This French Onion Pasta recipe has a rich and creamy sauce with caramelized onions, gruyere cheese, mushrooms, pancetta, and pasta. You can't beat this gourmet-style dish!
Combine the sauce ingredients in a large measuring cup with a spout and set aside. Measure out remaining ingredients before beginning. (Although you can shred/grate the cheese while the onions cook.)
Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and sauté for 3 minutes. Sprinkle with salt, this will further enhance their flavor. Add the pancetta and sauté for 3 to 4 more minutes. Remove and set aside.
Turn the heat off. Add the wine to the same skillet and set the heat to medium. Use a silicone spatula to “clean” the bottom and sides of the skillet, this will add more flavor to the sauce.
Add the butter and the sliced onions. Cook, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until caramelized, about 35 more minutes. Reduce heat slightly if the onions begin to cook too quickly. Add a splash more olive oil or wine to the skillet if additional moisture is needed.
While the onions caramelize, begin boiling a pot of water for the pasta. Once a boil is reached, stir in salt. (I use ½ tbsp. kosher salt.)
Add the garlic to the onions and cook for 1 minute. Add the flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring continuously.
Add the combined sauce mixture (from step 1) in small splashes, stirring continuously. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer, partially covered, while you cook the pasta to al dente according to package instructions. Drain once cooked.
Reduce the heat of the sauce to low. Gradually sprinkle in the cheese, stirring continuously, until combined.
Add the mushrooms and the pancetta and stir to combine. Add the cooked pasta gradually, until your desired sauce-to-pasta ratio is obtained. Serve!
Notes
Pro Tips:
Wine: Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay are great wine choices for this recipe. Chicken or beef broth can be used if you don't cook with wine.
Pasta: Orecchiette is a fun pasta choice for this, but other options include penne, ziti, medium shells, cavatappi, farfalle, and rigatoni.
Cheese: Shred the cheese from a block, it will melt and taste much better than packaged shredded cheese. I use Belgioioso Parmesan and Emmiusa Gruyere.
Mozzarella Cheesecan be used instead of Gruyere. Use whole milk, low moisture mozzarella. I like using Galbani or Dragone.
Add the cheese over low heat, a base that's too hot will cause the dairy to separate and create a grainy consistency.
Mushrooms: White button mushrooms work well in this, baby portabella mushrooms or cremini mushrooms are great varieties too.
Onions: Do your best to slice them all the same size so that they cook evenly.
Hot Sauce: This is a flavor enhancer in this recipe and doesn’t make the end result spicy, I use Frank’s Hot Sauce.
Pancetta:I use Veroni diced Pancetta. Bacon or even finely diced ham can also be used. If you go meatless, consider adding 1/2 bouillon cube to the sauce to replace some of that savory depth of flavor.
Broth: It may seem counterintuitive to use chicken and beef broth in this recipe, but it adds a nice depth of flavor. All beef or all chicken broth may also be used.
Pasta Water: Always feel free to reserve pasta water as a precaution for creamy sauces. If the sauce becomes thick/clumpy, a small splash of pasta water will smooth it out.
Storage:
Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutritional information is an estimate and is per serving. There are 6 servings in this recipe.