One Pot French Onion Soup Pasta

French onion soup pasta topped with grated cheese and chopped chives in a wide white bowl.

5 from 4 votes

If you love the flavors of French onion soup, you've got to try this One Pot French Onion Soup Pasta! It combines caramelized onions and mushrooms in a silky sauce infused with garlic and thyme. Finish it with a shower of freshly grated Gruyère and you've got the ultimate bowl of comfort.

Prep Time15

Cook Time1 15

Total Time1 30

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: French

Servings: servings

Calories: 674kcal

Author: Victoria

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter or olive oil (or combination)
3 large yellow onions peeled, halved and cut into ¼-inch thick slices
Kosher salt
8 ounces (225 grams) cremini mushrooms wiped clean, trimmed and thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic crushed or minced
Freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ cup white wine
2 tablespoons port or madeira wine
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups beef broth or stock
1 cup water
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 pound (455 grams) short pasta such as rigatoni, penne, rotini, fusilli, orecchiette, or shells
¼ cup (20 grams) finely grated Gruyère or Comté cheese or more as desired (you could also use Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino Romano but it won’t be the same)
Chopped chives for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Heat a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat and melt the butter. Add the onions and a big pinch of salt. Stir to coat with the melted butter, cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent. Uncover and continue to cook over medium-low to medium heat, stirring occasionally to keep the onions from sticking, for another 30 to 45 minutes until caramelized.
Add the mushrooms and garlic and stir to combine with the caramelized onions. Season with salt and pepper and add the thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are softened, about 5 minutes.
Deglaze the pot by adding the white wine and port and scraping up any browned bits on the bottom. Stir in the flour to create a smooth paste and cook for another minute.
Gradually add the broth, water, and Worcestershire sauce, stirring regularly to avoid any lumps, and raise the heat to high to bring to a boil. Taste and season with salt and pepper. You may want to over-salt the mixture because a lot of the salt will absorb into the pasta as it cooks, leaving the resulting sauce less seasoned.
Stir in the pasta, lower the heat to medium-low, cover and cook, stirring occasionally until the pasta is al dente and most of the liquid has absorbed, about 15 to 20 minutes (depending on the pasta shape). I find it can take longer than what the pasta packaging indicates because it’s cooking with less liquid over a lower temperature.
Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed. Stir in the cheese, allowing it to dissolve and melt into the sauce. It will help thicken it slightly. Serve immediately with more cheese and chopped chives, if desired.

Notes

Onions: Brown onions work just fine here, but if you want to use sweet onions, go ahead. Make sure not to slice them too thinly. About ¼-inch thick slices are best because any thinner and the onions will completely melt and fall apart as they cook for that long.
Mushrooms: Obviously mushrooms aren't in French onion soup, but I think they're a fantastic addition to this one pot French onion soup pasta! They add a bit more substance and umami flavor. I prefer cremini mushrooms and like to trim and slice them myself so they are thinner than the pre-sliced variety.
Pasta: Use a short pasta shape such as rigatoni, penne, rotini, fusilli, orecchiette or shells. The amount of cook time will vary depending on your selected shape. For what it's worth, the two shapes I use most often for this recipe are rigatoni and fusilli.
Cheese: I recommend using the same type(s) of cheese you'd melt on top of your bowl of French onion soup! Ideally go for Gruyère or Comté cheese, but as a backup you could try Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino Romano. I don't call for a lot of cheese mixed into the pasta, but you can always add however much you want (measure with your heart!). I also like to grate some more over the top before serving.

Nutrition