Miss Raven's Kitchen

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy

Just in time for the cozy winter nights that are harboring upon us, One-pot French Onion Pasta is a delicious dish that combines the rich flavors of French onion soup with the simplicity of a one-pot pasta recipe. The result is a savory and comforting pasta dish with the distinctive taste of French onion soup, featuring flavors like caramelized onions, beef broth, and gruyere cheese.

Table of Contents:

1. Table of Contents:
2. Why You’ll Love This Recipe
3. Ingredients for One-Pot French Onion Pasta
4. Tips & FAQs
5. Recipe
6. Check out these other great recipes!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

The slow caramelization of onions imparts a deep and rich flavor to the dish. Combined with savory broth, herbs, and sometimes wine, the pasta absorbs these delicious tastes, creating a comforting and flavorful meal. While the caramelization process of the onions are the longest part of this recipe, the result is well worth the wait. The process of caramelizing onions releases enticing aromas, filling the kitchen with a fragrance that builds anticipation for the delicious meal to come. This sensory experience enhances the overall enjoyment of the dish. French onion soup is already a beloved comfort food, and this pasta adaptation retains that cozy and satisfying quality. The addition of pasta makes it even more filling and substantial. You can also add any protein of your choice, however a simple pan-fried chicken breast will suffice the best.

Ingredients for One-Pot French Onion Pasta

• Mezzi Rigatoni: Essentially a shorter version of rigatoni. You can use any noodle you wish! Keep in mind of cooking times as they vary on the noodle. On the plus side, mezzi rigatoni makes a dish look more elegant.
• Onions: The key ingredient and the most important! You can use yellow (the most used and versatile onion), Vidalia (the next best), sweet (I’ve seen this used mostly), or red onion (adds a great flavor), or you can use a mix! Vidalia and sweet onions are similar, however the vidalia onion is a bit more mild in flavor, usually flatter in shape, and has a relatively high sugar content.
• Garlic: What’s a pasta recipe without any garlic?
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil & Unsalted Butter: Melt these two together for the best result of caramelization.
• Sugar: This is important. Sugar helps the caramelization process. Skipping this will result in a longer caramelization time.
• Dry Sherry & Dry White Wine: Deglazes the pot of the lovely browned bits left behind by the onions. It adds a great depth of flavor. You can use a dry red wine (such as Cabernet Sauvignon) instead of white wine for a further robust flavor.
• Fresh Thyme: Tie some sprigs in a bundle to get the flavor of the thyme for the dish! You can opt in to use fresh thyme leaves instead of the whole sprigs; no need for the kitchen twine, obviously!
• Salt, Pepper, Crushed Red Pepper Flakes (optional): All to flavor the sauce! I like using freshly ground black pepper to garnish the dish.
• Bay Leaves: Commonly found in French Onion Soup recipes, it adds a great mild flavor to the dish.
• Beef Broth: Another key ingredient to the dish! Beef broth is commonly found in French Onion Soup recipes, so it just makes sense to use it here. The recipe is missing depth without it.
• Worcestershire Sauce: I personally thought, after a couple of attempts with this recipe, that it needed this ingredient. It adds the flavor that it lacked beforehand.
• Heavy Cream: The creamy part of this recipe. You can choose to opt out this ingredient for a lighter dish, but what’s the fun in that?
• Grated Parmesan Cheese & Grated Gruyere Cheese: The cheeses to the French Onion! You can substitute fontina or emmental cheese for the gruyere, since those are the closest to it.

Tips & FAQs

• Storage: Allow to cool completely, then transfer to an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Freezing is not recommended, for the sauce may not be as creamy and delectable as when you made it.
• If the liquid gets too low as you’re cooking the pasta, add more broth or water. The water will be absorbed by the pasta as it cooks, so it will decrease in volume, but if the pasta needs more time, add a little bit of water or broth each time. Be sure to stir when you add the pasta so it doesn’t stick!
• What do I do if my onions start to burn? Don’t freak out! Add a few splashes of water and lower the heat. Caramelizing onions is a long process and an art. Patience is key; you don’t want to rush it. They will go from translucent, to golden, to a deep amber color (AKA caramelized). They will be jammy and super soft. It really does take an hour.
• Variations:
  • Add some protein such as a simply pan-fried chicken breast, parmesan-crusted chicken or grilled chicken, or even meatballs.
  • Add sliced mushrooms when you add in the garlic is a perfect hearty addition.
  • Use a mix of yellow, sweet and red onions. You can use all red onions if you wish.
  • Make it vegetarian by using vegetable broth.

Want the recipe? Click print below! Let me know how it came out for you by tagging me on Instagram (@missravenskitchen) and using #missravenskitchen! Follow my Facebook page for updates as well! Let me know if I need to tweak anything.

Recipe

Servings 6

Author Dani Bayer

Prep time

20 Min

Cook time

1 H & 20 M

Total time

1 H & 40 M

Print

With ImageWithout Image

One-Pot French Onion Pasta

Just in time for the cozy winter nights that are harboring upon us, One-pot French Onion Pasta is a delicious dish that combines the rich flavors of French onion soup with the simplicity of a one-pot pasta recipe. The result is a savory and comforting pasta dish with the distinctive taste of French onion soup, featuring flavors like caramelized onions, beef broth, and gruyere cheese.

Ingredients

• 16 oz mezze rigatoni
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 3-4 large yellow or Vidalia onions (sweet onions), thinly sliced
• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• 3 garlic cloves, finely minced, grated, pressed
• 1/4 cup dry sherry
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 5-6 fresh thyme sprigs, plus 1 tsp chopped for garnish
• Salt, to taste
• Fresh ground black pepper, to taste and for garnish
• 2 bay leaves
• 5-6 cups beef broth
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 6 oz shredded (or grated) gruyere cheese
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, optional

Instructions

1. In a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, melt the butter with the olive oil. Add in the onions and cook for 5-7 minutes, covered, or until they start to soften and release their liquid. Reduce the heat the medium-low, uncover, and cook for about 25 minutes more.
2. Sprinkle some salt and sugar to help the caramelization process. Keep cooking until they are a deep amber color (caramelized), stirring occasionally to keep the onions from sticking to the bottom, about 30 min.
3. Add in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Pour in the sherry and white wine into the onions, deglaze the pot, scraping any bits off the bottom, and let it cook for 3-5 minutes until it reduces slightly.
4. Add in the sprigs of thyme (tie them with twine to form a bundle), salt, a heavy pinch of pepper, rigatoni, bay leaves, beef broth, and Worcestershire. Stir it all together.
5. Bring to a boil over high heat, stir it, then lower the heat immediately to medium and cover. Allow to simmer for 12-15 minutes, or until the liquid is mostly absorbed and the pasta is al dente. Turn off the heat and discard the thyme and bay leaves.
6. Stir in the heavy cream, parmesan, and gruyere cheese until combined. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if needed. Serve immediately with extra chopped thyme and a pinch of fresh ground black pepper.

Notes

Storage: Allow to cool completely, then transfer to an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Freezing is not recommended, for the sauce may not be as creamy and delectable as when you made it.

If the liquid gets too low as you’re cooking the pasta, add more broth or water. The water will be absorbed by the pasta as it cooks, so it will decrease in volume, but if the pasta needs more time, add a little bit of water or broth each time. Be sure to stir when you add the pasta so it doesn’t stick!

What do I do if my onions start to burn? Don’t freak out! Add a few splashes of water and lower the heat. Caramelizing onions is a long process and an art. Patience is key; you don’t want to rush it. They will go from translucent, to golden, to a deep amber color (AKA caramelized). They will be jammy and super soft. It really does take an hour.

Variations:

• Add some protein such as a simply pan-fried chicken breast, parmesan-crusted chicken or grilled chicken, or even meatballs.
• Add sliced mushrooms when you add in the garlic is a perfect hearty addition.
• Use a mix of yellow, sweet and red onions. You can use all red onions if you wish.
• Make it vegetarian by using vegetable broth.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

684.83

Fat (grams)

28.97 g

Sat. Fat (grams)

14.73 g

Carbs (grams)

75.47 g

Fiber (grams)

4.37 g

Sugar (grams)

13.62 g

Protein (grams)

25.61 g

Sodium (milligrams)

1254.11 mg

Cholesterol (grams)

71.03 mg

The nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and the brands of ingredients used.

https://missravenskitchen.com/2023/11/12/one-pot-french-onion-pasta

french onion, onion, pasta, one-pot, creamy, main dishes

Main Dishes, Pasta

American, French

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @missravenskitchen on Instagram and use the hashtag #missravenskitchen

Created using The Recipes Generator

Check out these other great recipes!