Rich caramelized onions are the star of this exquisitely delicious, one-pan, creamy French Onion Pasta recipe!
With the deep flavor profile inspired by the beloved classic soup, French Onion Pasta features orecchiette, white wine, parmesan, and onions caramelized in buttery beef broth, seasoned with thyme, and finished with a splash of heavy cream. Oh my goodness. Every single bite is filled with indulgent flavor!
French Onion – Soup or Pasta?
It’s practically impossible to resist a great French Onion Soup – that rich beef broth with caramelized onions. That buttery slice of bread floating on top. That melty Gruyère cheese cascading over the sides of the bowl. It’s so tasty!
This French Onion Pasta is a twist on that traditional soup. Orecchiette pasta replaces the bread, and it cooks right in the beefy onion broth, converting the brothy soup stock into a thick, creamy, almost decadent sauce. It’s rich, buttery, a little sweet, a little umami, a lot yummy. This pasta dish is so incredible, no one else will suspect it’s a one-pot wonder!
Other French Onion Recipes
- Classic Crock Pot French Onion Soup – you know it, you love it!
- Skillet French Onion Chicken brings all the luscious flavors of the soup, making this chicken a comfort-food favorite!
Ingredients
Liquids: This pasta dish combines white wine, dry sherry (not cooking sherry!), low-sodium beef broth, and water to create a thick, creamy, flavorful, unforgettable sauce!
Onions: Large yellow onions, or a mixture of yellow and white, will lay an excellent foundation for caramelizing!
Pasta: This recipe uses orecchiette (“little ear”) pasta, but rotini or rigatoni would also work well. Their shapes will hold the sauce nicely.
Seasoning: Salt, fresh thyme, grated pepper, and Worcestershire sauce add bright, tangy goodness to this pasta.
Dairy: We’ll use butter to caramelize the onions and add a splash of heavy cream to finish off the dish. I know your mouth is watering and ready to taste this!
How to Make French Onion Pasta
STEP ONE: Heat the butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions, salt, and water, and bring to a boil. Cover with the lid and cook for 5 minutes. Check on the onions and stir them. Continue cooking them (covered) until most of the water has evaporated.
STEP TWO: Remove the lid and press the onions down with a spatula or wooden spoon. Cook for 30 seconds, then stir; press; repeat. Don’t walk away from the stove until the onions are a nice golden brown, about 10 minutes.
STEP THREE: Deglaze the pan with the sherry and white wine, scraping down any brown bits into the pan, and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Then add in the pasta, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, thyme sprigs, and pepper. Stir and cook for 12-15 minutes, using the pasta package’s cooking time as the baseline. You may need to let the pasta cook a little longer to reach al dente.
STEP FOUR: When the pasta is al dente, remove the thyme and add in the parmesan and heavy cream. Serve the pasta with grated parmesan and a garnish of fresh thyme or parsley. You won’t get over how luscious this pasta dish is!
Tips for Success
- Steaming the onions greatly speeds up the caramelization process. The onions are ready in about 15-20 minutes, vs 1 hour for really good caramelized onions.
- Make this dish vegetarian by swapping out for vegetable broth and adding 1-2 tablespoons of soy sauce for that rich umami flavor. For gluten-free, use a short gluten-free pasta of your choice.
- All pasta types have different cooking times, so read the package instructions and don’t overcook it!
- Gruyère cheese can be substituted for the Parmesan if desired.
What Kind of Onions Are Best in French Onion Soup?
Not all onions are created equally! Each type is different, and they range from sweet to bitter; fresh and bright to deep and rich. The single best onions for French Onion soup are yellow onions, which have a nice balance of sharp and sweet. But yellow onions are not the ONLY way to go. A blend of white, yellow, red, and green onions can combine to provide a varied, interesting caramelization flavor.
How Do You Caramelize Onions?
Caramelizing onions is simple…but it takes patience. Start with a large pan or pot so the onions have a large, evenly heated surface to cook on. Add oil (or butter) to deliver the caramelization flavor and salt to draw the moisture out of the onions, making them caramelize quickly.
Cook the onions long and slow over medium heat, stirring every 4 minutes or so. If they become translucent without turning golden, raise the heat slightly. But don’t be in a rush. Don’t turn the heat so high that the edges start to blacken, as that will add bitterness. Be patient and stir at intervals, leaving the onions long enough to brown, but not so long as to burn. You want a soft, sweet flavor and a rich, golden color. This is the key to perfect French Onion recipes.
Practically Perfect One-Pan Pasta Recipes!
- One Pan Chicken Stroganoff
- One Pot Alfredo Pasta
- Taco Spaghetti
- One Pot Spinach and Artichoke Pasta
- Easy Chili Mac Skillet Dinner
- One Pot Pad Thai
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 large yellow onions peeled and thinly sliced
- ½ cup water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons dry sherry (not cooking sherry)
- ⅓ cup dry white wine (like pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc)
- 12 ounces orecchiette pasta uncooked
- 4 ½ cups low-sodium beef broth (36 fl oz)
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme
- ½ taespoon black pepper
- ⅓ cup parmesan cheese shredded, tightly packed
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Place a large pot over medium-high heat and add the butter. Once melted, add the onions, salt, and water. Bring to a boil and close the lid.
- After 5 minutes, check the onions and stir. (If needed, turn the heat to medium so the onions don't burn.) Cook covered until the water is mostly evaporated, about 10-15 minutes.
- Remove the lid and press down on the onions with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. Keep cooking the onions, pressing down every 30 seconds until browned and caramelized, about 10 minutes. (Don't walk away from the stove!)
- Deglaze the pot with dry sherry and white wine. Stir and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the pasta, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, thyme sprigs, and pepper. Stir to combine.
- Cook for 12- 15 minutes. Use the pasta cooking time on the package as the reference, cooking longer if needed until al dente.
- Remove the thyme sprigs and stir in the parmesan and heavy cream. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Portion into bowls and garnish with more parmesan and some fresh thyme leaves, if desired.
Notes
- You can substitute 2 teaspoons of dried thyme if you don’t have fresh thyme on hand.
- For a vegetarian option, swap out the beef broth for vegetable broth. To get more umami flavor, add 1-2 tablespoons of soy sauce when you add the broth.
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