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French Onion Pasta has all of the delicious flavors of the classic soup in pasta form! Caramelized onions, garlic, mushrooms, and thyme are combined with beef broth, pasta, Worcestershire sauce and parmesan cheese to create an incredible dish. Everything is made in one pot for a quick and easy weeknight meal!
One-pot recipes are always my go-to when I need a tasty, yet easy meal on the table in a hurry. They’re always a win because you get a satisfying dinner with minimal effort, and cleanup is a breeze! If you’re looking for more one-pot dinners to add to the menu this week, give this creamy mushroom Florentine, parmesan chicken tortellini, or Cajun Alfredo pasta a try!
French Onion Pasta Recipe
If you’re a fan of French onion soup, just wait till you taste this ultra-delicious French onion pasta recipe featuring rigatoni cooked in one pot with caramelized onions, mushrooms and thyme in a flavorful, creamy sauce. Garnish the dish with fresh thyme and grated parmesan cheese for an extra special finishing touch.
You simply can’t go wrong with a tasty pasta meal, and this one is great for busy weeknights but also elevated enough to serve to guests. The hearty noodles, the amazing textures from the veggies, the creaminess of the sauce, it’s all just SO incredible. Enjoy it paired with Italian bread twists or Olive Garden copycat breadsticks and a fresh green salad for a complete meal. Your family will go crazy for this wonderful dinner!
Ingredients Needed
This French Onion Pasta recipe is made with simple, yet super flavorful ingredients. Caramelized onions, mushrooms, herbs, and parmesan cheese all cook in a creamy sauce with pasta – you really can’t go wrong with this combination of ingredients! Exact measurements are in the recipe card at the end of the post.
- Yellow Onions: The best type of onions to caramelize for balanced sweet-savory flavor.
- Butter: For sautéing the veggies and adding richness to the dish.
- Garlic: Adds great flavor and complexity.
- Mushrooms: Sliced mushrooms are sautéed with the garlic and thyme until they’re soft and delicious.
- Fresh Thyme: The classic herb used for French onion soup to add freshness and extra flavor.
- All-Purpose Flour: Thickens the white wine and broth mixture to create a creamy sauce.
- White Wine: Wine is a great addition to cream-based sauces because it cuts some of the richness and also adds depth of flavor to the sauce.
- Beef Broth: Use a low sodium broth to control the amount of salt in the recipe.
- Rigatoni: The delicious sauce gets trapped in each tube-shaped noodle for amazing flavor in every bite.
- Worcestershire Sauce: Flavors of vinegar, garlic, chiles, molasses and more give this pasta a wonderful umami taste.
- Parmesan Cheese: Freshly grated parmesan will give you the best results.
- Salt and Pepper: Season to taste!
How to Make French Onion Pasta
Not only is French onion pasta easy to make, but it all cooks in one pot for a fuss-free meal! It tastes so incredible too! It is going to be a huge hit with your whole family!
- Prep: Cut the onions in half and then thinly slice them. Heat the butter in a large pot over medium-high heat and add the sliced onions.
- Caramelize Onions: Cook the onions, stirring occasionally until the onions are caramelized, about 20-30 minutes.
- Sauté the Mushrooms: Once the onions are caramelized, add the garlic, mushrooms, and thyme. Sauté until the mushrooms are soft, about 3-4 minutes.
- Make the Sauce: Whisk in the flour, so it creates a thick paste. Slowly whisk in the white wine, all the flour paste should be incorporated smoothly.
- Add Broth and Pasta: Add the beef broth, pasta, Worcestershire sauce, and salt and pepper. Bring to a low boil and cook until the pasta is al dente, or to the desired texture.
- Serve: Remove the pot from heat and stir in the parmesan cheese. Then serve fresh with additional parmesan cheese.
Tips and Variations
Use these tips and customization ideas to make sure you end up with the most delicious French onion pasta!
- Cooking the Onions: Watch the onions closely as they’re caramelizing, you don’t want them to burn. If they start to burn, turn the heat down a bit and continue to stir. You can also add a teaspoon or two of water.
- Mushrooms: You can leave the mushrooms out of this recipe if you aren’t a fan of mushrooms, I like them for added texture and flavor. If using, feel free to use any favorite variety.
- Type of Pasta: We really like rigatoni for this recipe, but penne or ziti are great choices. Feel free to use whatever kind of pasta you have on hand or you like best. Even spaghetti noodles work!
- Type of Cheese: Gruyère cheese is authentic to French onion soup, so feel free to use that instead of parmesan cheese, if preferred. A good Swiss cheese or provolone cheese works great too!
Storing Leftovers
Pasta makes great leftovers! It’s so convenient having it in the fridge to quickly warm up for a no-fuss lunch the next day. Here is how to store leftovers:
- In the Refrigerator: Store your French onion pasta in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- To Reheat: When you’re ready to enjoy later, rewarm over the stove on low heat or in the microwave! It may be necessary to loosen noodles up with a splash of broth, water or milk.
More Delicious Pasta Recipes
Pasta is one of our favorite meals, so I have tons of delicious tried and true recipes for you to try. Here are a few of my favorites that you will for sure love!
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French Onion Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 large yellow onions
- ¼ cup butter
- 3 teaspoons minced garlic
- 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, plus more for serving
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup white wine
- 5 cups beef broth
- 16 ounces rigatoni, uncooked
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cut the onions in half and thinly slice them. Heat the butter in a large pot over medium-high heat and add the sliced onions.
- Cook the onions, stirring occasionally until the onions are caramelized, about 20-30 minutes.
- Once the onions are caramelized, add the garlic, mushrooms, and thyme. Sauté until the mushrooms are soft, about 3-4 minutes.
- Whisk in the flour, creating a thick paste. Slowly whisk in the white wine, all the flour paste should be incorporated smoothly.
- Add the beef broth, pasta, Worcestershire sauce, and salt and pepper. Bring to a low boil and cook until the pasta is al dente, or to the desired texture.
- Remove the pot from heat and stir in the parmesan cheese. Serve fresh with additional parmesan cheese.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Tasty and made a fair amount. I didn’t have fresh thyme so I used a handful of dry. My only quibble was that 5 cups of broth was not enough to cook a box of rigatoni, so I had to add 2 1/2 cups of water as I didn’t have any more beef broth to use. Will definitely make again.
Super yummy!! I halved the recipe because I was only cooking for myself, and used cavatappi instead of rigatoni because that’s what I had. But the texture and consistency turned out perfect! I cooked it until the pasta absorbed most of the liquid, and then the parmesan thickened it just enough. I will definitely make this again!
The flavor was terrible. Maybe parmesan isn’t the right cheese to use?
I rather stick with the soup.
Sorry.
I wonder what I did wrong? Mine came out like pasta soup. I always exactly follow the recipe the first attempt. If not, I would never comment. But notice in the last meal prep photo that five cups of stock makes it look very soupy. Yet, in the highlight photos, it looks like thick sauce that coats the pasta. I can only assume you’re supposed to seriously boil down the stock but this is not mentioned. It came out intriguing enough to try it again with my own mods. But either the instructions need clarification or the amount of stock should be adjusted. I am guessing the former. There is no way that you are supposed to boil it down with the pasta. Your pasta would turn out like slop.
Hi Hooper! I’m so sorry it didn’t work out for you!
My pasta was liquidy at first, but after cooking everything together for about 20 minutes the pasta had absorbed the sauce and it wasn’t too soupy.
This looks delicious! I am going to try this tonight. Only thing I am gonna cut up a ribeye steak and cook it and then add it to the pasta dish.
Looking forward to making this forthr family