This French Onion Pasta is a rich, creamy dish prepared in just one pot. This pasta takes the sweet, caramelized flavors of French onion soup and transforms them into a simple yet incredibly tasty pasta sauce. Parmesan cheese and thyme add even more flavor to this dish.
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Fans of French onion soup will love this heartier take on the classic recipe – French Onion Pasta!
It is absolutely rich, creamy and very flavorful and can be served as a main dish or a side dish to a variety of meals. Try it with grilled chicken, steak or shrimp, or pair it with soup or salad for lunch.
Why This Recipe Works
The recipe has an incredible flavor combination of sweet, caramelized onions in a rich, creamy, cheesy sauce.
This pasta is easy enough to make as a comforting weeknight dinner, yet is sure to impress when served to guests.
It can easily be modified to suite vegetarian and gluten free diets.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 4 yellow onions (thinly sliced)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 4 1/2 cups beef broth (or vegetable stock)
- 1 pound shell pasta (or other short, dry pasta)
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (grated)
- salt (to taste)
- pepper (to taste)
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley (finely chopped, for garnish, optional)
The entire recipe and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. You can print the recipe from the card, if needed.
Prep!
Thinly slice the onions, mince the garlic, finely chop the parsley and grate the Parmesan cheese, if needed.
Create!
Heat the oil and butter in a large skillet or saucepan over a low heat. Add the thinly sliced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 25-30 minutes or until caramelized. Do not be tempting to turn up the heat, caramelization should be done on low heat to prevent burning.
Add the garlic to the onions and cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add a good splash of the beef broth and use a large wooden spoon to scrape the flavor from the bottom of the skillet.
Add the remaining beef broth to the skillet along with the pasta and dried thyme. Stir to combine. Increase the heat to medium, and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes or until the pasta is tender. Additional stock can be added if the sauce is drying out as the pasta cooks.
Add the heavy cream and grated parmesan and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute or until heated through.
Present!
Garnish with the chopped parsley and serve immediately.
Tips and Techniques
- To make the recipe vegetarian, use vegetable stock.
- To make the recipe gluten free, use gluten free pasta and ensure that your broth or stock does not have wheat in it.
- For a heartier meal, add grilled chicken, steak or shrimp and/or vegetables like mushrooms, broccoli, green beans or asparagus.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Consume within 3 days. Reheat until piping hot using the microwave, or in a saucepan on the stovetop with an added splash of milk or cream to help loosen the sauce.
- This pasta is suitable for freezing. Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating according to the above directions.
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French Onion Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 4 yellow onions (thinly sliced)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 4 1/2 cups beef broth (or vegetable stock)
- 1 pound shell pasta (or other short, dry pasta)
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (grated)
- salt (to taste)
- pepper (to taste)
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley (finely chopped, for garnish, optional)
Instructions
- Heat the oil and butter in a large skillet or saucepan over a low heat. Add the thinly sliced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 25-30 minutes or until caramelized.2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons butter, 4 yellow onions
- Add the garlic to the onions and cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add a good splash of the beef broth and use a large wooden spoon to scrape the flavor from the bottom of the skillet.4 cloves garlic
- Add the remaining beef broth to the skillet along with the pasta and dried thyme. Stir to combine. Increase the heat to medium, and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes or until the pasta is tender. Additional stock can be added if the sauce is drying out as the pasta cooks.4 1/2 cups beef broth, 1 pound shell pasta, 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- Add the heavy cream and grated parmesan and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute or until heated through. Taste and season with salt and pepper, as needed.1 cup heavy cream, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper
- Garnish with the chopped parsley and serve immediately.1/4 cup fresh parsley
Notes
- To make the recipe vegetarian, use vegetable stock.
- To make the recipe gluten free, use gluten free pasta and ensure that your broth or stock does not have wheat in it.
- For a heartier meal, add grilled chicken, steak or shrimp and/or vegetables like broccoli, green beans or asparagus.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Consume within 3 days. Reheat until piping hot using the microwave, or in a saucepan on the stovetop with an added splash of milk or cream to help loosen the sauce.
- This pasta is suitable for freezing. Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating according to the above directions.
Jen says
This pasta dish was insanely yummy! Will be adding it to my weekly rotation. It’s so savory and creamy.