French Onion Pasta Bake
A full 30 to 35 minutes of proper caramelisation is what makes this taste like actual French onion soup, not just onions that happened to spend some time in a hot pan.
Flour and thyme get cooked into a real roux before the wine and stock go in, building a sauce with actual body instead of something thin and floury.
Baked under a layer of Gruyère, mozzarella and parmesan until bubbling and golden, this is French onion soup rebuilt as a proper pasta bake.
French Onion Pasta Bake
PASTA · DINNER · MEDIUM
French onion soup, reimagined as a bake
Cooking the flour and thyme out for the full 2 minutes before the liquid goes in is what stops the sauce tasting raw and floury, an easy step to rush but worth doing properly.
Tossing the pasta through the sauce while it's still a touch loose matters, it tightens up further in the oven, so what looks right in the pot is exactly right once baked.
Three cheeses on top mean a properly golden, bubbling crust, and it holds up well in the freezer for whenever you need it.
French Onion Pasta Bake
Ingredients
- 60 g Unsalted Butter
- 10 ml Olive Oil
- 1 kg Brown (Yellow) Onions Sliced
- 3 Garlic Cloves Minced
- 2 tbsp Plain Flour All Purpose
- 3 g Thyme Fresh or Dried
- 15 g Brown Sugar
- 250 ml Dry White Wine
- 750 ml Beef Stock
- Salt & Pepper
Pasta & Cheese
- 500 g Penne or Rigatoni
- 200 g Gruyère Cheese Grated
- 100 g Mozzarella Cheese Grated
- 50 g Parmesan Cheese Grated
Method
- Slice the onions into thin half-moons. Mince the garlic. Grate the cheeses and set aside.
- Melt the butter with olive oil in a large heavy pot. Add the onions and salt. Cook slowly over medium-low heat for 30–35 minutes, stirring often, until golden brown. Halfway through, add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Sprinkle over the flour and thyme and stir, and cook for 2 minutes. (For gluten-free: use rice flour, or add cornstarch slurry later.)
- Add brown sugar and cook for 1 minute. Deglaze with the wine or stock, scraping the base of the pot. Reduce by half.
- Add the beef stock and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes until glossy and slightly thickened—season generously with cracked black pepper.
- Cook the rigatoni in salted water until just under al dente. Reserve some pasta water before draining.
- Toss the pasta with the onion sauce, loosening with reserved water until evenly coated.
- Transfer to a greased baking dish. Top with Gruyère, mozzarella, and parmesan in layers.
- Bake at 200°C (400°F), or 180°C fan (350°F fan), for 20 minutes until bubbling and golden. Rest for 5 minutes before serving. Dig in.
Can I speed up caramelising the onions?⌄
Not without losing the depth of flavour. Higher heat browns the outside of the onions unevenly before they've broken down properly, so the full 30 to 35 minutes is doing real work.
Can I make this gluten-free?⌄
Yes, swap the plain flour for rice flour in the roux, or skip it and thicken the sauce later with a cornstarch slurry instead. Use gluten-free pasta too, obviously.
Can I skip the wine?⌄
Yes, extra beef stock works as a straight swap for the deglazing step. You'll lose a little acidity, so a small splash of vinegar helps bring some of that back.
Can I use a different cheese instead of Gruyère?⌄
Swiss cheese is the closest substitute if Gruyère isn't available. You'll miss a bit of the nutty depth, but it'll still melt and brown well on top.
