This French onion pasta recipe features sweet caramelized onions, fresh thyme, and Gruyere cheese, all cooked in one pot until creamy perfection. it's restaurant-worthy and tastes fancy, but it's easy enough to make for a weeknight dinner.
This viral French onion pasta recipe was everywhere on social media a few months ago.
And rightfully so, it's made with simple pantry ingredients, yet it tastes like it came out of a bougie restaurant.
Inspired by my French onion soup without wine, this French onion pasta is a delicious take on a classic favorite. I love that soup so much that I knew I needed to make it into a pasta form.
If you're a fan of everything onion, check out my recipe for Homemade Onion Bagels.
And if you're looking for more pasta recipes, check out my Miso Mushroom Pasta, Vegan Rasta Pasta, Tagliatelle Pesto Pasta, and Golden Saffron Pasta.
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Ingredients and Substitutions
- Short-cut dry pasta: I'm using conchiglie (also known as small shells), but any short-cut pasta can work - orecchiette, rigatoni, and penne.
- Yellow onion: Vidalia onions work best here (also known as sweet onions), but regular yellow onions are also fine.
- Garlic: Fresh minced garlic adds so much depth of flavor, so don't skip it or substitute it with dried. Little things like this are key for unlocking flavor in this French onion pasta.
- Flour: I'm using all-purpose flour, but white rice flour or gluten-free all-purpose flour can also work.
- Butter and olive oil: We need the flavor from the butter, and the high smoke point of olive oil to caramelize the onions.
- Dry white wine: It adds depth of flavor to the dish and helps to deglaze the pan. If you don't want to use it, you can substitute it with more vegetable broth.
- Soy sauce: Adds umami and savoriness. Traditionally, Worcestershire sauce is used in French onion soup, but I prefer to use soy sauce since it has the same qualities, but is vegetarian.
- Vegetable broth: Classic French onion soup uses beef broth, but I like to use vegetable broth to keep this dish vegetarian. It's best to use homemade vegetable broth, but store-bought can also work.
- Thyme: Fresh is best but dried can work in a pinch. If using dried thyme, reduce the amount in half because it's more potent.
- Gruyere cheese: This is the traditional cheese used for serving French onion soup. I like to use it for its pungent and savory flavor, but you can substiute it with medium cheddar cheese, parmesan cheese, and even vegan cheese.
See the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and exact measurements.
Variations
Here are some ways you can switch things up when making this recipe.
- Mushrooms: You can fry your favorite type of mushrooms on the side, then stir them when the pasta is ready. I like to use button mushrooms, they're delicious not only in vegan wild rice mushroom soup but in this French onion pasta as well.
- Spicy: Like spicy food? Stir ½ - 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes when adding the broth.
- With cream: If you want to make it creamier, you can add ¼ cup of heavy cream or vegan cream of choice.
- Vinegar: If you want to add more acidity, you can stir a teaspoon of sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar towards the end. This will brighten the pasta and add tanginess.
How to Make French Onion Soup Pasta
Step 1: Heat a large Dutch oven or a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Melt butter and add the olive oil. Add the sliced onions and season with ¼ teaspoon of salt.
Step 2: Cook, stirring often, for 45-50 minutes, or until the onions start to caramelize and have a deep golden brown color. Towards the end, cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly to prevent burning.
TIP! If the onion starts to burn at any point, add a splash of water to bring the temperature down.
Step 3: When the onions have caramelized, add the minced garlic and fresh thyme, and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly, or until fragrant.
Step 4: Add the flour and stir. Toast for 30 seconds, then deglaze the pan with the white wine and soy sauce. Stir with a wooden spoon to get any brow bits off the bottom of the pot. Cook for 1-2 minutes, or until the alcohol evaporates.
Step 5: Add 2 cups of vegetable broth, and the uncooked pasta, and season with salt, and black pepper. Cook the pasta over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, or until it absorbs most of the liquid. When that happens, add another 2 cups of vegetable broth then after they're absorbed, the last 2 cups.
Step 6: After around 20 minutes, the pasta will absorb all of the liquid, release starch, and cook through. The best way to tell if the pasta is ready is to taste it. It should be al dente, meaning the pasta should have a slight bite to it, but still be soft.
Step 7: In the end, turn off the heat, and stir the cheese until it melts. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed, adding more salt and black pepper to taste. Serve this French onion pasta right away!
Expert Tips
- Take your time when caramelizing the onions. You can't rush the process or else you will end up with burnt onions. To caramelize them, you need to cook them for a long period over medium-low heat. This is KEY not only for this French onion pasta but for many dishes where the base starts with onion such as my tofu curry without coconut milk, and this oyster mushroom soup.
- If the onions start to brown too quickly, add a splash of water. This will bring down the temperature. You don't want to burn the onions or else you will need to start all over from the beginning.
- Add the vegetable broth little by little. This way the pasta can release more starch, which will make the final dish creamier without the need for adding heavy cream.
- Stir frequently! This is super important so the pasta doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Cook the pasta over medium-low heat. If you're using too high heat, the liquid will evaporate before the pasta has had the time to soften.
- Adjust the amount of liquid. I usually use 6 cups of broth, but you may need to add more depending on the heat you're cooking the pasta at, and the shape of your pasta.
- To check for doneness, taste the pasta. The best way to tell when your pasta is al dente is to try it. It should have a slight "bite" and be chewy, yet tender. You can take one piece and cut it in half, if there is white on the inside, this means the pasta has not cooked through.
Recipe FAQs
You can use gluten-free flour in place of all-purpose flour, and any gluten-free pasta of your choice. I love using chickpea pasta - it's naturally gluten-free and packed with protein.
Yes, you'll need to use vegan butter and either omit the cheese or use a vegan cheese of your choice. I think vegan cheddar will be delicious here, I like VioLife's cheddar block which I also use in my vegan mac and cheese and it turns out great.
It takes at least 45 minutes and up to 1 hour, but this will depend on the amount of onions you need to caramelize. If you're caramelizing a single onion like I do in my vegan caramelized onion polenta, it will take around 30 minutes.
Yes, let leftovers cool to room temperature, then transfer to an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Keep in mind that this will change the texture of the pasta and I haven't tried it myself.
Let leftovers cool to room temperature, then store in an airtight container for 3-4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Serving Suggestions
Serve this French onion pasta with garlic ciabatta bread and a green salad on the side. I like this arugula spinach salad, but you could toss any greens with your favorite dressing.
If you want to continue the French team, you can serve it with our French onion soup without wine, or vegan Cordon bleu.
For more ideas on what to serve with pasta, check out my 25 Ravioli Side Dishes.
More Easy Pasta Recipes
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📖 Recipe
French Onion Soup Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon butter use vegan butter if needed
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt, divided or more to taste
- 1.1 lb (500g) yellow onion, thinly sliced ~2 large onions
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour use rice flour or gluten-free flour if needed
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 2 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce
- 6 cups hot vegetable broth
- 12 ounces (340g) short-cut pasta I use small conchiglie, use gluten-free pasta if needed
- ¼ tsp Freshly cracked black pepper or more to taste
- 4 oz (115g) Gruyère cheese, shredded use vegan mozzarella if needed
Instructions
- Heat a large Dutch oven or a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Melt butter and add the olive oil. Add the sliced onions and season with ¼ teaspoon of salt.2 tablespoon butter, 2 tablespoon olive oil, 1.1 lb (500g) yellow onion, thinly sliced, ½ teaspoon salt, divided
- Cook, stirring often, for 45-50 minutes, or until the onions start to caramelize and have a deep golden brown color. In the beginning, you won't have to stir as frequently.
- If they start to burn at any point, add a splash of water to bring the temperature down. When the onions start to develop some color (after 30 minutes), turn the heat to high and start stirring every 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- When the onions have caramelized, add the minced garlic and fresh thyme, and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly, or until fragrant.4 cloves of garlic, minced, 2 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
- Add the flour and stir. Toast for 30 seconds, then deglaze the pan with the white wine and soy sauce. Stir well to get any brow bits off the bottom of the pot. Cook for 1-2 minutes, or until the alcohol evaporates.2 tablespoon all-purpose flour, ½ cup dry white wine, 2 teaspoon low-sodium soy sauce
- Add 2 cups of the vegetable broth, and the uncooked pasta, and season with ¼ teaspoon of salt, and black pepper.6 cups hot vegetable broth, 12 ounces (340g) short-cut pasta, ¼ teaspoon Freshly cracked black pepper
- Cook the pasta over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, or until it absorbs most of the liquid. When that happens, add another 2 cups of vegetable broth, and continue cooking until it absorbs most of the liquid. Then, add the final 2 cups and cook until you have a luscious sauce and the pasta is cooked through This will take you roughly 25 minutes, for the pasta to absorb all of the liquid, release starch, and cook through.
- The best way to tell if the pasta is ready is to taste it. It should be al dente, meaning the pasta should have a slight bite to it and be chewy, but still soft. In the end, turn off the heat and stir the cheese until it melts. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed, adding more salt and black pepper as needed. Serve!4 oz (115g) Gruyère cheese, shredded
Notes
- Fridge: Let leftovers cool to room temperature, then store in an airtight container for 3-4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
- Freezer: Let leftovers cool to room temperature, then transfer to an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Keep in mind that this will change the texture of the pasta and I haven't tried it myself.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with third-party calculations without including the optional ingredients.
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