Description
This French Onion Pasta is a delicious twist on the classic soup, with rich caramelized onions, tender pasta, cheese and a crispy breadcrumb topping. This recipe is an absolute must try if you love caramelized onions, and we've included substitutions to make it allergy friendly!
Ingredients
Pasta:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter (or vegan butter)
- 3 large yellow onions, halved and thinly sliced
- 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce (reduced sodium)
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons finely minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/3 cup dry white wine
- 1/4 cup dry sherry
- 1 pound pasta of choice (gemelli, farfalle, rotini)
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 1/2-2 cups water
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (or vegan alternative)
Breadcrumb Topping:
- 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1/4 tsp salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan (or vegan alternative)
Instructions
- Heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Once heated, add onions. Sauté for 10-15 minutes, stirring often, until lightly browned.
- Stir in the soy sauce, sugar and salt and continue cooking, stirring often, for another 15-20 minutes, until the onions are deep golden brown and very soft. If the onions start to burn, reduce heat.
- While the onions are caramelizing, make the breadcrumb topping. Heat a small nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the breadcrumbs, oil, salt and pepper to the pan and stir well. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring often, until lightly toasted. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Once the onions are caramelized, stir in the garlic, thyme, parsley and pepper and continue cooking for 1 minute.
- Pour in the sherry and white wine to deglaze the pan, and use a wooden spoon to scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Let simmer for 2-3 minutes.
- Add in the pasta (uncooked), broth, and 1 1/2 cups of water. Stir well and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the pasta is al dente. If the pasta soaks up too much liquid, add in another 1/2 cup water.
- Stir in the cheese and remove from heat.
- Top with toasted breadcrumbs and grated parmesan and serve warm.
Notes
How to slice onions for caramelizing: First, peel the onion and slice off the root end. Slice the onion in half (from root to tip). Place the flat side down on a cutting board. Slice into thin strips (between 1/8-1/4 inch thick). It's important that the onions are evenly sliced, otherwise they will cook at different rates and some may burn or undercook.
Storage: Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or in a saucepan over low heat. If needed, stir in more vegetable broth or water to loosen up the pasta.
Onions: Sweet yellow onions are perfect for caramelizing. You can also use Spanish onions, vidalia onions, walla walla onions, or even white onions in a pinch.
To stay traditional to French onion soup, sub mozzarella with shredded gruyère.
Sherry: If you don't have any, sub with more white wine.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: French
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 478
- Sugar: 8.6 g
- Sodium: 1013 mg
- Fat: 12.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 72.5 g
- Fiber: 4.2 g
- Protein: 16 g