Description
A comforting French Onion Pasta recipe featuring caramelized onions, sautéed mushrooms, and pancetta tossed in a savory creamy sauce with Gruyere and Parmesan cheeses. Perfect for a flavorful, hearty pasta dinner that combines French onion soup flavors with tender orecchiette pasta.
Ingredients
Scale
Sauce
- 1 cup beef broth
- ½ cup chicken broth, or beef broth
- 1 cup half and half
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
Pasta and Vegetables
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 oz white button mushrooms
- Salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
- 4 oz pancetta, diced
- ⅔ cup dry white wine (such as Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, or Chardonnay)
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 medium yellow onions, sliced into ¼-inch strings (about 15 oz)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons flour
Cheese and Pasta
- ½ cup Gruyere cheese, shredded (can substitute mozzarella cheese)
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- ¾ pound orecchiette pasta
Instructions
- Prepare sauce ingredients: Combine beef broth, chicken broth, half and half, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, dried parsley, thyme, and oregano in a large measuring cup with a spout. Set aside.
- Sauté mushrooms and pancetta: Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a skillet. Add mushrooms and sauté for 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to enhance flavor. Add diced pancetta and cook for an additional 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the cooked mushrooms and pancetta from the skillet and set aside.
- Deglaze skillet with wine: Turn off the heat temporarily. Pour white wine into the same skillet and set heat back to medium. Use a silicone spatula to scrape and loosen browned bits from the bottom and sides of the skillet; this adds flavor to the sauce.
- Cook onions: Add butter and the sliced onions to the skillet. Cook, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes over medium heat.
- Caramelize onions: Reduce heat to medium-low. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until onions are deeply caramelized, about 35 more minutes. Adjust heat if onions cook too quickly, and add a splash of olive oil or wine if the skillet becomes too dry.
- Boil pasta water: While onions cook, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add about ½ tablespoon kosher salt once boiling. Cook orecchiette pasta until al dente according to package instructions. Drain pasta and set aside.
- Add garlic and flour: Add minced garlic to the caramelized onions and cook for 1 minute. Then stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring continuously to form a roux and remove raw flour taste.
- Add sauce mixture: Slowly add the combined sauce mixture in small splashes, stirring continuously to avoid lumps. Bring sauce to a gentle boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer partially covered while pasta cooks.
- Add cheeses: Lower heat to low. Gradually sprinkle in Gruyere and Parmesan cheeses, stirring constantly until melted and fully incorporated into the sauce.
- Combine mushrooms, pancetta, and pasta: Return sautéed mushrooms and pancetta to the sauce, stirring to combine evenly. Add cooked pasta gradually to the sauce to achieve the desired sauce-to-pasta ratio. Stir gently to combine.
- Serve: Plate the French Onion Pasta immediately for best flavor and texture.
Notes
- Wine recommendations: Use dry white wines such as Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, or Chardonnay. If avoiding wine, chicken or beef broth can replace it with good flavor.
- Pasta alternatives: While orecchiette is preferred, penne, ziti, medium shells, cavatappi, farfalle, or rigatoni also work well.
- Cheese tips: Freshly shred Gruyere and Parmesan cheeses from blocks for better melting and flavor. Whole milk, low moisture mozzarella is a good substitute for Gruyere if desired.
- Mushrooms: White button mushrooms are traditional, but baby portabella or cremini mushrooms are excellent alternatives.
- Onions: Slice onions uniformly about ¼-inch thick for even caramelization and cooking.
- Hot sauce adds flavor depth without spiciness; Frank’s Hot Sauce is a recommended brand.
- Pancetta can be substituted with bacon or finely diced ham; for a meatless option, add ½ bouillon cube to enrich sauce flavor.
- Broth blend: Using both chicken and beef broth adds richness; all chicken or all beef broth is fine too.
- Reserve some pasta cooking water to adjust sauce consistency if it becomes too thick or clumpy.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 450 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 700 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 50 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 18 g
- Cholesterol: 55 mg
