French Onion Pasta
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Introducing your new (one pot!) comfort meal: French onion pasta! It’s cozy and FULL of flavor from caramelized onions, white wine, and fresh thyme. Recipe includes a how-to video!
One Pot French Onion Pasta
Just in time for cold weather, this one pot French onion pasta is inspired by a cozy bowl of French onion soup. It’s flavored with deeply caramelized onions, savory beef broth, and just a splash of cream. The best part? There’s no separate pot for boiling the pasta–we’re adding it straight to the sauce! This trick not only keeps things simple, but it also creates a thick, velvety sauce that clings to the noodles beautifully.
3 Things to Know About This Recipe:
- Onion type matters. Stick with yellow onions here, as sweet onions make the dish just a bit too sweet (even for me!). We’ll slice these thin and then caramelize them to perfection–more on that below!
- It’s fairly hands-off, but takes time. Caramelizing the onions will take a solid 40 minutes minimum. It’s mostly passive time, so you can prep other things while they cook, but there’s no getting around the time. If you wanted, you could caramelize the onions a day in advance; just make sure to deglaze the pan and store them in an airtight container in the fridge. You can reheat them gently the next day (add a splash of broth or water if needed) and continue with the recipe as written.
- Not too rich. It’s indulgent for sure, but we balance things by using a mix of broth and water, adding a splash of wine, and I recommend serving with a fresh, bright green salad (like a Caesar salad topped with my easy Caesar dressing recipe).
Ingredients
You’ll need quite a few onions, some pasta, and several flavor enhancers. Let’s talk ingredients!
- Yellow onions. You will need 1½ lbs of onions for this recipe, which seems like quite a lot at first, but they will cook down greatly during the caramelization process. I recommend sticking with yellow onions. While sweet onions are great for recipes like my tomato soup recipe, I found they made the pasta seem almost too sweet here.
- Dry white wine. I like pinot grigio, but any dry white wine will work. This adds beautiful depth of flavor to the sauce, so don’t skip it!
- Fresh herbs. Fresh thyme and parsley are best, so grab those if you can. If you have to use dry, you’d need less; a heaping ¼ teaspoon of dried thyme and a teaspoon of dried parsley.
- Gruyere. A classic choice for French onion soup that melts beautifully, it was the obvious choice for today’s recipe. Shred your cheese yourself for the best melting. In a pinch, you could use Swiss, provolone, or mozzarella instead.
- Pasta. I like penne, but really any kind will work. Thicker noodles will hold onto the sauce best, like rigatoni, fettuccini, or pappardelle (a top choice for beef ragu!). Fusilli or even large elbows would be good too!
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
Sam’s Tip
Don’t be tempted to substitute the water with more broth. I tried this recipe with varying ratios of liquid, and I found that using all broth made the dish surprisingly too rich. Stick with the blend of water and broth!
How to Make It(Step-by-Step)
- Slice your onions. Halve, peel, and trim your onions, then cut them into thin, ⅛” slices. Slice with the grain of the onion and keep the slices even so they cook evenly.
- Caramelize. Melt your butter in a large skillet or dutch oven over medium heat, then add the onions and salt. Stir frequently until the onions are soft and translucent, then reduce the heat and stir occasionally as the onions caramelize. Brown bits will start to form on the bottom of the pan during this process; use your wine to deglaze and scrape them up into the onions (and if you need to use more it’s totally fine). Once the onions are completely caramelized, return the heat to medium, add the remaining butter and the garlic, and cook for about 30 seconds.
- Deglaze the pan. Stir in your pasta, thyme, and black pepper, then gradually add the broth and water, scraping the pan as you go. Again, we want to incorporate any brown bits on the bottom of the pan (they are flavor bombs!). Increase the heat to medium high and boil until the pasta is tender.
- Finish the sauce. Reduce the heat to low before adding the cream and cheese. Stir until everything is melted and smooth, then stir in the parsley.
- Serve and enjoy! The sauce should still be a little loose when you serve; if yours seems too thick or dry, you can always add a splash more broth or cream.
Sam’s Tip
Always taste test before serving. If your dish seems even a little bland, it just needs more salt!
Frequently Asked Questions
I highly recommend pairing this dish with a crusty bread like sourdough bread and a crisp green salad (whip up my easy caesar dressing or Italian dressing, if you like!).
Yes, though I like the subtle brightness that white wine adds to the dish. If you don’t use or don’t have wine, I would recommend replacing it with an equal amount of beef broth mixed with a tablespoon of white vinegar.
Beef or chicken would be my first two choices, but pork could work too! This is a versatile dish that complements most protein choices.
More Cozy Dinners
If you’re French onion soup fan, I’d love to hear how you like this pasta. Leave me a comment below! ⬇️
Enjoy!
Psst… Did you hear I wrote a cookbook? 💜
French Onion Pasta
Equipment
Ingredients
For caramelizing onions
- 1 ½ lbs (680 g) yellow onion, (about 3 medium-large onions)
- 2 Tablespoons salted butter
- 1 teaspoon table salt, (or fine sea salt)
- ¼ cup (60 ml) dry white wine, I use pinot grigio (plus additional wine, water, or broth as needed for deglazing)
For the pasta
- 2 Tablespoons salted butter
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 12 oz (340 g) dry pasta, (I like penne)
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 cups (473 ml) beef broth
- 2 cups (473 ml) water
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) heavy cream
- 1 cup (113 g) shredded gruyere
- Additional salt, to taste
- 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, optional
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese for topping, optional
Instructions
- Slice the onions. Cut the onions in half from root to stem and peel away the papery outer layer. Trim the ends and then slice lengthwise, with the grain, into thin, ⅛” thick slices.1 ½ lbs (680 g) yellow onion
- Soften the onions. Melt 2 Tablespoons butter in a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and salt and stir until onions are coated with butter. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions have softened, are mostly translucent, and have reduced in volume.2 Tablespoons salted butter, 1 teaspoon table salt
- Caramelize the onions (this typically takes 40-50 minutes). Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are deep golden brown in color. You will need to stir more frequently near the end of cooking. As the browned bits build up on the bottom of your pot, add a splash of wine at a time and scrape them up with your spoon or spatula. If you use all of the wine before the onions are caramelized and need more, use additional wine, water, or broth as needed. Reduce the heat if the onions begin to scorch, they should not burn.¼ cup (60 ml) dry white wine
- Add the garlic. Once onions are caramelized, increase heat to medium and add the remaining 2 Tablespoons butter and once melted add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant (about 30 seconds).2 Tablespoons salted butter, 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- Deglaze. If any of the original ¼ cup of wine remains, add it to the pot, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot and cooking until the liquid has mostly evaporated.
- Add the pasta and spices. Stir in the dry pasta, thyme, and pepper until evenly combined with the onions. Slowly, stirring as you go and scraping the bottom of the pot, stir in the beef broth and water.12 oz (340 g) dry pasta, 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, 2 cups (473 ml) beef broth, 2 cups (473 ml) water
- Cook the pasta. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Cook uncovered, until the pasta is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed. (Note: if the liquid reduces too much before the pasta is cooked, it’s fine to add a splash more water).
- Finish the sauce. Reduce heat to low and stir in the heavy cream. Add the gruyere a handful at a time, stirring until cheese is melted and sauce is smooth. If adding parsley, stir this in now.⅓ cup (80 ml) heavy cream, 1 cup (113 g) shredded gruyere, 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- Taste and serve. Taste-test and add additional salt and pepper as needed. If desired, top with freshly grated parmesan cheese.Additional salt, Freshly grated parmesan cheese for topping
Notes
Storing
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat on the stovetop with a splash of broth over low-heat until warmed through.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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