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Prep time
5 minutes
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Cook time
30 minutes
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Serves
6
Author Notes
Most Americans harbor a nostalgic fondness for SpaghettiOs, a childhood staple that conjures memories of textureless pasta bathed in a sweet, runny tomato sauce. While our palates evolve with age, certain flavors retain an enduring allure. Here, this classic gets the French Onion treatment, combining multiple forms of deep savoriness with pasta that still has some bite to it. To top it off, it’s finished with everyone’s favorite part—melted Gruyère. If you can’t find anelli (pasta rings), any small-shaped pasta will work well. —César Pérez
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French Onion "PastaOs"
Ingredients
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2 tablespoons
butter
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1 tablespoon
extra virgin olive oil
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1
sweet onion, diced
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1
bay leaf
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1/2 teaspoon
Diamond Crystal kosher salt
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3/4 teaspoon
freshly cracked black pepper
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3
garlic cloves, grated
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1 teaspoon
fresh thyme leaves
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16 ounces
Anelli pasta/pasta rings
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1 cup
dry white wine
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1 tablespoon
beef bouillon paste (such as Better than Bouillon)
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1 teaspoon
soy sauce
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1/2 teaspoon
Worcestershire sauce
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3 cups
water
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1 teaspoon
crème fraîche
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1 teaspoon
sherry vinegar
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1 cup
Gruyère, shredded
Directions
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In a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter along with extra virgin olive oil. Add the diced onions, bay leaf, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally until they begin to caramelize, about 10 minutes. Add grated garlic and thyme and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.
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Add the pasta to the skillet and stir until toasted, about 5 minutes. Follow with white wine and cook for a minute so that some of the alcohol can evaporate. Follow with the soy sauce and Worcestershire and continue to stir until the liquid has mostly evaporated.
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Stir in water and continue to stir until the pasta is thick and creamy, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in crème fraîche and sherry vinegar.
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Top with grated Gruyère and broil until melted and golden. Keep a close eye on it, checking it every 30 seconds. Finish with more fresh thyme and freshly cracked black pepper.
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