French Onion Pasta

Name: French Onion Pasta
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons olive oil; 2 tablespoons butter; 4 medium onion, thinly sliced; 1-1/2 teaspoons salt, divided; 3 garlic cloves, minced; 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme, plus more for garnish; 3/4 cup dry white wine; 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce; 1/2 teaspoon pepper; 16 ounces uncooked orecchiette pasta; 4 cups beef stock; 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar; 1/4 cup half-and-half cream, warmed; 6 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated

Total Time Prep: 10 min. Cook: 1 hr.

Yield 8 servings

Test Kitchen Approved

French onion pasta is an internet favorite that captures all the savory flavor of the classic soup in a hearty noodle dish.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
4 medium onion, thinly sliced
1-1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme, plus more for garnish
3/4 cup dry white wine
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon pepper
16 ounces uncooked orecchiette pasta
4 cups beef stock
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1/4 cup half-and-half cream, warmed
6 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated

Directions

In a large Dutch oven or stock pot, heat olive oil and butter over medium heat. When butter is melted, add onions and ½ teaspoon salt. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, stirring often, until onions are a deep caramel brown, about 25-30 minutes.
Stir in garlic and thyme; cook another 1-2 minutes. Add white wine; simmer another 1-2 minutes, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
Add remaining 1 teaspoon salt, Worcestershire sauce and pepper to the pan; stir in orecchiette. Pour in just enough beef stock to cover the pasta; set aside the remaining beef stock. Increase the heat to medium. Simmer, stirring often to keep the pasta from sticking to the bottom. Once the liquid is fully absorbed, stir in additional beef stock; continue to simmer and add more beef stock as needed until the orecchiette is cooked to al dente, about 10-13 minutes.
Stir in sherry vinegar. Place warmed half-and-half in a liquid measuring cup; add a scoop of the pasta liquid to the half-and-half; stir to temper it. Stir mixture back into the pasta. Simmer another 30 seconds; remove pan from the heat when pasta is saucy but not liquidy.
Stir in shredded Gruyere cheese until melted. Spoon pasta into shallow serving bowls. Garnish with additional thyme and pepper. Serve while hot.

Nutrition Facts

1 serving: 427 calories, 17g fat (7g saturated fat), 35mg cholesterol, 889mg sodium, 49g carbohydrate (6g sugars, 3g fiber), 16g protein.

French onion pasta has all of the flavor of French onion soup but in a creamy pasta dish. Orecchiette has the perfect noodle shape for this dish: They're little cups that hold sauce and onions in every bite. —Nancy Mock, Southbridge, Massachusetts

Recipe Creator

Community Cook