Weeknight family favorite dinner alert! This ONE POT french onion pasta has all the flavors of the classic soup in a creamy, rich sauce with cremini mushrooms and a light panko topping.

What to do with an excess of onions you ask? One pot french onion pasta for the win! It's done on the stove top with minimal clean up because yes. It really is done in one pot. A dutch oven or a braiser to be precise. Really any heavy bottomed pan with a lid will do!
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Why You'll Love It
Um. Did you see how I said "one pot"? 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻. This one pot french onion pasta gets you all the flavors of the classic soup without the use of several (albeit cute) mini crock bowls on top of the dutch oven you're already using. Oh and the baking sheet for the cheesy, crunchy, crouton topping. A sprinkling of panko and a quick stint under the broiler is all you need here!

Tips and Tricks
- Watch the heat on your onions! It really does pay off to set your burner to a lower heat, no higher than medium. If it's up too high they'll cook too quickly and won't develop that deep caramel flavor.
- Again with the onions - make sure to stir them frequently, every couple minutes or so to avoid burning. Most of the flavor in this dish comes from the onions and the "suc" they leave on the bottom of the pan. If they burn you'll just be adding charcoal instead. Ick.
- Use a short cut pasta (I used mezzi rigatoni). It allows the pasta to be thick enough to really soak up the flavor but it won't take forever to cook!

FAQS About This Recipe
I did stick to the traditional beef broth for this one pot french onion pasta recipe, but it's an easy fix! Simply swap out the beef broth for your favorite vegetarian broth and add salt to taste.
For vegans, same broth substitute and nix the cheese entirely. As for the milk substitute, I wouldn't use an alternative milk, like soy or almond. Those flavors will drastically change the flavor of the dish and I'm not sure it would be tasty! My suggestion would be to replace it with another cup of broth instead. Yes it'll be less creamy but it will still be delicious!
Absolutely! You could make the whole dish, freeze, and reheat until warmed through before serving. You could also do make just the onions as they take the longest, throw them in airtight container and refrigerate them up to 3 to 4 days before using them in the rest of the recipe.

Freezing and Storage
As stated in the FAQs section, this one pot french onion pasta can be made ahead of time. In an airtight container, it can be refrigerated for 3 to 4 days and frozen for up to 3 months.

Similar Recipes
Looking for the traditional soup version? Look no further → classic french onion soup recipe. Or would you prefer a different kind of pasta bake, sans the french onion? This vegetarian southwest pasta bake is a standard on our weekly dinner rotation, as is this penne spinach lasagna. Not what you need? Scroll down for more pasta options!


One Pot French Onion Pasta
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: Serves 4 to 6 1x
Description
Weeknight family favorite dinner alert! This ONE POT french onion pasta has all the flavors of the classic soup in a creamy, rich sauce with cremini mushrooms and a light panko topping.
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 3 large yellow onions, about 1 ½ lbs, thinly sliced
- 1 ½ cups red wine
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 cups beef broth
- 1 lb short cut pasta (I used mezzi rigatoni)
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- ½ tablespoon fresh rosemary, roughly minced
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup shredded parmesan or gruyere cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2 tablespoons panko
Instructions
- In a dutch oven or braiser, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until they are very soft and caramelized, about 30 minutes, stirring to avoid any burning.
- Once caramelized, add the mushrooms, the remaining tablespoons of butter, and cook another 5 minutes, until mushrooms start to release their juices.
- Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds to 1 minute, until fragrant.
- Stir in the flour and cook about 1 minute, until golden. Pour in wine, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Reduce heat to a simmer, and cook until most of the wine has evaporated.
- Add the beef stock and half of the herbs.* Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to a simmer.
- Stir in milk and cook until pasta is al dente, between 10 to 15 minutes. When the pasta is cooked through, remove from heat.
- Add cheeses and stir in until melted. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Preheat the broiler. Sprinkle pasta evenly with panko and place under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from heat and let cool 2 minutes. Top with remaining herbs to serve.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: French-American
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