TikTok's One-Pot French Onion Pasta Is the Perfect Winter Recipe

TikTok is rife with cozy pasta recipes these days, and this new, viral dish might just be the tastiest, coziest one yet. Dubbed French onion pasta, the social media platform’s latest obsession combines hearty French onion soup with, well, a plate of pasta. In other words, instead of serving cooked pasta with, say, the standard tomato sauce and Parmesan cheese, you’ll give your noodles the French onion soup treatment courtesy of caramelized onions, white wine, Gruyère cheese, and a handful of other ingredients that make the classic soup practically irresistible.

As with many pasta recipes, this one is relatively easy to make and is a solid way to feed a crowd without breaking the bank. And our favorite thing about this dish, which can be customized to your liking in a cinch, is that it all comes together in one big pot so the cleanup is minimal.

French Onion Pasta Recipe

Here’s how to make TikTok's viral French onion pasta. We recommend using a short pasta, such as rigatoni or fusilli corti bucati, and suggest you make sure the onions are fully caramelized before you go ahead to the next step. The caramelized onions are key here!

1. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Add 1 large, thinly sliced onion to the pot and season with plenty of salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is fully caramelized. This should take about 25-30 minutes. You’ll know the onion is done when it is brown and tender.
2. Pour in 3 tablespoons of dry white wine (or port) and scrape the bottom of the pan. 
3. Add a few sprigs of thyme along with 10-12 ounces of uncooked pasta. Pour in about 3 cups of beef stock and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until the pasta is al dente, about 10 minutes. 
4. Turn off the heat. Remove thyme from the pot and stir in 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese or Gruyère cheese. Serve immediately with more grated cheese on top and enjoy!
   

French Onion Pasta Recipe Variations 

As per usual, there are many ways to customize this recipe to your liking. It all really depends on what you prefer. For example, some TikTok users add a few tablespoons of port in with the beef stock to make the dish a bit richer, while others throw in a dash of Worcestershire sauce or sherry vinegar for an acidic punch. Adding about ¼ cup of half-and-half or heavy cream along with the cheese is a great way to take the creaminess of this dish up a notch.

For a lighter version you can skip the cheese altogether and use mushrooms to give the dish that heartiness instead. Just be sure to add the mushrooms to the pot right after the onions are caramelized. This will give them ample time to cook and become tender.

If you feel like this pasta is missing some meat, you can go ahead and add some cooked chicken pieces to the pot as you stir in the cheese. If you have any leftover rotisserie chicken in the fridge, this would be a stellar way to use it up!