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I posted a preview of this One Pot French Onion pasta recipe to TikTok back in January 2022, and I don’t think I’ve ever had so many people ask for a recipe so quickly! Excitingly, over a year later, this recipe has gone viral again on TikTok and Instagram! It’s been so fun seeing so many of you try this recipe out.

One Pot French Onion Pasta recipe details

This pasta is one of the best things I’ve ever had. It combines my favorite food – pasta – with one of my favorite soups – French onion soup. It takes some extra time to caramelize onions, but the incredibly sweet and robust flavor is definitely worth it! The time it takes to caramelize onions will depend on many factors such as how thinly you slice the onions, the type of pan you’re using, and the cooking temperature.

I love one pot recipes because it simplifies cooking and cuts down on dishes. In addition to everything cooking in one pot, this recipe has very little prep work. You just need a cutting board to thinly slice up the onions and a grater for the cheese. AND if you want to make that chopping even EASIER try out the Made In Chef Knife that I use in almost every recipe I cook!

This recipe can easily be customized. The first time I made this recipe I was actually using up ingredients I already had at home! I think this recipe would be great with the addition of garlic and/or mushrooms. Feel free to use several onions as well. I have found that caramelized onions cook down to a reasonable amount no matter how many onions you add. Some gruyere cheese mixed in at the end would be delicious as well and add even more to that classic French onion soup flavor. Feel free to experiment and see what you like!

Ingredients

Caramelized Onions

  • 2 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 Large Yellow Onion – feel free to add multiple onions. I have found they cook down to a reasonable amount no matter how many you add. I like using yellow onions the best for caramelizing, but other types of onions work as well if that’s what you have.
  • 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.
  • 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!
  • 5 sprigs Fresh Thyme – you can tie the thyme together with twine to make it easier to discard later
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Other Pasta Ingredients

  • 8 oz Rigatoni – use uncooked pasta – super easy! The pasta will cook right in the pot. I have found rigatoni works best for this recipe because it holds its structure well without becoming mushy. You could use another short pasta shape if that’s what you have on hand.
  • 3 cups Beef Stock or Broth – I often use water and some Low-Sodium Better Than Bouillon Roasted Beef Base. I use broth in many of my recipes and a jar still lasts for months. I have found it’s much more convenient to keep a jar of it on hand rather than buying cans or cartons of beef broth all of the time. You could also use an unsalted Beef Stock and add a little bit of the Better Than Bouillon paste into the liquid for some extra flavor.
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce – this helps add some extra beefy flavor
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese – I always recommend using freshly grated parmesan cheese. Use a microplane grater to make the process really easy!
  • 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!

One Pot French Onion Pasta Recipe Instructions

Melt butter in a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Thinly slice onion and add to dutch oven. Season with a generous pinch of salt. Stir then cover and cook for 5 minutes.

Cook onions in butter and add a generous pinch of salt to speed up the caramelization process.

Remove lid, turn heat to medium low, and cook until onions are very caramelized. Stir occasionally. This can take 20-45 minutes.

Pour in sherry and wine. Deglaze by scraping up the brown bits at the bottom of the pan. Add sprigs of fresh thyme and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Deglaze the pan.

Add uncooked rigatoni then pour in beef broth and Worcestershire Sauce. Bring to a boil and cook for about 15 minutes or until pasta is al dente.

Cook the pasta in beef broth.

Turn off heat. Discard thyme sprigs. Stir in freshly grated parmesan cheese and half and half until well combined.

Mix in the cheese and half & half.

Serve immediately with additional parmesan cheese.

Serve with more cheese.

Leave a Review!

I truly hope you enjoy this viral pasta recipe! It’s one of those recipes that I crave time and time again, and I hope you feel the same. Feel free to rate/leave a comment and tag me if you make it! You can also tag me on Instagram or TikTok!

Other French Onion recipes to try:

One Pan French Onion Orzo
French Onion Soup but in a one pan orzo risotto form! All of the caramelized onions and melty gruyere cheese as the classic soup, but in pasta form.
Check out this recipe
One Pot French Onion Pasta with Truffle Burrata
This is a remixed version of one of my most popular recipes – One Pot French Onion Pasta! This one is extra induldgent with mushrooms, garlic, and truffle burrata.
Check out this recipe
French Onion Mac and Cheese
The most amazing combination of creamy extra cheesy mac and cheese and French Onion Soup!
Check out this recipe
The Best French Onion Soup
This is the best french onion soup. It's warm, savory, sweet, cheesy, and the absolute perfect meal for a cold winter night.
Check out this recipe

One Pot French Onion Pasta

This pasta recipe all cooks in one pot and is inspired by French onion soup.
4.36 from 367 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Main Course
Servings 3

Equipment

Ingredients
  

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Instructions
 

  • Melt butter in a large pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Thinly slice onion and add to dutch oven. Season with a generous pinch of salt. Stir then cover and cook for 5 minutes.
  • Remove lid, turn heat to medium low, and cook until onions are very caramelized. Stir occasionally. This can take 20-45 minutes.
  • Pour in sherry and wine. Deglaze by scraping up the brown bits at the bottom of the pan. Add sprigs of fresh thyme and season to taste with salt and pepper.
  • Add uncooked rigatoni then pour in beef broth and Worcestershire Sauce. Bring to a boil and cook for about 15 minutes or until pasta is al dente.
  • Turn off heat. Discard thyme sprigs. Stir in freshly grated parmesan cheese and half and half until well combined.
  • Serve immediately. Serve with additional parmesan cheese.

Notes

Note: The time it takes to caramelize onions will depend on many factors such as how thinly you slice the onions, the type of pan you’re using, and the cooking temperature. 
Keyword One Pot, Pasta
Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!