French Onion Pasta Recipe
Our French onion pasta has caramelized onions and baby portabella mushrooms in a creamy sauce made with beef broth, white wine, fresh thyme, and Parmesan. It tastes a lot like French onion soup only in pasta form.
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If you’re looking for amazing comfort food with lots of great flavor, this pasta recipe is it! Seriously, what could be better than combining French onion soup with tender pasta noodles? Not much if you ask me.
This is a recipe that I’ve been making for years. I like to cook it on weekends when we’re not rushing around and doing all the things. Caramelizing the onions is the longest part, but it’s not hard. The rest of dish comes together more quickly.
The result is a decadent, creamy pasta that has enough servings for a small family. You can also save the leftovers and reheat them for lunch the next day. It’s especially good with a slice of French bread or Caesar salad on the side.
Good Info to Know Before You Start
✓ The recipe is ready in about an hour.
✓ One batch makes 5 servings.
✓ The entire recipe cooks on the stovetop.
✓ You’ll need one pot for the pasta and another for the sauce.
✓ The pasta is best served as soon as it’s ready.
✓ Leftovers keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Tips for Making French Onion Pasta
- Have some patience when cooking the onions. They need to cook low and slow for 25 to 30 minutes. Don’t crank up the heat to speed up the process; otherwise, the edges will burn and the centers will be undercooked.
- Use your favorite pasta noodles. I really like penne or mini penne, but that’s not set in stone. You can use your favorite noodles since they’re being cooked separately.
- The mushrooms may release quite a bit of liquid when they first go into the pan. Keep cooking them until that liquid is gone and the mushrooms have shrunk before adding the broth and wine.
How to Make French Onion Pasta
- Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted water just until al dente. It will warm a little more when it goes into the sauce, so don’t let it get too soft. Drain it and set it aside.
- Melt the butter over low heat, then add the olive oil and sliced white onions. Cook for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring regularly, until the onions are soft, golden brown, and noticeably reduced in volume. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook for another 10 minutes. The pan may look watery at first. Keep cooking until the liquid is gone and the mushrooms have shrunk.
- Pour in the beef broth and dry white wine, then add the thyme, Worcestershire sauce, and salt. Bring everything to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the thyme sprigs.
- Stir in the heavy cream and freshly grated Parmesan until the cheese melts. Bring the sauce back to a gentle simmer, add the pasta, and stir just until the noodles are coated and warmed through. Serve immediately with minced thyme and toasted bread, if desired.
New to Sauteing Onions?
If you’ve never sauteed onions before, let me give you some info to make sure you pull it off seamlessly. Cooking the onions is definitely the longest part of this recipe. It takes anywhere from 25 to 30 minutes give or take a couple of minutes. The length of time depends on the type of pan and the heat.
When you add the onions to the pan, it will look like a lot. Don’t worry, though. They’ll cook down and reduce in volume considerably. As they cook, they’ll also get softer, brown, and a little sweeter.
The key is to cook them slowly over low heat. You’ll want to stir them every 3 to 5 minutes so they don’t burn. On the other hand, if you stir them too much they won’t be able to caramelize. So, a quick stir every 3 to 5 minutes is perfect.
The pan shouldn’t get so dry that the onions stick. If that happens, reduce the heat a bit and add a splash of broth, water, or even white wine. The addition of liquid will cool the pan, unstick the onions, and keep them from burning.
Since caramelized onions are the base for French onion pasta, you’ll want to take your time with this part. It will add tons of flavor to the dish.
Ingredients
- 16 ounces short pasta noodles, We used mini penne.
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 large white onions, sliced
- 8 ounces baby portabella mushrooms, sliced
- 1 cup beef broth, low sodium
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 2 thyme sprigs, fresh
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
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Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to the package directions, then drain and set aside.16 ounces short pasta noodles
- Melt the butter in a large pot over low heat. Add the olive oil and onions. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until the onions have reduced significantly and caramelized. Don’t rush this step or turn up the heat, or the onions may burn.2 tablespoons unsalted butter2 tablespoons olive oil2 large white onions
- Add the mushrooms. Cook for 10 minutes, until they have reduced significantly.8 ounces baby portabella mushrooms
- Add the beef broth, wine, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, and salt. Stir to combine, bring to a simmer, and cook for 5 minutes.1 cup beef broth1 cup dry white wine2 thyme sprigs1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce½ teaspoon salt
- Stir in the heavy cream and Parmesan until the cheese melts. Bring the mixture back to a simmer, then stir in the cooked pasta.1 cup heavy cream½ cup parmesan cheese
- Serve immediately with minced thyme and toasted bread, if desired.
Notes
- I like to use a dry white wine such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc. A wine like Riesling is going to be too sweet.
- The white wine can be swapped with with broth if you’d rather not use wine.
- If possible, shred the parmesan cheese right off the block. It will melt so much better.
- Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop at low heat until warmed through.
- The listed calories are an approximation based on the ingredients and a serving size of 2 cups. Actual calories will vary.