One-pot French Onion Pasta
If you’re looking for a simple and comforting recipe, my One-pot French Onion Pasta is it. Inspired by the traditional flavors of French onion soup, this recipe is worth indulging in. Although cooking the onions requires patience, I promise the depth of umami flavor it adds to the pasta is worth it. The hardest part is chopping the onions. It will literally bring you to tears, pun intended.
What are caramelized onions?
If you’ve ever had an In-N-Out burger Animal Style, you know exactly just how good it is and I’m not only talking about the sauce. Caramelized onions are a delicious, sweet and savory condiment made by simply cooking onions over low heat until they turn golden brown and develop a rich, sweet flavor.
Why you'll love my recipe
Hearty flavors
As the pasta cooks, it absorbs the savory juices from the beef broth. Wholesome, hearty ingredients for a wholesome, hearty meal.
Quick and efficient
Dinner ready in one hour. Minimal preparation and only one pot to clean.
One-pot meal
You may have noticed by now that I’m a big fan of one-pot meals, especially on a busy weeknight when the last thing you want to do is a mountain of dishes.
How to make caramelized onions
Peel and slice the onions
Peel the outer skin of the onions. Cut the onions into thin, equal slices from root to tip.
Cook low and slow
Melt butter and heat oil in a heavy-bottomed pot or skillet. Add onions to the pan. Cook slowly over medium-low heat, stirring frequently. Be patient as the onions cook. Stir frequently to prevent burning. They caramelize from the natural sugars released during the cooking process.
Deglaze the pan
Once the onions have browned, deglaze the pan with beef broth or white wine to release the flavorful bits stuck on the bottom of the pan.
Ingredients and substitutions
Onions: Traditionally, yellow onions are recommended due to their balance of sweet and sharp umami flavor when caramelized but sweet onions or Walla Walla work well too.
Pasta: Any pasta shape works fine. I really enjoy fun shapes like mini farfalle.
Parmesan: Not only does parmesan thicken the sauce but it adds a nutty flavor to this dish.
Beef broth: While traditional French onion soup uses beef broth for its flavor, you may substitute this pasta recipe with vegetable or mushroom broth but keep in mind that the substitution may alter the overall flavor profile.
Heavy Cream: Heavy cream adds a richness and creaminess the pasta sauce.
Thyme: Thyme is a versatile herb that adds depth and earthy flavor to this onion pasta.
For the rest of the ingredients, please see the recipe index card below!
Can I substitute the beef broth?
Yes, you can substitute beef broth in my One-Pot French Onion Pasta. Chicken broth, vegetable broth or mushroom broth are all great alternatives but keep in mind, the overall flavor will vary.
Expert tips from my test kitchen
Don’t rush the caramelized onions
Proper caramelization takes at least 35 to 40 minutes. Onions should be deep golden in color, not just soft.
Use the right onions
Yellow onions offer the best balance of sweet and sharpness. They develop a rich, golden brown color and intense umami flavor. It is easily found in most grocery stores.
How to make French Onion Pasta
The section below is a quick overview of how to make this recipe. For full details, see recipe index card below!
Cut, cook and caramelize the onions
Melt butter and heat oil in a heavy-bottomed pot or skillet. Add onions to the pan. Cook slowly over medium-low heat, stirring frequently. Proper caramelization takes between 35 to 40 minutes. Once the onions have caramelized from its natural sugars, deglaze the pan with white wine.
Add broth and uncooked pasta
This recipe is popular for many reasons and one of those is that it is made all in one pot! Once the onions have caramelized, add the broth and uncooked pasta. Simmer until most of the broth is absorbed and reduced.
Add heavy cream and parmesan
These two ingredients bring together the overall flavor pallet of this recipe. It also adds an extra level of creaminess. Stir to combine and enjoy by the bowl full.
What protein can I add to the dish?
For a heartier dish, add chicken, seared steak strips or sautéed mushrooms.
How to store leftover French Onion Pasta
Transfer leftover pasta to an airtight container and refrigerate. Consume within 2-3 days for optimal freshness. Reheat in the microwave at 15 second intervals or on the stovetop in a small saucepan until warm.
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One-pot French Onion Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 cups small pasta mini farfalle, pastina or orceccheiette
- 4 large yellow onions finely sliced
- 3 cups beef broth
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano plus additional for garnish
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 garlic cloves pressed
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme or substitute with 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Instructions
- To a large pan, drizzle olive oil and add butter. Add thinly sliced onions.4 large yellow onions, 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- Cook on medium-low for 35-40 minutes until golden and caramelized, stirring frequently. Once caramelized, deglaze with a splash of white wine or beef broth. Add fresh thyme leaves and the stem, garlic. Cook for a few minutes until fragrant.1/4 cup white wine
- Add uncooked pasta and beef broth. Simmer on medium-high heat for 15-20 minutes or so until most of the liquid is absorbed. Stir frequently.2 cups small pasta, 3 garlic cloves, 2 sprigs fresh thyme, 3 cups beef broth
- Remove the thyme stems. Add the heavy cream and Parmesan. Add back any leaves that didn’t fall off during cooking. Stir to combine and cook a few minutes just enough to melt the cheese and bring the sauce to a simmer.1/2 cup heavy cream, 1/2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano
- Garnish with additional thyme and parmesan. You can easily make a protein on the side, like Italian sausage, salmon or chicken to turn this into a complete meal.
Nutrition
The provided nutritional value above is an estimate per serving. 100% accuracy is not guarenteed. Please see Nutrition Information Disclaimer in our Privacy Policy.
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
20 Responses
This is INSANELY delicious, but a few notes:
1. The onions took me at least an hour to caramelize, so plan accordingly
2. I needed 1/4 cups of white one + 4 cups of beef broth + about another cup of water. Maybe my Dutch oven was too big and it evaporated too quickly, but I definitely needed extra liquid
3. I added the zest of one lemon, and I’d argue it’s a CAN’T MIX ingredient. It completely elevated the flavor, and cut the richness of the pasta
Separately, I seared some mushrooms in a cast iron skillet with thyme and salt, added some chicken tenders seasoned with salt & garlic powder, and finished it off with a splash of white wine. Added that to the top of the pasta, and this was honestly one of my favorite dishes I’ve made before.
This is great! I will be incorporating these tips next time. Thank you for the lovely feedback!
I took a shot and made this at work. We do not have a kitchen, but we have a back counter with a hot plate. Happy this recipe only calls for 1 pot. The yellow onions made my coworkers cry a bit since we do not have windows or ventilation. After the onions cooked down and I added the broth, the strong onion smell went away. The onions do need to brown for an hour (that’s no joke). As I added the heavy cream & cheese, I started thinking, this looks good! I had my friend taste it and she started dancing which made me happy. I added some sun dried tomatoes too, which made it that much better. And I cooked Italian sausage on the side for those men who wanted the extra meat. (That was bomb too) After all said and done, I asked my friends at work to try & they all loved it. Thanks for the bomb recipe.
This is wonderful! We’re so happy everyone enjoyed it – especially with a happy dance!
This was a good recipe both my toddler and I enjoyed but I would say I added twice the broth twice the cream maybe cuz I used ditali pasta and there was more pasta in a cup than if you use bow tie? And also I would change the prep time because it said 35 minutes and that’s what I expected and then when I got into it cooking the onions alone was 35 minutes so there was no way that that cook time was appropriate. By 7tvtadty recipe!
Opps! That looks like a typo. I have adjusted the cook time. We’re so glad you enjoyed our recipe. 🙂
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Question: is there a protein you could recommend adding?
We personally enjoy chicken! It’s a great balance with the beef broth flavor.
Awesome recipe. It took more like an hour to properly caramelize the onions, though. I added a splash of worcestershire at the end. It tasted amazing already. but we love cheese so I added a thin layer of gruyere over the top (about half a cup), put the lid on, and let that melt while it cooled.
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoyed our recipe.
Absolutely amazing! We just made this tonight, and it was incredible — one of the best dishes we’ve made in a while, and we’re going to rave about it to all our friends!
Our only suggestion would be to add “White wine (optional, for deglazing)” to the ingredient list. We made our grocery run based off of the list, so we ended up having to use water instead to deglaze because we hadn’t seen the reference to wine in the steps (which is definitely our fault!).
Hi Megan! Thank you so much for the lovely review. 🙂 We totally agree with you and have changed that on our recipe card. Thank you for the feedback!
I’m a regular here on Patricia’s blog and like her other recipes, this one is perfection. Even if you’re not an onion lover, you’re going to love this. We ate it twice already this week and it’s only Wednesday.
Thank you, Dae! It’s a pleasure make your dinner plans a little easier. 🙂
This is fenominal, i am a fan. I also added a little bit of lemon zest for Some fresheness. I told my collegeages about this at work and are also fan of this recepy.
Hi Marne, thank you so much! I love the addition of lemon zest and will need to try it next time. 🙂
So so delicious, I had seconds. It’s so flavorful and complex, it seems like it would take longer to make but it comes together really easily.
Hi Julia, thank you for your kind comments! This pasta recipe is in our top 5 for a reason. 🙂
This pasta was amazing. I’m always an onion fan in meals all the aroma of caramelizing was heavenly. I did end up adding flour in the onions just before adding milk instead since I had no heavy cream and it still came out saucy and absolutely delicious. Will definitely be making this one again!
Hi Debbie, thank you for sharing your experience! That sounds like a successful and delicious substitution. 🙂