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French Onion Pasta is a great savory dish. The onions are cooked to perfection giving off a deep, sweet flavor while everything is cooked in one skillet. This cozy creamy dish will have your family asking for seconds. I add chicken to it for the perfect well rounded meal.
Why Make French Onion Pasta
You know I am all about my one skillet meals, and when the temps drop I reach for hearty pasta dishes. What better flavor to mix into creamy pasta then caramelized onions. The flavor is so deep and savory with a touch of sweetness.
- Easy. This is a great easy one pan dish. The hardest part is patience to caramelize the onions.
- Tasty. This is such a great mix up of flavors.
- Versatile. You can keep it vegetarian or pair it with chicken like I did. It goes with a lot of great proteins like shrimp or steak.
Ingredient Notes
All other ingredients and measurements can be found in the recipe card towards the bottom of this post.
- Chicken Breasts. This is optional, I love this protein with the dish.
- Onions. I use yellow onions, they give the best balance of flavor when caramelized.
- Olive Oil. This is to caramelize the onions and to cook the chicken.
- Garlic & Seasonings. This adds the flavor to the dish. Salt, pepper, thyme, and dried parsley or dried basil for garnish.
- Flour. All purpose flour is used to thicken the sauce. Feel free to use gluten free flour if needed.
- Sherry Wine Vinegar. This is found in the cooking aisle next to the other vinegars. If you need to, replace it with lemon juice but I love it in the recipe.
- Beef Broth. This is the base of the sauce, and it cooks the pasta.
- Worcestershire Sauce. This is a great add into the sauce.
- Pasta. Use any shape you want! I opt for bowtie typically.
- Cream. I use a little heavy cream, just to add a nice creaminess. You can also use 2% milk.
- Breadcrumbs. This is optional, I toast them in a pan and add them for a crispy yummy topping.
Recipe Variations
- Make it vegetarian. You can skip the chicken and add sautéed mushrooms or portobello mushrooms.
- Make It dairy free. Skip the cream if you want to make it dairy free.
- Elevate it. Add some bacon crumbles or pancetta to elevate this dish
Steps To Make This Recipe
- Step One. If serving with chicken, cook the chicken your preferred method. I season it with salt and pepper and cook it in a skillet about 12 minutes each side or until it’s 165º internally. Please cook the chicken any way you prefer.
- Step Two. Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat. When shimmering and heated, add the onions and a generous pinch of salt. Cook on medium/low stirring frequently until evenly browned and caramelized. About 30-40 minutes. This process can take longer depending on the thickness of the onions.
- Step Three. Add the minced garlic and fresh thyme. Sauté for 2 minutes. Add the sherry wine to deglaze the pan. Next, add the flour and mix it in well. Cook for another 2-3 minutes, until thickened.
- Step Four. Pour in the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce and water. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add the pasta, bring it to a simmer and cook for 10-12 minutes or until the pasta is al dente. Different shapes and brands of pasta will vary in cooking time. You may need to add an extra 1/4 cup of water if the pasta soaks all the liquid up too quickly.
- Step Five. Once the pasta is cooked to your liking, give it a taste. Add more salt or Worcestershire if desired. Pour in the cream and add the chopped chicken Give it a mix and garnish with dried parsley. Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Pairings
This is a hearty one skillet meal, but it pairs wonderfully with some lighter, veggie sides. Parmesan Crusted Brussel Sprouts, Parmesan Crusted Potatoes, Roasted Broccoli or even a Simple Green Salad would go great with this French Onion Pasta.
Recipe Tips
- Don’t burn the onions. Keep the heat medium/low and keep a close eye on them. they do take a little patience. Stir about every 5 minutes. Too much stirring can make them take longer and stirring not enough will burn them.
- Keep some extra broth nearby. Different pasta shapes will soak up more liquid. Make sure you read the package instructions for specific cook times and start tasting early for doneness. You may need to add a half cup of water or broth to the simmer to help cook the noodles if the liquid gets soaked up.
- Taste as you go! You may want a tad more salt, or garlic to the dish.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can freeze these for up to 2 months.
French Onion Pasta FAQs
Can French Onion Pasta be made fluten free?
Yes, use gluten free all purpose flour and gluten free pasta.
What onions work best for French Onion Pasta
I prefer yellow onions, they have the nicest balance of flavor and sweeten up wonderfully.
French Onion Pasta
French Onion Pasta is a great savory dish. The onions are cooked to perfection with a deep flavor while everything is cooked in one skillet.
Servings: 4
Calories: 796kcal
Equipment
- large deep sided skillet
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breasts, seasoned with salt and pepper *optional, you can make this dish vegetarian also.
- 2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced *see notes
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp thyme dried or fresh
- ½ tsp salt & pepepr more to taste
- ¼ cup sherry wine vinegar
- 1½ Tbsp all purpose flour or all purpose gluten free flour
- 2 cups beef broth
- 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 cups water *see notes
- 1 lb bow tie pasta about 12 oz
- 2-3 Tbsp heavy cream or whole milk. Optional
- 2 tsp dried parsley for garnish
- ⅓ cup Breadcrumbs optional for topping
Instructions
- If serving with chicken, cook the chicken your preferred method. I season it with salt and pepper and cook it in a skillet about 12 minutes each side or until it's 165º internally. Please cook the chicken any way you prefer.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat. When shimmering and heated, add the onions and a generous pinch of salt. Cook on medium/low stirring frequently until evenly browned and caramelized. About 30-40 minutes. This process can take longer depending on the thickness of the onions.
- Add the minced garlic and fresh thyme. Sauté for 2 minutes. Add the sherry wine to deglaze the pan. Next, add the flour and mix it in well. Cook for another 2-3 minutes, until thickened.
- Pour in the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce and water. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add the pasta, bring it to a simmer and cook for 10-12 minutes or until the pasta is al dente. Different shapes and brands of pasta will vary in cooking time. You may need to add an extra 1/4 – 1/2 cup of water if the pasta soaks all the liquid up too quickly.
- Once the pasta is cooked to your liking, give it a taste. Add more salt or Worcestershire if desired. Pour in the cream and add the chopped chicken Give it a mix and garnish with dried parsley and or toasted bread crumbs. Serve and enjoy!
Toasted Breadcrumbs
- Add the breadcrumbs to a medium sized skillet. Place the skillet on low. Season the breadcrumbs with .5 tsp salt, pepper and any other flavors you might enjoy.
- Tossing often, toast them on low until they darken a bit in color to a brown color. Take them off the heat and set aside until serving.
Notes
- Don’t burn the onions. Keep the heat medium/low and keep a close eye on them. they do take a little patience. Stir about every 5 minutes. Too much stirring can make them take longer and stirring not enough will burn them.
- Keep some extra broth nearby. Different pasta shapes will soak up more liquid. Make sure you read the package instructions for specific cook times and start tasting early for doneness. You may need to add a half cup of water or broth to the simmer to help cook the noodles if the liquid gets soaked up.
- Taste as you go! You may want a tad more salt, or garlic to the dish.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can freeze these for up to 2 months.
Nutrition
Serving: 1.5 cup of pasta | Calories: 796kcal | Carbohydrates: 104g | Protein: 43g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 81mg | Sodium: 842mg | Potassium: 970mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 197IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 99mg | Iron: 4mg
I hope you guys love this one!