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This One Pot Creamy French Onion Pasta Bake is the ultimate cold weather comfort food. Think French onion soup, with the addition of pasta, a creamy sauce, and melty Gruyere cheese. The secret to this one-pot pasta is a little bit of wine, to keep those classic French onion soup flavors we love so much. This pasta dish is great any night of the week but is also perfect for your next dinner party. Every last bite is delicious…everyone LOVES a GOOD cheesy baked pasta…especially when caramelized onions are involved. This dish will be your new go-to when serving family and friends over the holidays…and other times throughout the year too.
It’s that time of year when all I want to be cooking, eating, and sharing with you is comfort food recipes. As I type this, I’m looking out my NYC window to freezing cold rain. The question I keep asking myself is, when will the rain turn to snow? I’m channeling my mom and little sister (snow dance please!) and putting out the positive thoughts for snow. Because what’s more magical than a snowy NYC in December? It’s going to happen. I will document it for you all.
Regardless of rain or snow, December days call for only the best comfort foods and easy dishes that we can feed our friends and family. When I return home from New York, I’ll only have a week or so until the bulk of my family members start arriving for the Christmas holiday. With that in mind, I’ve been working to come up with some creative recipes to feed everyone this year. If there’s one thing I’ve learned over my many years of serving large groups, it’s that pasta dishes are key.
Most everyone enjoys pasta and what I love about a baked pasta is that I can prepare everything in advance if need be. This pasta is extra special though…if you love French onion soup, you will absolutely love this pasta bake. It has all the rich flavors you get in a bowl of steaming French onion soup. But made better with the addition of pasta and a touch more cheese. You simply cannot go wrong.
Here are the details.
Start with the onions. They need to be deeply caramelized, just as you do when making French onion soup. My secret to the best caramelized onions? Butter, a touch of honey, and in today’s case…dry red wine.
The butter is used for obvious reasons…fat, flavor, and deliciousness. The honey helps to cook and caramelize the onions faster. I always find these ingredients to be key when trying to achieve the perfect caramelized onions.
Now, the wine. Use a dry red wine. Cabernet Sauvignon is pretty traditional in most French onion soups, so I wanted to carry those flavors over into this pasta. You’ll cook about half of the wine into the onions. This not only helps the onions to caramelize quickly and evenly, it also infuses the onions with incredibly rich flavor.
If you prefer not to cook with wine, I recommend using about half a cup of pomegranate or cranberry juice when caramelizing the onions. For the remaining amount of wine called for (another half cup), use chicken or vegetable broth.
Once the onions have deeply caramelized, add mushrooms, garlic, and fresh thyme. Cook all together until the mushrooms have caramelized. Add the broth and dry pasta right into the pot. I know it may seem odd, but trust me, it works. Just bring the mix to a boil and cook until the pasta is al dente. Cooking the pasta together with the sauce only takes a few minutes and saves you from having to break out another pot. It’s my secret to keeping pasta recipes simple and easy.
When the pasta has cooked, add the cream and a little cheese. Transfer everything to the oven and bake until the cheese on top is melty and golden and everything looks and smells delicious.
The best thing about one pot recipes?
Everything starts in one pot, and ENDS in the very same pot. YES. Dishes be gone!! Granted, I tend to transfer my dishes to a baking dish for a prettier look, but if using an oven safe pot, you can bake this right in the very same pot you started with.
One and done and so easy. It’s just what’s needed this time of year, easy dinners that are incredibly delicious.
Serve this with…
Since this is such a hearty pasta, I love serving this with a bright salad. This pretty salad is always my favorite (I leave the chickpeas off when serving this as a side salad).
Of course, you can also add some bread, which is never a bad idea in our house.
With that, you’ll have a complete dinner that will be great any night of the week. My recommendation? Serve this up on the next super cold night when you’re craving a steaming bowl of soup…but also a plate of mac and cheese. This pasta is soup and mac and cheese in one. It’s creamy, cheesy, and swirled with caramelized onions. So…it’s insanely GOOD!
If you make this One Pot Creamy French Onion Pasta Bake, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
watch the how to video:
One Pot Creamy French Onion Pasta Bake.
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 515 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2-3 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 cup dry red wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 2 cups cremini or wild mushrooms, sliced
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves (or 2 teaspoons dried thyme)
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 3 cups low sodium chicken broth (use vegetable broth, if vegetarian)
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (use soy sauce, if vegetarian)
- 2 leaves bay leaves
- 1 pound of your favorite short cut pasta
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper using more or less to your taste
- 1 1/4 cups heavy cream, whole milk, or canned coconut milk
- 1/3 cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese (optional)
- 2 cups shredded gruyere cheese
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. 2. Melt the butter, onions, and honey together in a large pot over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally until softened, about 5 minutes. At this point, you want to slowly add 1/2 cup of the wine, 1/4 cup at a time, until the wine cooks into the onions. Continue to cook another 8-10 minutes until you've used the 1/2 cup of wine and the onions are deeply caramelized. 2. Add the garlic, mushrooms, thyme, and season with salt and pepper, cook another 3-4 minutes. Add the remaining 1/2 cup wine, the broth, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves, and the pasta. Bring the mixture to a boil. Stir frequently until the pasta is al dente and the broth has been absorbed, about 8-10 minutes. Stir in the cayenne, cream, gorgonzola, if using, and 1/2 cup gruyere cheese. Remove from the heat.3. If needed, transfer the pasta to a baking dish. Top with the remaining gruyere cheese.4. Transfer the baking dish to the oven and bake 20 minutes or until the cheese has melted and is lightly browned on top. Cool 5 minutes before serving. Serve with fresh thyme. Enjoy!
This was sooo yummy! I made as instructed but I subbed goat cheese for the Gorgonzola. Can’t wait to make again! 😊
Hi Julia,
Happy Friday!!🍍🥥 Thanks a bunch for making this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xT
Hi Tieghan,
I love all your recipes! This dish looks amazing. I noticed you have another slightly different version of this recipe. It uses white wine instead of red and buratta instead of Gorgonzola. I’m planning to make this for dinner party but I’m not sure which one to make. Can you compare them?
Thanks so much!
Stephanie
Hi Stephanie,
I think it totally just depends on your taste and which flavors you like better. This dish is going to give you more of that classic French onion taste. I hope this helps! Let me know if you give the recipe a try! xT
The smells coming from my kitchen are mouth watering!! I’d like to request that you adjust the cook time, though… it says 30 minutes, but that’s (minimum, optimistic) active cooking time, PLUS an additional 20 in the oven. That’s my bad for not reading the entire recipe before starting on dinner, but if I’d realized that, I would’ve started prep much sooner. *facepalm* I love all your food though, so I know it will be worth it in the end!
Hi Colleen,
Thanks so much for making this recipe! The total time is 45 minutes;) Sorry if this took longer than expected! xx
I love this dish! Have made it several times including tonight! We’re about to dig in and eat in bowls by the fire 🙂
Hi there,
Happy Monday!!🌞 Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your review, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! xx
Could meat be added to this? Was thinking about cubing up chuck roast, browning it and adding to the mixture. Any advice?
Hey Kristina,
Sure, that sounds like a great idea! Let me know how this dish turns out, I hope it’s delish! xT
We loved this dish. I couldn’t find Gorgonzola at my store but had Cambert…holy creamy goodness Batman! It’s rich, but so good!
Hey Jennifer,
Awesome!!🌼 I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you and appreciate you giving it a try! xT
Hi Tieghan!
Thanks so much for your amazing recipes. I cannot wait to try this one. Quick questions for you: would I be able to do 2 pounds of pasta? Would I need to double any of the other ingredients? Also, (last question! Sorry!) what size baking dish would you recommend for 2 pounds of pasta?
THANK YOU! 🙂
Hey Angela,
For best results and to ensure even cooking, I would do 2 separate batches in 2 separate baking dishes:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Not to sound dramatic, but this is the best meal I’ve ever made.
Hey Marissa,
Lol amazing!! Love to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, thank you so much for making it and your comment! xx
This was so good! Will be making again for a dinner party!
Hey Christi,
Happy Thursday! So glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe and thanks so much for making it! xT
WOW this is amazing! My husband told me this might be the best thing I’ve ever made! It’s definitely impress company kind of recipe!
Hey Maryjo,
Happy Friday!! I appreciate you trying this recipe and sharing your review, so glad to hear it was a hit!⛄️ xT
Looking forward to trying this! The only wine we have in the house right now is a bubbly white… Will that sub okay for the red?
Hi there! I haven’t ever tried that before but let me know if you give it a try! xT
Oh my Goodness!!
I am so terribly sorry! I somehow (I don’t know how) I missed seeing that there “IS” broth indicated on the ingredients list. Please disregard my last post. Sorry, And thank you.
No worries, I hope you love the recipe:)
Is there anything I could substitute for honey in the onions? I want to share with my baby but he can’t have honey (even cooked) until after 1. Would sugar work. Instead?
Hey Stacy,
Sure, you could use some brown sugar or maple syrup. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xx
In the list of Ingredients for the One Pot Creamy French Onion Pasta Bake, it does not say anything about BROTH being one of the ingredients for this recipe.
But in the instructions, it indicates adding the BROTH in step 2. What broth? Beef broth? Mushroom broth? Chicken broth? Bone broth? And how much when you know what kind to add. Thank you.
Hi Colleen,
This recipe calls for 3 cups of chicken broth and you are going to add that in step 3. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xT
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve made this pasta bake over the years. It’s absolutely amazing! Everyone who has had it raves about how good it is. My husband isn’t a big fan of pasta in general (I know, it’s unimaginable) but even he loves this. Thank you for this delicious recipe!
Hey there,
Happy Friday!! I appreciate you making this recipe so often and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear this is always enjoyed! xT
Hi Tieghan,
Wondered if this recipe can be made ahead and frozen until needed? If so, should it defrost first and then baked? And for how long?
Sorry for all the questions!
Hey Dawne,
No worries! You can go ahead and freeze and then you can defrost or bake from frozen, either one will work! If baking from frozen you will just need to increase your bake time:) I hope you love this recipe! xT
My husband made this for dinner (at my urging), and we both thought it was a great pasta dish, He used gemelli, put more broth in than called for and cooked the pasta for 13, not 10, minutes, but otherwise followed the recipe. I might even make it myself next time!
Hey Helen,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you and appreciate you giving it a try! xT