This creamy french onion pasta bake is the perfect weeknight dinner! It’s a super comforting dish that’s just as creamy and savory as a french onion soup but with the addition of pasta and all the cheese we crave during the colder months.

There’s something super comforting about a pasta bake. Maybe it’s the fact that’s a casserole of delicious carbs and super creamy sauce and a great layer of cheese. Or maybe it’s because there’s nothing quite as good as a meal that’s meant to be shared.

I love all pasta bakes. However this creamy french onion pasta bake has a special place in my heart. The reason? It’s super flavorful! Sweet thanks to the caramelized onions, savory thanks to the stock and best of all it’s creamy and cheesy and it just hits the right spot every single time I make it.

It’s also a total crowd favorite and even picky eaters love it. Yes! Even those that swear off onions and try to stay away from anything that resembles a veggie totally love this french onion pasta bake.

How to make a creamy french onion pasta bake

The secret to making a super creamy pasta bake, one that’s oozing with sauce is adding a bit more liquid than you think is necessary.

Truth is, the main error when making a pasta bake is adding too little stock or water. Most of the liquid will evaporate when cooking pasta and another part will evaporate while in the oven.

Also, pasta has natural starches that thicken the sauce. So if you add too little stock the end result is heavy and thick instead of creamy and velvety.

Besides that, adding half and half is a total must if you want to have a super silky and luxurious pasta bake sauce. You can also sub it for one part of heavy cream and one part of milk if you don’t have any half and half on hand.

How to quickly caramelize onions

Caramelized onions usually take a lot of time to achieve. However, in order to keep this dish weeknight friendly we are speeding up the process.

Add one tbsp of sugar to your onions and they will caramelize in minutes after that! If your onions are browning too quickly but are still not super soft add a couple tablespoons of water and let them finish cooking.

Trust me when I say everyone will love this creamy french onion pasta bake so much you’ll find yourself making it again and again.

Ingredients

3 Cups pasta uncooked
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 Onions sliced
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Garlic clove minced
1 Cup mushrooms
3 Tbsp flour
3 Cups stock
1 Cup half and half
½ Cup mozzarella cheese
½ Cup parmesan cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a saucepan over medium heat, heat olive oil. Add onions and cook until translucent, around 7 minutes. Sprinkle with sugar and cook for 10 more minutes until caramelized. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add mushrooms.
Sprinkle with flour and pour stock. Mix until incorporated. Add pasta and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes.
Remove from fire. Mix in half and half. Add half the mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese and stir until incorporated.
Transfer to a baking dish and top with the remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
Take to the oven and bake for 15 minutes.

More easy weeknight pasta recipes:

Ana

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