January 27, 2014

French onion macaroni and cheese

Skillet of French onion macaroni and cheese.

This is some serious comfort food - cheesy, creamy, and buttery. The flavors of French onion soup wrapped up in some noodles and extra cheese. 

Posts may contain affiliate links. If you purchase an item from these links, a small percentage goes to support the work of this blog. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

I've seen some similar recipes floating around on the internet for a while now and have been itching to make this mac n' cheese. I wanted to incorporate as many flavors from French onion soup as I could, but I also wanted to keep this meal vegetarian - so I didn't use any beef broth. It turned out pretty amazing. 

The super sweet onion intertwined with the cheesy pasta was perfect. I used Gruyere cheese, but I combined it with sharp white cheddar so that it was not over powering (and affordable -- Gruyere is pretty pricey and pungent). 

Thyme, vermouth, and buttery breadcrumbs pulled in a lot of the soup flavors I was looking for in the dish. The result was a decadent pasta dish that we thoroughly enjoyed.

This recipe will feed 4 to 6 people as a main dish (feel free to make a nice green salad for the side) or make some delicious lunch leftovers.

Serving plate of French onion macaroni and cheese.

French onion macaroni and cheese
1 lb. short-cut pasta of your choice
unsalted butter and extra virgin olive oil
4 medium-large sweet yellow onions, peeled and thinly sliced
2 teaspoons dried thyme, divided
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons dry vermouth, or other dry white wine
1/3 cup breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1 garlic clove, minced
2-1/2 cups milk
4 oz. Gruyere cheese, grated and divided
4 oz. extra sharp white cheddar cheese

In a cast-iron or other large oven-safe skillet, warm 2 tablespoons of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the onions. Cook on medium-low heat, stirring only occasionally, until the onions are caramelized, about 30 minutes. Stir in 1 teaspoon of thyme, a good pinch of salt, a couple grinds of black pepper. Then stir in the vermouth and deglaze the pan. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook the pasta until just under al dente. Then drain.

Melt 1-1/2 tablespoons of butter and place in a small bowl. Toss with the breadcrumbs and set aside.

In a medium pot, warm 2 tablespoons of butter. Whisk in the flour and cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant. Whisk in the milk. Cook over medium heat stirring often until the milk thickens. Remove from the heat and whisk in half of the Gruyere and all of the cheddar until melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Remove about 1/3 of the onions form the skillet and set them aside in a bowl. Toss the pasta in the skillet with the remaining onions. Then stir in the sauce until well combined. Top with breadcrumbs, reserved cheese, 1 teaspoon of thyme, and the remaining onion.

Bake until golden and bubbly, about 20 minutes. Serve hot.

Scooping some French onion macaroni and cheese.

23 comments:

  1. Oh my gosh…drooling. This cold weather is making me crave warm comfort foods like this. I love the white cheddar/Gruyere/caramelized onion combo!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh heavens, this sounds SO decadent and amazing. I'm swooning over here!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Dear Amy, Mac and cheese is a favorite comfort food. I like this version. Blessings dear. Catherine xo

    ReplyDelete
  4. French onion with macaroni sounds delicious!

    ReplyDelete
  5. What a nice twist to the macaroni and cheese...sounds and looks delicious Amy.
    Have a wonderful week ahead :D

    ReplyDelete
  6. Onion and cheese...ain't they the best friends!? Your mac and cheese bake looks terrific, Amy.
    Have a wonderful day!
    Angie

    ReplyDelete
  7. Mac and Cheese is one of my favorite comfort foods and I love French Onion. Great recipe Amy!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I think you are after my daughter's heart. She loves French onion soup and mac and cheese. She will be thrilled!

    ReplyDelete
  9. That is a serious macaroni & cheese recipe. I was actually thinking this afternoon of making a macaroni & cheese with bacon but this looks much more appetising.

    ReplyDelete
  10. This is some serious M and C! What a fun way to change it up a bit! Take care, BAM

    ReplyDelete
  11. What a great twist on the classic! Bet it tasted great!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Great idea for the mac n cheese lover, I do love French onion soup, so I'm sure I would enjoy this pasta.

    ReplyDelete
  13. My family loves mac and cheese, I like you changed it up a bit. Sounds yummy.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I love, love french soup and it was such a great idea to combine two very hearty and comforting meals in one!

    ReplyDelete
  15. What two great foods to bring together! Great idea.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Wow, simply delicious!!!
    i guess i'll lovin the caramelized wett onion on my mac and cheese!!!

    ReplyDelete
  17. WHAT. You evil genius, this needs to be in my belly right now! Love mac and cheese, and LOVE the flavor twist!

    ReplyDelete
  18. This looks so great! Who doesn't like mac 'n cheese, and this is an interesting new twist. Really good stuff - thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  19. I'm a mac and cheese lover, my husband is a onion lover, this will make us all happy!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Oh I really do need to make this! It looks delicious and the mix of french onion and mac&cheese sounds wonderful!

    ReplyDelete
  21. I love this twist on mac & cheese! Super, super delicious and so decadent Amy! I'll take this over a bowl of soup any time.

    ReplyDelete

I love to hear from you!