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One Pot French Onion Pasta

This one pot French onion pasta is everything you love about rich French onion soup, but in creamy pasta form! It’s absolutely delicious, loaded with flavors of sweet caramelized onions, fresh thyme, and shredded gruyére. This recipe is coziness in a bowl.

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French onion soup is one of my go-to favorites once the snow starts to fall – it’s super cozy, the bread and cheese make it filling, and if made correctly, it’s full of flavor. The key is in cooking the onions long enough so that they are truly caramelized. Despite my love for this classic soup, not everyone feels that it can be a meal. So, I took all of the things we love about French onion soup and turned it into a one-pot pasta meal.

What you’ll love about this recipe:

  • ONE POT – This dish couldn’t be easier to make and only one pot to clean up!
  • 2-STEPS – Quick and easy, caramelize the onions, then add the rest of the ingredients.
  • COMFORTING – This pasta is ultra-comforting, the perfect meal for a chilly evening, and leftovers are even better!

A few notes about the ingredients

  • sweet onions & shallot–I like to use of mixture of sweet onions and shallot for the base
  • garlic – you know the rules, always use fresh garlic!
  • short pasta – I recommend a short pasta like mezzi rigatoni
  • fresh thyme – the traditional herb used in French onion soup that pairs so well with caramelized onions!
  • white wine – I recommend a dry wine like Chardonnay or Sauvignon blanc
  • heavy cream – for a touch of creaminess
  • beef broth – I prefer beef broth for a deeper flavor, but you can also use chicken or vegetable broth
  • Worcestershire sauce & soy sauce – to help boost the umami flavor
  • gruyére cheese – a hard Swiss cheese with a mild salty flavor. Gruyére makes a beautiful melting cheese, I highly recommend using it in this recipe if you can find it.
  • sherry vinegar – just a little acidity to bring out all the flavors

The onions are sliced very thin so they don’t overpower the dish with huge onion bites. Instead, they cook down and become very delicate, with the perfect portion of onion in each bite of pasta.

I recommend using a mandolin slicer like this one. It makes slicing the onions quick and easy and keeps all the slices uniform. A mandolin is one of my most used kitchen tools, I use it for all sorts of vegetables!

What makes one-pot French onion pasta so good?

The secret is right in the name! Cooking the pasta with all the ingredients that make up a French onion soup makes the pasta THAT much more flavorful. By cooking the pasta in the broth that makes the sauce, the gluten breaks down into the sauce so that it’s extra creamy.

How to make one pot French onion pasta

First, caramelize the onions by cooking them over medium-low heat for about 30 minutes. You want to stir every 3 minutes to keep the onions from burning, cooking until the onions turn a deep caramel color. Don’t skimp on the time! The caramelization process adds all the flavor.

The final details are simple: we add the pasta and wet ingredients and cook for 20 minutes until the pasta is cooked al dente. Finally, we stir in the grated cheese and sherry vinegar to pull it all together.

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Serve with warm french bread and fresh grated parmesan to pull it all together!

Recipe Tips

  • Make sure all the ingredients are prepped in advance and ready to add to the pot.
  • Stir the onions every 3-4 minutes as you are caramelizing to be sure they don’t burn. Don’t rush this process as the slow caramelization adds flavor.
  • I recommend using a large cast iron or a heavy-bottomed pot as that helps the heat to distribute more evenly while cooking the onions.
  • Be sure to stir the pasta frequently, or it will become gummy and sticky.

FAQs and substitutions

What vegetables can I add to this recipe?

Mushrooms are a great addition to French onion pasta, just add them in once the onions are caramelized and cook until they are tender before adding the other ingredients. Spinach for a little green can be added in the final step while stirring in the gruyére cheese.

What can I add for protein?

Cooked bacon or prosciutto are both delicious protein options for this dish. I recommend cooking the bacon or prosciutto until crisp before you begin to caramelize the onions. Set aside and add back in at the very last step. This will add a delicious crunch!

How to reheat leftovers

The best way to reheat French onion pasta leftovers is by warming it in a saucepan over medium-low heat and adding a little beef broth to keep it from drying out as you cook. Just add a couple of tablespoons at a time until it becomes creamy again.

Can I use a different type of cheese?

While I recommend Gruyére as the classic cheese used for French onion soup, you can substitute it with another melting cheese like Swiss, Comté, or even provolone.

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one pot french onion pasta in a cast iron pan with crusty french bread dipping in it

One Pot French Onion Pasta Recipe

5 from 1 vote
This one pot French onion pasta is everything you love about rich French onion soup, but in creamy pasta form! It's absolutely delicious, loaded with flavors of sweet caramelized onions, fresh thyme, and shredded gruyére.
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Cook Time 55 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 3 sweet onions thinly sliced
  • 1 shallot thinly sliced
  • 5 cloves garlic finely chopped
  • 4 tbsp butter salted
  • 3 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • ⅓ cup white wine sauvignon blanc or chardonnay
  • ¼ tsp crushed red pepper
  • 4 cups beef broth
  • 1 cup half & half
  • 1 lb short pasta bowties, mezzi rigatoni
  • 1 cup gruyére cheese shredded
  • 1 tbsp sherry vinegar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • grated parmesan for serving

Method
 

  1. Thinly slice the onions and the shallot – I recommend using a mandolin for this step.
  2. Combine the butter (2 tbsp) and oil (2 tbsp) in a large skillet over medium heat – I like using a cast iron. Once melted, add the onions, shallot, salt (1 tsp) and pepper (1/2 tsp).
  3. Cook for approximately 30 minutes, until the onions become a deliciously deep golden brown. Stir every few minutes.
  4. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the thyme, white wine (⅓ cup), soy sauce (1 tbsp), and Worcestershire sauce (1 tbsp). Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes to reduce the wine. Stir occasionally.
  5. Add the broth (4 cups), half & half (1 cup), and the pasta (1 lb). Stir well and bring to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes until the pasta is done, stirring every few minutes to keep the pasta from sticking.
  6. Remove from heat, stir in the shredded gruyére and the sherry vinegar (1 tbsp). Serve with grated parmesan.

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One Comment

  1. 5 stars
    Thank you Cassidy, this was a big winner for dinner tonight. I only did 3 1/2 cups of broth though, and changed the thyme up to dry thyme using about a tsp

    Reply

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