own.
Try this Caramelized Onion and Bacon Kohlrabi Spaghetti with Shaved Parmesan recipe, or contribute your own.
- Carbohydrate 0 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 0 g
- Fiber 0 g
- Protein 0 g
- Saturated Fat 0 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (0g)
- Sodium 18.4201432291667 mg
- Sugar 0 g
- Trans Fat 0 g
- Calories 0 calories
Step-by-step
- Place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the pan is heated, add in the bacon strips and cook until crispy, 7-10 minutes, tossing halfway through. When bacon is done, set aside (using pasta tongs) on a paper towel lined plate.
- Pour out half of the bacon grease and then immediately add in the onion and season with salt and pepper. Cook the onions until caramelized, 10-15 minutes. If the onions stick to the bottom of the pan, add splashes of chicken broth if needed.
- Once the onions are done, wipe down the skillet carefully. Then, add in the olive oil and then kohlrabi noodles. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 5-7 minutes or until kohlrabi wilts down and is cooked to your preference. Add the onions and crumble in the bacon and toss well to combine.
- Divide the pasta into two bowls and garnish with an extra drizzle of olive oil (if desired) and shaved parmesan.
Traditional wheat-based pasta relies on starches dissolved in boiling water to bind sauces, whereas vegetable-based noodles require direct surface contact with fats and aromatics to develop depth. Swapping standard strands for spiralized kohlrabi yields a cruciferous crunch that mimics al dente spaghetti when cooked correctly, holding up well against heavy additions like rendered pork fat and sharp cheese. Because bulb vegetables release moisture differently than dried semolina, scaling quantities requires attention to pan surface area rather than simple linear multiplication.
- Double the recipe by using two separate 12-inch cast-iron skillets simultaneously rather than overcrowding a single pan; crowding traps steam and prevents the kohlrabi from softening properly.
- Halve the ingredient amounts without reducing the cooking time, as smaller volumes of dense root vegetables still require the full five to seven minutes to lose their raw edge.
- Slice the red onions to a uniform thickness of roughly one-eighth of an inch to ensure they caramelize evenly alongside the rendered bacon fat.
- Maintain medium-high heat during the initial bacon rendering phase to extract the fat efficiently within seven to ten minutes without burning the solids.
- Keep chicken broth nearby in a squeeze bottle to deglaze the skillet incrementally if the onion sugars begin sticking to the metal surface.
Pairing this dish with a crisp green salad dressed in sharp vinegar cuts through the richness of the bacon fat and cheese. Leftovers keep for up to two days in an airtight container in the refrigerator, though the kohlrabi will soften further upon reheating.
