In One and Done, senior test kitchen editor Jesse Szewczyk uses one pan—like a Dutch oven, sheet pan, or cast-iron skillet—to make meals you'll come back to again and again.
Loaded with a wealth of caramelized onions, white wine, and fresh thyme, this French onion pasta recipe captures the savory sweetness of the beloved comfort food classic French onion soup and reimagines them as a cozy weeknight dinner. Best of all, it’s made entirely in one vessel: Add the dried pasta and water directly to a pan of sliced onions cooked to a ruddy jam. The pasta absorbs the sweet onion-infused cooking liquid while releasing its starches to create a creamy sauce that perfectly clings to the shells.
Properly measured water is the key here. If you add too much, the sauce will be soupy, but the pasta will be hard if you add too little. If you need an alternative for the wine, fresh apple cider is a great choice (you want something acidic to cut through the richness). Either way, be sure to scrape up the brown bits on the bottom of the pot. And, if at any time you feel like the onions are burning, add a few tablespoons of water to deglaze and stir things around to redistribute the heat.
We like lumache for this pasta dish, but you can swap in any short tubular type of pasta, such as rigatoni or medium shells. Though it’s cooked almost entirely on the stovetop, be sure to use an oven-safe pan. The dish is broiled just long enough to melt a blanket of shredded Gruyère cheese into its crevices, developing burbling deep golden brown spots and those crispy edges reminiscent of everyone’s favorite part of its namesake bistro favorite.
Recipe information
Total Time
1 hour
Yield
4–6 servings
Ingredients
3
4
2
1
6
4
¾
1
1
5
1
2
2
8
Preparation
Step 1
Heat 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in a large (3½-qt. capacity or more) high-sided ovenproof skillet, rondeau, or other short-sided pot over medium-high heat. Add 4 large yellow onions, thinly sliced, a pinch of kosher salt, and a pinch of freshly ground black pepper and cook, stirring occasionally and adding 1 Tbsp. water and scraping bottom of the pan if starting to burn, until onions are a deep mahogany color and jammy, 30–35 minutes. Add 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped, and 4 tsp. chopped thyme and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add ¾ cup dry white wine and cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced by about half, about 3 minutes. Add 5½ cups water and bring to a simmer. Add 1 lb. lumache (snail shells) or other medium shell pasta and cook, stirring often to prevent pasta from sticking to bottom of pan, until almost all of the liquid has been absorbed, a thick sauce has formed, and pasta is al dente, 10–14 minutes.
Step 2
Remove pot from heat and add 1 oz. Parmesan, finely grated (about ½ cup), 5 Tbsp. unsalted butter, 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard, 2 tsp. sugar, 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce, remaining 2 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and remaining 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper and stir until cheese is melted.
Step 3
Place a rack in upper third of oven; heat broiler. Scatter 8 oz. Gruyère, coarsely grated (about 2 cups), over pasta and broil until melted and golden brown in spots, 2–5 minutes depending on your broiler.
Step 4
Top with thinly sliced chives if using just before serving.
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