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1.
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In a small saute pan, set over medium-medium low heat, combine olive oil, a pinch of salt, and your large sweet onion (peeled, cut in half, and thinly sliced).
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Cover and allow to cook until onions are soft but have not yet taken on any color.
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If onions start to brown too quickly, reduce heat to low.
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Cook, uncovered, until the onions are dark brown and caramelized.
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2.
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While your onions cook, bring a large pot of water to a boil.
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Salt liberally, add pasta, and cook according to the package directions, stopping the cooking process while the noodles are still the slightest bit undercooked.
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Drain and set aside.
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3.
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As the onions continue to cook and the water comes to a boil, make your roux: melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a large saucepan, over medium low heat.
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Add flour and whisk to combine.
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Cook the roux for 2 minutes, until just starting to bubble.
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Do not brown.
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Slowly whisk in your milk and raise the heat to medium.
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Stirring fairly often, but not constantly, cook the sauce until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, taking care never to let the sauce come to a full boil.
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4.
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When sauce has thickened, remove from the heat.
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Add your American cheese, let it sit to melt for a minute, and then stir to combine.
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Add 2 cups of Monterey jack cheese, let it sit, and then stir.
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Repeat with the remaining 2 cups of Monterey jack cheese.
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Using a rasp grater or zester, grate 2 cloves of garlic directly into the sauce.
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Do the same with the remaining 1/2 small onion.
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Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
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If the cheese still looks a tiny bit under-melted at this point, return the pot to the stove top over low heat.
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Be very careful not to use much heat or cook for more than 2-5 minutes, or the sauce will start to separate.
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Add a splash of white wine, if desired, and stir well.
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5.
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Preheat the oven to 400 F. In the pot you used to boil the pasta, combine the pasta, cheese sauce, 4 of the prosciutto slices (sliced into long, thin strips), the artichokes, the sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, and caramelized onions.
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Transfer to a 9 x 13 oven-safe baking dish.
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6.
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Tear the slices of bread slightly and pulse in the food processor until you achieve consistent, but not too fine, crumbs.
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Add to the melted butter and stir to combine.
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Add minced parsley and grate the last two cloves of garlic into the mixture.
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Chop the remaining two prosciutto slices up finely and add to the breadcrumb mixture.
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Pulse a couple more times to mix all ingredients well and sprinkle evenly over the top of the pasta.
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7.
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Bake at 400 F for 20 minutes, until the topping is crisp and browned and the cheese sauce is just starting to bubble up around the edges.
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Let cool slightly and serve.
