This One Pot French Onion Pasta combines caramelized onions, garlic, and herbs in a rich, savory broth, finished with melty cheese. The pasta absorbs all the deep flavors in one pot, making it a comforting and easy-to-clean meal.
I’ve made this recipe 4x this month!
You’re going to love this One Pot French Onion Pasta recipe because it combines the rich, caramelized sweetness of onions with a creamy, cheesy sauce that perfectly coats every bite of pasta. The deep umami flavors, enhanced by a splash of broth and a hint of garlic, make it irresistibly tasty and comforting. Plus, the golden cheese melted throughout, making each forkful pure heaven!
I saw this viral pasta recipe popping off on social media, so I had to find out what the hype was all about. Can confirm it’s FANTASTIC. I’ve made this one-pot pasta dish about 6x over the last two months and have enjoyed every last bite. I love that it comes together in one pan and is just sooo flavorful. Low effort and high flavor is my kind of meal. It’s a cozy sunday dinner I like to make and have leftovers the rest of the week.
They KEY and I do mean KEY to this recipe is the sweet caramelized onions. The longer they sizzle, the better flavor they’ll be. Low and slow, stirring often. And if you’re into the French Onion flavors also check out my French Onion Potatoes or this French Onion Rice that I’m sure you will LOVE. Or if you want another hearty fall pasta dish, try my Pumpkin Gnocchi!
French Onion Pasta Ingredients
One Pot French Onion Pasta
Equipment
- deep skillet I used the Our Place Always pan
- cheese grater
- measuring cups / spoons
- Rubber Spatula
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 6 medium sweet onions
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 2 tbsp garlic paste
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 4 cups Beef broth, 32 oz
- 10 oz Noodles
- 4 stalks fresh thyme
- 8 oz block Gruyère cheese
- 2-4 oz block white cheese, sharp cheddar, gouda, or Fontina
Instructions
- Prep the onions by cutting them in half, removing the skin and using a mandolin to finely thin.
- Heat a deep skillet (I use the Our Place deep skillet for most of my one pan recipes) to medium-low heat. Melt butter then add the thinly sliced onions to the skillet. The KEY to caramelized onions is low and slow. They’re going to slowly caramelize for 45 ish minutes. If they start to crisp, turn down the heat.
- While the onions are cooking, shred the cheese blocks. I do not recommend using bagged cheese for this recipe as the anti-caking added agents will prevent it from melting as easily.
- Once the onions are glassy and light brown, stir in the garlic paste, soy sauce and worcestershire. Let the onions cook a few more minutes in the flavor and a deep golden brown color has developed. Stir every minute or so to get any brown bits off the bottom of the pan.
- Pour in the beef broth and dry pasta; ensure the noodles are covered in the broth. Turn up stove to medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Cover the skillet for 15-20 minutes. Make sure to stir the pasta frequently so the noodles don’t stick to each other or the bottom of the pot.
- When almost all of the broth is evaporated and the noodles are cooked through, fold in the cheese.
- Stir until the cheese is melted and a pasta sauce forms around the noodles. Add in the fresh thyme leaves, salt to taste and ENJOY!
Nutrition
Video
Notes
- Butter – To cook the onions in.
- Onions – We want them thinly sliced for even caramelization.
- Garlic paste , soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce – To enhance the flavor of the onions.
- Beef broth – This will cook our pasta and form the base of the sauce. To add more protein to this dish, use Beef bone broth instead of just beef stock. It will boost the protein significantly and extra flavorful!
- Noodles – I used fusilli, but another short pasta like penne, bow tie, cavatappi, or ziti noodles are also good choices.
- Cheese – My favorite part of French onion soup is the cheesy topping. Of course we will carry that into pasta form with Gruyere and cheddar added to our French Onion Soup pasta sauce.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and Variations
- Melty gruyere cheese is used for classic French Onion soup, and although I haven’t tried this with other cheeses, you should be able to substitute for other hard, melty cheeses like Swiss, parmesan cheese, or mozzarella.
- Make it vegetarian: Replace the Worcestershire with soy sauce (it contains anchovies) and use veggie broth instead of beef broth. You’ll lose some of that classic French Onion flavor, but still mighty delicious.
- Make it gluten free: Just swap the pasta noodles with your favorite gluten free alternative AND use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce. Cook time may vary so check them often toward the end.
How to Make This Recipe
1.Prep the onions by cutting them in half, removing the skin and using a mandolin to finely thin.
2. Heat a deep skillet (I use the Our Place deep skillet for most of my one pan recipes) to medium-low heat. Melt butter then add the thinly sliced onions to the skillet.
3. Let the onions cook, stirring every few minutes. The KEY to caramelized onions is low and slow. They’re going to slowly caramelize for 45 ish minutes. If they start to crisp, turn down the heat.
4. While the onions are cooking, shred the cheese blocks. I do not recommend using bagged cheese for this recipe as the anti-caking added agents will prevent it from melting as easily.
5. Once the onions are glassy and light brown, stir in the garlic paste, soy sauce and worcestershire. Let the onions cook a few more minutes in the flavor and a deep golden brown color has developed. Stir every minute or so to get any brown bits off the bottom of the pan.
6. Pour in the beef broth and dry pasta; ensure the noodles are covered in the broth. Turn up stove to medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Cover the skillet for 15-20 minutes. Make sure to stir the pasta frequently so the noodles don’t stick to each other or the bottom of the pot.
7. When almost all of the broth is evaporated and the noodles are cooked through, fold in the cheese *insert meme of Moira Rose from Schitts creek “Folding in the cheese”.
8. Stir until the cheese is melted and a pasta sauce forms around the noodles. Add in the fresh thyme leaves, an optional pinch of red pepper flakes and a generous pinch of salt, and ENJOY!
PRO TIPS
- If the pasta sauce clumpy, there may be too much cheese. Add in 1 tablespoon at a time of beef broth and stir in the extra liquid until you have a more luscious, creamy sauce.
- About the onions:
- I really recommend a mandolin for this recipe; all of the onions will be the same size and cook equally. Thick cut onions are not ideal here.
- The trick to perfect sweet onions with rich flavor is a low and slow cooking process on the stove top. Too high of heat and your onions will burn, becoming crisp and blackened instead of soft and caramelized. I promise the wait is worth it and gives best results!
Recipe FAQs
Store this pasta in an airtight container for 3-4 days; it holds up great as leftovers! Reheat for 60-90 seconds in the microwave.
Sweet onions like Vidalia or large yellow onions work best for rich caramelization.
This creamy french onion pasta is yummmmmmy all by itself, but if you want to add a protein, this Ninja Foodi Grill Steak would be a good addition (similar flavor combination to a French Dip). And if you want a veggie side, these Parmesan Carrot Fries would be perfect or even just a simple green salad.
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I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. It’s my passion to create dishes that can be shared with others. Tell me something you loved or just say hi!
we’re obsessed with this recipe. Cannot stop making it!
My goodness was this delish! And so satisfying wow
my wife continues to make this recipe. I don’t even love onions but wow do we love this dish!
This was fantastic!