Looking for a delicious and easy one pan meal that will satisfy your taste buds? Look no further than this One Pan French Onion Orzo recipe! This dish is packed with flavor and is sure to be a hit with your family and friends.
In February 2022, I created an Orzo Recipe Series on TikTok where I created 8 new orzo recipes during the month of February. It was definitely a fan favorite! In honor of the 1 year anniversary of this series, I am creating a February Orzo Series Part 2!
This One Pan French Onion Orzo is the sixth recipe in my new series and I hope you love it!
One Pan French Onion Orzo Recipe Inspiration
You may be familiar with my viral One Pot French Onion Pasta. It’s a one pot pasta dish with all of the flavors of French Onion Soup, but in pasta form! This One Pan French Onion Orzo is inspired by my viral pasta recipe.
Several people requested I make a French onion orzo recipe and it immediately made sense. I would say I am best known for my orzo recipes and my viral One Pot French Onion Pasta recipe, so a French Onion Orzo seemed obvious!
Recipe Details
First, gather your equipment:
- Sauté Pan – I use my Made In Sauté Pan in almost all of my One Pot/Orzo recipes. It’s the perfect size to fit all of your ingredients and it’s high-rimmed so it holds all of the liquid in the pan.
- Chef Knife
- Cutting Board
- Wooden Spoon – A wooden spoon is perfect for scraping up all the yummy fond created from caramelizing your onions. This is the key to getting the most flavor!
- Box Grater – I always HIGHLY recommend grating your own cheese. Freshly grated cheese melts so much better into the pasta creating an ultra-creamy result.
One Pan French Onion Orzo Ingredients
The ingredients you’ll need:
Caramelized Onions
- 1 tbsp Butter – I love using Kerrygold butter for cooking! It has a lot more flavor than regular butter so it’s a great first ingredient for a flavorful dish.
- 1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 3 Yellow Onion – I like using yellow onions the best for caramelizing, but other types of onions work as well if that’s what you have.
- 1/2 tsp Salt – a generous pinch of salt helps release the water from the onions faster which will speed up the caramelization process.
Other Orzo Ingredients
- 3 cloves Garlic
- 1 cup Orzo – add your orzo uncooked – super easy! The orzo will toast and then cook in the beef stock, similar to risotto.
- 1/4 cup White Wine – I like using a dry white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio. You don’t need anything fancy, but I like using a wine that I would actually drink!
- 1/8 cup Sherry – I love the flavor sherry adds to this dish. You could also substitute with more white wine, brandy, or dry vermouth.
- 2 cups Beef Stock – I used unsalted Beef Stock and then added in a little Better Than Bouillon Reduced Sodium Beef Base to control the salt levels and to add flavor as needed.
- 1 tsp Better Than Bouillon Reduced Sodium Beef Base optional – I used unsalted beef stock and added a little of this beef base for extra flavor. Feel free to omit if you use a higher sodium stock.
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
- 3 sprigs Fresh Thyme Leaves – remove the leaves from a few sprigs of thyme or use a pinch of dried thyme.
- 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce – this helps add some extra beefy flavor
- 1/4 cup Half and Half – half & half is a mixture of cream and milk that you can buy in the grocery store. It’s a lighter alternative to heavy cream. Feel free to use heavy cream for a richer sauce or omit entirely for a lighter sauce.
- 4 oz Gruyere Cheese – freshly grated. Gruyere cheese will give this dish that classic French Onion Soup flavor.
Instructions
To begin, start by caramelizing your onions. This will take some time, but it’s well worth it for the sweet, savory flavor it adds to the dish. Melt butter and olive oil in a large high-rimmed sauté pan over medium heat.
Add the thinly sliced onions and a generous pinch of salt. Stir to combine, cover with a lid, and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the lid and turn the heat to medium low. Cook for 30-60 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Add a couple splashes of water as needed if the pan starts to burn. The amount of time it takes to caramelize onions will depend on several factors such as the size/amount of onions, temperature level, and the type of pan you’re using.
Once the onions are done caramelizing, move onto the rest of this orzo recipe. Add minced garlic and the uncooked orzo to the same pan. Stir to combine and toast for 1-2 minutes. Pour in white wine and sherry to deglaze the pan. Scrape up any stuck bits with a wooden spoon. Cook for about 2 minutes until the liquid absorbs.
Pour in the beef stock, optional better than bouillon beef base, black pepper, thyme leaves, and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Stir often so the orzo doesn’t stick. Add more beef stock as needed if the liquid is absorbing too quickly. It will take around 15 minutes for the orzo to cook.
Once the orzo is cooked, turn the heat to low. Add the optional half and half then add the freshly grated gruyere cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted and everything is well combined.
Serve immediately with additional black pepper, thyme leaves, and gruyere cheese as desired.
Did you try this One Pan French Onion Orzo? Leave a review!
Overall, this One Pan French Onion Orzo recipe is a great choice for a quick and easy meal that is packed with flavor. The combination of caramelized onions, garlic, and gruyere cheese creates a savory and indulgent dish that is perfect for any occasion. Plus, with just one pan to clean up, it’s easy to make and easy to clean up. So give this recipe a try and enjoy a delicious and satisfying meal tonight!
If you try this One Pan French Onion Orzo, feel free to rate/leave a review. You can also tag me on Instagram or TikTok!
Make sure to check out my other recipes from my February Orzo Series Part 2:
If you enjoy French Onion recipes, give these recipes a try:
One Pan French Onion Orzo
Ingredients
Caramelized Onions
- 1 tbsp Butter
- 1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 3 Yellow Onion thinly sliced
- 1/2 tsp Salt more to taste
Other Orzo Ingredients
- 3 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 cup Orzo uncooked
- 1/4 cup White Wine dry such as Sauvignon Blanc
- 1/8 cup Sherry
- 2 cups Beef Stock I used unsalted; additional as needed
- 1 tsp Better Than Bouillon Reduced Sodium Beef Base optional – I used unsalted beef stock and added for extra flavor
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper more to taste and serve
- 3 sprigs Fresh Thyme Leaves or about 1/4 tsp dried thyme; more to serve
- 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 1/4 cup Half and Half optional; can also use heavy cream
- 4 oz Gruyere Cheese freshly grated; additional to serve
Instructions
Caramelized Onions
- Melt butter and olive oil in a large high-rimmed sauté pan over medium heat. Add the thinly sliced onions and a generous pinch of salt. Stir to combine. Cover with a lid and cook for 5 minutes.
- Remove the lid and turn the heat to medium low. Cook for 30-60 minutes or as long as it takes for the onions to caramelize. Stir occasionally to prevent burning. Add a couple splashes of water as needed if the pan starts to burn.
Orzo Instructions
- Once the onions are caramelized, add the minced garlic and uncooked orzo to the same pan. Stir to combine and toast for 1-2 minutes.
- Pour in the white wine and sherry to deglaze the pan. Scrape up any stuck bits with a wooden spoon. Cook for about 2 minutes until the liquid absorbs.
- Pour in the beef stock, optional better than bouillon beef base, black pepper, thyme leaves, and Worcestershire sauce.
- Bring to a boil then lower to a simmer. Stir often so the orzo doesn't stick. Add more beef stock as needed if the liquid is absorbing too quickly. I ended up adding about 1/2 cup-1 cup extra stock. It will take around 15 minutes for the orzo to cook.
- Once the orzo is cooked, turn the heat to low. Add the optional half and half then add the freshly grated gruyere cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted and everything is well combined.
- Serve immediately with additional black pepper, thyme leaves, and gruyere cheese as desired.
Video
@carolbeecooks IT’S HAPPENING. As requested….French Onion Orzo. 🧅 #frenchonion #frenchonionpasta #onepan #orzo #caramelizedonions
♬ DJ SUAVE x MakeMeWannaComeThru. – The Brandon Isaiah
March 20, 2023 at 12:58 amThis was so good! I’ve made it twice in a week!! Doubled the batch and substituted port wine for the sherry!
One of the best things I’ve ever cooked!