# French Onion Mac and Cheese

This recipe is a delicious mashup of French onion soup and macaroni and cheese.

- Total time: 60 min
- Cuisine: American
- Category: Soup
- Language: en

## Ingredients

- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 5 Spanish onions
- 5 garlic cloves
- 2 sprigs thyme, leaves removed
- 0.25 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 quart beef stock or bone broth
- pinch black pepper
- pinch kosher salt
- 1 lb pasta
- 8 ounces Swiss cheese
- 8 ounces Parmesan cheese
- 2 cups Panko breadcrumbs

## Instructions

1. Thin slice about 5 to 6 Spanish onions, as a lot of caramelized onions are needed for this recipe.
2. In a heavy-bottom pot over low heat, add a couple tablespoons of olive oil, followed by all of your sliced onions.
3. Stir the onions every few minutes, about every 5 minutes.
4. After about 10 minutes, when some sugars and onion bits stick to the bottom of your pot (fond), use your sliced onions to scrub these bits back up.
5. Once the fond can no longer be scrubbed up with your onions, add a tablespoon or two of water to dissolve and pick up those brown bits. Repeat this process as many times as needed.
6. In a separate pot of boiling salted water, add about a pound of your favorite pasta and cook for maybe 3 to 4 minutes, as it will finish cooking in the oven.
7. Once onions are caramelized to a deep brown color (about 45 minutes to an hour), add about 5 to 6 minced garlic cloves.
8. Followed by the leaves from a few sprigs of thyme.
9. Stir this in and immediately add a quarter cup of balsamic vinegar (or red/white wine or other spirits).
10. Reduce the vinegar for a couple of minutes until it starts to smell nice and sweet.
11. While the vinegar reduces, strain the pasta.
12. Add about 2 cups of heavy cream to the onion mixture.
13. Add a nice pinch of black pepper.
14. Add about 1 quart of beef stock or bone broth.
15. Add a pinch of kosher salt.
16. Let the mixture come to a simmer and remove it from the heat.
17. Grate about 8 ounces of Swiss cheese and 8 to 10 ounces of Parmesan cheese. (This step can be done while onions are caramelizing).
18. Add about 2 cups of Panko breadcrumbs to a separate bowl.
19. Add about a third of the grated cheese to the breadcrumbs.
20. To the rest of the cheese, add the French onion sauce and the barely cooked pasta.
21. Mix everything thoroughly (a smaller bowl might be better for mixing).
22. Transfer the mixture into a deep 9x13 pan.
23. Top generously with the cheesy breadcrumbs.
24. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs are nice and toasted.

## Equipment

- heavy bottom pot
- wooden spoon
- bamboo spoon
- colander
- box grater
- bowl
- 9x13 pan

## Tips

- When making French onion soup, all the flavor comes from the onions.
- When grating cheese, once you get close to the grater, switch to the palm of your hand as it is a tougher surface.
- Don't throw away the Parmesan rind; steep it into your marinara sauce or soups.

## Source

- Original video: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/19xQ4FwNke/
- Recipe page: https://www.cliprecipe.com/recipe/afcae148-8b72-499c-b417-43f3da13f21e
- Extracted: 2025-12-03

Extracted from the video by Clip Recipe (https://www.cliprecipe.com). Quantities and steps are as stated or shown in the video. Site guide for agents: https://www.cliprecipe.com/llms.txt