French Onion Pasta

Combine the rich and savory flavors of French onion soup with hearty pasta and mushrooms to create this French Onion Pasta! It is a delicious side dish or a meat-free meal that the whole family will enjoy.

French Onion Pasta has been all over TikTok and IG. With its slowly caramelized onions and gruyere cheese, it’s obviously a viral sensation. I’ve put my own spin on this TikTok pasta recipe to make it even better!

I’ve added mushrooms to make the pasta more filling and cooked the pasta separately from the sauce, so it’s technically not a one pot pasta recipe. I’ve tested French onion pasta using the one pot pasta method, and I much prefer it this way! The texture of the pasta is perfect, and I have much more control over the thickness of the sauce this way.

It’s still almost a one pot recipe – you will just need an extra pot to boil the pasta while you’re making the sauce.

If you like the idea of making an entire pasta dish in a single pot, be sure to try my Chicken Parmesan Pasta and Creamy Mushroom and Spinach Orzo.

Caramelized Onions Pasta

• Amazing Flavor – It takes a little bit of time to properly caramelize the onions for this pasta, but it is totally worth it. Caramelized onions are sweet and rich and pair wonderfully with mushrooms and gruyere cheese in this dish.
• Easy Cooking Method – Once you’ve gotten the onions nice and sweet and golden brown, the rest of this pasta recipe comes together in minutes! I’ll show you how to make a rich and silky sauce using the onions as a base.

Key Ingredients In French Onion Pasta

Here’s what you need to make this amazing pasta recipe:

• Onions: The best mushrooms for caramelizing are yellow onions. They have the most “oniony” flavor and are sweet, but not too sweet.
• Mushrooms: Sliced button mushrooms add a meaty flavor and texture to the dish. White or cremini mushrooms can be used.
• Cheese: Gruyere cheese is the traditional topping for a crock of French onion soup. You can also use Swiss cheese or mozzarella if you prefer.
• Thyme: Use fresh herbs if at all possible.
• Vegetable Broth: I always have some homemade veggie stock in my freezer, I make it in my instant pot every few weeks! Boxed or canned broth works well too.
• White Wine: Use any type of dry white wine that you like to deglaze the pan. If you’d prefer to leave the wine out, simply use a bit more vegetable broth.

Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.

How To Make French Onion Soup Pasta

1. Slowly Caramelize the Onions: Heat olive oil and butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add onions and salt to the pan. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the onions are caramelized. Add a splash of water as needed to prevent sticking.
2. Cook the Mushrooms: Incorporate mushrooms into the pan and cook for about 7 minutes until they are soft.
3. Add Flour: Sprinkle flour over the onions and mushrooms, stirring to combine. Cook for a minute. Flour is what helps to thicken the sauce once we add the broth later.

4. Deglaze the Pan with Wine: Pour the white wine into the pan and let it cook for a minute or so until the wine slightly reduces.
5. Finish the Sauce with Broth and Herbs: Add the vegetable stock and fresh thyme to the pan. Stir well to combine and make sure to scrape up any bits of deliciousness still stuck to the bottom of the pan.

6. Cook the Pasta: While the sauce is cooking, boil water and cook the pasta according to the directions on the box until it’s al dente. Reserve a half cup of the pasta water before draining it.
7. Combine and Finish the Dish: Add the cooked pasta to the onion and mushroom sauce, stirring to combine. Use the pasta water to thin out the sauce if needed. Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the shredded gruyere cheese, and season to taste with salt and black pepper.

Recipe Tips

• Take your time: It takes at least 15 minutes to properly caramelize the onions. Don’t try to rush this process or you’ll miss out on the amazing flavor. Avoid increasing the heat too much during the caramelization process, low to medium heat is ideal.
• Cooking the pasta: I suggest cooking the pasta to the al dente stage, where it still has a little bit of a bite to it. The pasta will cook and soften a bit more when you add it to the onion soup mixture.
• Save some pasta water: You may or may not need it, but it’s always helpful to have some of the starchy cooking water on hand in case you need to loosen up the sauce.
• Try other pasta shapes: This recipe will work with any type of pasta that you enjoy. Orieciette, rigatoni, or penne are excellent choices.

Storing Tips

This pasta is best served right away, but if you have leftovers you can store them in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Add a splash of water when reheating to make the pasta saucy again.

What To Serve With French Onion Pasta

Finish off this delicious vegetarian meal with some steamed broccoli or a simple salad and some crusty bread or my easy garlic bread.

You can also serve French onion pasta as a side dish along with crispy air fryer chicken breast, a whole roasted chicken, or any other simple meal.

Recipe FAQs

Can I use beef broth?

I’m using vegetable broth to keep this recipe vegetarian, but you can replace it with beef broth or chicken broth if that’s what you have. Each type of broth will give the recipe a slightly different flavor, but they’ll all be delicious.

How long does it take to caramelize onions?

With butter, oil, and salt, it will take at least 15 minutes to caramelize the onions for this recipe and could take even longer than that. Keep cooking the onions slowly until they are a deep golden brown color.

What can I add to this recipe?

Try adding baby spinach to the sauce during the last few minutes of cooking. It will wilt down and add some extra nutrition to the dish.

More Tasty Pasta Recipes

Broccolini Pasta

Creamy Mushroom and Spinach Orzo

One Pot Creamy Parmesan Chicken Pasta

Skillet Philly Cheesesteak Pasta

All Pasta →

French Onion Pasta with caramelized onions is very simple to make with a little bit of patience – You’ll fall in love with the rich and savory flavor of this easy recipe, so make sure that you Pin it for later!

Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!

Recipe

5 from 19 votes

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French Onion Pasta

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 25 minutes mins

Total Time: 35 minutes mins

Author: Diana

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Print Rate Recipe

This viral French Onion Pasta Recipe combines the rich and savory flavors of French onion soup with hearty pasta, mushrooms, and gruyere cheese.

4 servings

This viral French Onion Pasta Recipe combines the rich and savory flavors of French onion soup with hearty pasta, mushrooms, and gruyere cheese.

Recipe Video

Equipment

• 12-inch non stick skillet
• Spatula

Ingredients 

1/2x1x2x3x

• ▢ 8 ounces (225 g) pasta rigatoni or any preferred shape
• ▢ 1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil
• ▢ 2 tablespoons (30 g) butter
• ▢ 14 ounces (400 g) onions thinly sliced
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 8 ounces (225 g) mushrooms thinly sliced
• ▢ 1 tablespoon (15 g) all-purpose flour
• ▢ 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• ▢ ½ cup (120 ml) white wine
• ▢ 1 cup (240 ml) vegetable stock
• ▢ ½ cup (50 g) gruyere cheese shredded
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions 

• Heat olive oil and butter in a large pan over medium heat.
• Add onions and salt to the pan. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are caramelized. Add a splash of water as needed to prevent sticking.
• Incorporate mushrooms into the pan and cook for about 7 minutes until they are soft.
• Sprinkle flour over the onions and mushrooms, stirring to combine. Cook for a minute.
• Pour in the white wine and let it cook for another minute until the wine slightly reduces.
• Add the vegetable stock and fresh thyme to the pan. Stir well to combine and scrape the bottom of the pan to deglaze.
• In a separate pot, cook the pasta in salted water until al dente. Reserve ½ cup of the pasta water before draining.
• Add the drained pasta to the onion and mushroom mixture, stirring to combine. If the sauce is too thick, add a bit of the reserved pasta water to reach the desired consistency.
• Remove the pan from the heat and sprinkle the shredded gruyere cheese over the pasta. Cover the pan with a lid for a minute to allow the cheese to melt.
• Stir the melted cheese into the pasta and season with ground black pepper. Serve hot.

Notes:

• Take your time: It takes at least 15 minutes to properly caramelize the onions. Don’t try to rush this process or you’ll miss out on the amazing flavor. Avoid increasing the heat too much during the caramelization process, low to medium heat is ideal.
• Cooking the pasta: I suggest cooking the pasta to the al dente stage, where it still has a little bit of a bite to it. The pasta will cook and soften a bit more when you add it to the onion soup mixture.
• Save some pasta water: You may or may not need it, but it’s always helpful to have some of the starchy cooking water on hand in case you need to loosen up the sauce.
• Try other pasta shapes: This recipe will work with any type of pasta that you enjoy.
• Storage and reheating: This pasta is best served right away, but if you have leftovers you can store them in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Add a splash of water when reheating to make the pasta saucy again.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 429kcal, Carbohydrates: 56g, Protein: 16g, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 33mg, Sodium: 277mg, Potassium: 485mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 358IU, Vitamin C: 9mg, Calcium: 210mg, Iron: 2mg

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.

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