French Onion Mac & Cheese

⏱ 50 mins 🍽 6-8 serving(s) 🏷 Macaroni And Cheese

This indulgent pasta bake brings together the deep, savoury notes of French onion soup with classic macaroni cheese. Onions are slowly caramelised in butter and thyme to create a flavour base, then simmered with beef broth and sherry. The cooked macaroni is folded with a blend of three cheeses before being topped with more cheese and crispy breadcrumbs, then finished under the grill until golden and bubbling. It serves six to eight people and takes around 50 minutes to prepare.

French Onion Mac & Cheese

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 medium sweet white onions, halved and sliced into thin half-moons
  • 1 tablespoon thyme leaves, divided
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 1/2 cup dry sherry
  • 5 1/2 cups low sodium beef broth
  • 1 lb elbow macaroni
  • 2 1/2 cups shredded gruyere cheese, divided
  • 2 cups shredded colby-monterey jack cheese
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1 tablespoon chopped sage
  • 1/4 cup chopped parsley
  • 1 1/2 cups toasted panko breadcrumbs
  • kosher salt
  • ground black pepper

Method

  1. Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot. Add the sliced onions, half of the thyme leaves, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring now and then, until the onions are soft and have caramelised, which should take about 15-20 minutes.
  2. Mix in the flour until it is fully incorporated. Increase the heat and pour in the dry sherry to deglaze the pan. Let it simmer until the sherry reduces to roughly 1/4 cup, for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the low sodium beef broth. Bring the broth to a simmer, then add the elbow macaroni. Cook the pasta for about 5-6 minutes, following the package directions for an al dente result.
  3. Once the macaroni is cooked, stir in 1 1/2 cups of the shredded Gruyère, 1 cup of the Colby-Monterey Jack cheese and 1 cup of the mozzarella. Gently fold the cheeses into the hot pasta until they melt. Add the rest of the thyme, the chopped sage, the parsley, and season with more salt and pepper.
  4. Portion the macaroni cheese mixture into individual 6-8 ounce crocks. Sprinkle the top of each one with 1/4 cup of the toasted panko breadcrumbs, then the remaining 1 cup of Gruyère, 1 cup of Colby Jack and 1 cup of mozzarella.
  5. Set your oven to the broil setting. Arrange the filled crocks on a baking sheet and place them under the grill. Broil until the cheese on top has melted and developed golden brown patches, which will take about 3-4 minutes.

Nutrition (per serving)

Sodium794400 mg

Recipe details

CategoryMacaroni And Cheese
AuthorGenius Kitchen