French Onion Soup Pasta
Rich, creamy French onion soup flavors transformed into a comforting pasta dish with caramelized onions, béchamel sauce, and a crunchy breadcrumb topping—perfect for cozy dinners and easy entertaining.
Equipment
- Large skillet
- Large pot
- Food processor
- Baking dish
Ingredients
For the Breadcrumbs
- 0.5 baguette fresh baguette cut into chunks for breadcrumbs
- olive oil for tossing breadcrumbs
- salt for seasoning breadcrumbs
- black pepper for seasoning breadcrumbs
- oregano for seasoning breadcrumbs
For the Pasta and Sauce
- 300 g cavatappi macaroni or fusilli or rotini
- 5 medium onions thinly sliced
- olive oil for caramelizing onions
- 0.5 cup beef broth optional, to keep onions moist
- 1 tsp sugar optional, to speed onion caramelization
- 3 cups heavy cream for béchamel sauce
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese grated, for sauce
- 1 tbsp flour to make béchamel sauce
- 3 tbsp water ice-cold, to smooth béchamel if lumpy
- butter or oil for melting before flour in béchamel (implied)
- fresh parsley chopped, added to sauce and for garnish
- salt for seasoning sauce
- garlic powder for seasoning sauce
- smoked paprika for seasoning sauce
- nutmeg for seasoning sauce
Instructions
- Step 1: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Prepare breadcrumbs by cutting half a baguette into chunks. Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, and oregano in a food processor and pulse until coarse crumbs form. Set aside.
- Step 2: Thinly slice onions. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook onions slowly for 30–40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and deeply caramelized. Add 1 tsp sugar to speed caramelization if desired. If onions start sticking or drying, add ½ cup beef broth and simmer 10 minutes. Set onions aside.
- Step 3: In the same skillet, melt butter or oil over low-medium heat. Whisk in 1 tablespoon flour and cook for about 1 minute to cook out raw taste. Slowly pour in heavy cream while whisking continuously to make béchamel sauce. If lumps form, whisk in 3 tablespoons ice-cold water to smooth. Stir in two-thirds of caramelized onions, chopped fresh parsley, salt, garlic powder, smoked paprika, nutmeg, and most Parmesan cheese. Let simmer briefly.
- Step 4: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook cavatappi macaroni just shy of al dente. Drain and stir pasta into béchamel sauce mixture, coating evenly.
- Step 5: Transfer pasta and sauce to a baking dish. Spread remaining caramelized onions on top, then sprinkle with seasoned breadcrumbs. Bake uncovered for 10–15 minutes until breadcrumbs are golden and crunchy and edges bubble.
- Step 6: Serve immediately, garnished with extra chopped parsley if desired. Enjoy the creamy, sweet onion, and crunchy topping combination.
Notes
Make it vegetarian by substituting beef broth with vegetable broth and using vegetarian cheese. For lighter sauce, swap heavy cream for half-and-half. Add herbs like thyme or rosemary to onions or a splash of white wine for extra flavor. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in oven at 350°F to keep breadcrumbs crisp.