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If you love a bubbling, hot bowl of French onion soup topped with golden, bubbling Gruyère cheese, you’ll love this recipe. This French Onion Soup Pasta recipe takes all those flavors – rich, caramelized onions, meaty beef stock, white wine, and plenty of Gruyère – and makes them into a creamy, one-pot pasta bake with a crispy top. It is so delicious and very easy.
Table of Contents
It’s the kind of weeknight dinner that does take a little time, but it’s so hands-off and builds such delicious flavor. The onions are slow-cooked until jammy and sweet, and it’s worth having a little patience here. Then the pasta is simmered right in the pan for maximum flavor, and the whole thing is finished with a generous cheesy top. Best of all? It’s made in one pan, feeds a crowd, and takes less than an hour start to finish (just like my One-Pan Greek Chicken and Potatoes)
Why you will love this recipe
- The whole dish comes together in one pan for maximum ease and minimal washing up.
- It takes all the delicious flavors of French onion soup but makes it a pasta, so it’s a full meal.
- The mix of the creamy, rich pasta and the crispy cheese topping gives it a contrasting texture, which is so good.
- It takes about 45 minutes, start to finish.
Ingredients
- White onions – Large white onions are best here.
- Gruyère – This is traditional in a French onion soup, so I like to use it in this recipe.
- Short pasta – I like shells (conchiglie) to scoop up oniony broth in every bite. But you could also use rigatoni, fusilli, penne, or lumache. Any short pasta that catches the sauce works well. I wouldn’t use a long pasta as it can clump together in a one-pot dish.
Substitutions and variations
Cheese: You could use a mature cheddar, Emmental, Parmesan, or comté even. I wouldn’t use only mozzarella, as while it turns nice and melty, it doesn’t have a strong flavor, so I would use one of the previous choices alongside the mozzarella.
Vegetarian or vegan: Swap the beef stock for a rich mushroom stock, and add 1 tbsp miso paste for depth. A splash of soy sauce or tamari replaces Worcestershire. For vegan, swap the heavy (double) cream for oat cream and use a dairy-free melting cheese.
Lighter version: Replace half the cream with semi-skimmed milk.
Protein: Stir in leftover roast chicken or crispy bacon/pancetta into the French onion pasta.
How to make one-pot French onion soup pasta
Here’s a quick visual guide — the full recipe with exact measurements is below.
ONE: Heat the butter and olive oil in a large pan over a medium–low heat. Add the sliced onions and a pinch of salt and cook gently for around 30 minutes, stirring often, until they are deep golden and caramelized.
TWO: Add the garlic and thyme, and cook until fragrant, around 2 minutes. Pour in the white wine and let it bubble for a minute to cook off the alcohol. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce and balsamic glaze.
THREE: Add the pasta, beef stock, and water. Stir well and bring to a simmer.
FOUR: Cook for 10–12 minutes, stirring often, until the pasta is cooked and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Add the cream and a large handful of Gruyère, stirring together. Season with salt and black pepper.
FIVE: Preheat your grill (or heat your broiler). Top with the remaining Gruyère (and a little Parmesan or mozzarella if using).
SIX: Place the pan under the grill/broiler for 5 or so minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and golden.
Tips from Margie’s kitchen
- Onions burning too quickly? Add a splash of water and lower the heat. Keep stirring – caramelization is low and slow.
- Sauce too thick or pasta sticking? Add a splash more stock or water to loosen.
- Use a wide pan. More surface area means better caramelization and faster reduction when simmering the pasta.
Frequently asked questions
You could make the whole dish in the morning, and then just reheat and make it crispy in the evening when ready to serve. To make sure it’s fully heated through, I would undercook the pasta for 1-2 minutes in the pan in the morning, then place it in the oven like a pasta bake at 428°F (220°C/200°C fan) for 10-15 minutes until bubbling and hot.
Yes, replace beef stock with mushroom stock, add 1 tbsp miso paste, and a splash of soy sauce. This keeps the deep savory note without meat.
It usually means too much liquid or not enough simmering. Keep cooking uncovered to reduce, or stir in a little cornstarch (cornflour) slurry.
Other recipes you might enjoy
This French Onion Soup Pasta is sweet, cheesy and crispy, so if you like this, you will also love my Butternut Squash Pasta, Pumpkin Risotto or Creamy Lentil Ragu. For more vegetarian ideas, try my Tomato Cavolo Nero Bean Stew or Cheesy Truffle Pasta.
Easy Pasta Recipes
Creamy Sausage Pasta (Pasta alla Norcina)
Weeknight Supper
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Aubergine Pasta Bake with Giant Shells and Ricotta
If you tried this French Onion Soup Pasta or any other recipe on the site, please do leave a rating or comment and let us know how it went!
Easy One-Pan French Onion Soup Pasta
Ingredients
- 12.25 oz pasta, shells, rigatoni, or fusilli work well
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 medium–large white onions, thinly sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3.4 fl oz white wine, about scant 1/2 cup
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tbsp balsamic glaze, or balsamic vinegar
- 24 fl oz beef stock, about generous 2 3/4 cups
- 8.5 fl oz water, about generous 1 cup
- 6.75 fl oz heavy cream (double cream), about scant 1 cup
- 1 handful Gruyère cheese, grated
- A little grated Parmesan or mozzarella for extra meltiness, optional
Instructions
- Heat the butter and olive oil in a large pan over medium–low heat. Add the sliced onions and a pinch of salt and cook gently for around 30 minutes, stirring often, until they are deep golden and caramelized.
- Add the garlic and thyme, and cook until fragrant, around 2 minutes. Pour in the white wine and let it bubble for a minute to cook off the alcohol.
- Stir in the Worcestershire sauce and balsamic glaze.
- Add the pasta, beef stock, and water. Stir well and bring to a simmer.
- Cook for 10–12 minutes, stirring often, until the pasta is cooked and most of the liquid has been absorbed.
- Add the heavy (double) cream and a large handful of Gruyère, stirring together. Season with salt and black pepper.
- Preheat your grill (or heat your broiler). Top with the remaining Gruyère (and a little Parmesan or mozzarella if using).
- Place the pan under the grill for 5 or so minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and golden.
- Bring the dish straight to the table and serve hot, ideally with crusty bread and a crisp green salad.
Video
Notes
Make-ahead and storage
To store: Store leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days. To reheat: Reheat gently on the stove with a splash of stock or cream, stirring until hot. You will lose the crispy top this way, but if you reheat in the oven, you’ll dry it out too much. To freeze: For best results, freeze before adding the cream and cheese topping. Cool completely, portion, and freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge. Reheat slowly, then stir through the cream and top with cheese before grilling. Make ahead: You could make the whole dish in the morning, and then just reheat and make it crispy in the evening when ready to serve. To make sure it’s fully heated through, I would undercook the pasta for 1-2 mins in the pan in the morning, then place it in the oven like a pasta bake at 428°F (220°C/200°C fan) for 10-15 minutes until bubbling and hot.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Absolutely delicious! I made this for my sons for dinner and they asked to have it in their lunch the next day. I used 5 year old aged Cheddar by Balderson and added small cubed pieces of leftover ham from Thanksgiving. Will definitely make again. Thank you!
This makes me so happy! Thank you!
Love a one pot recipe, and this is THE ONE. I’m not a skilled cook in the slightest, but this was delicious even with me making it. Super easy, you can’t go wrong. Will be making again!
this makes me so happy! thank you! xx