French Onion Orecchiette Casserole
Think French onion soup meets pasta bake: soft orecchiette infused with savory broth, a velvety sauce, and that essential golden, cheesy crust. This is the kind of dish that earns a permanent spot in your comfort food rotation.
Calories per serving: 469kcal
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon (0.99 teaspoon) *sauteed onion base
- 3 teaspoon (2.96 teaspoon) *beef base
- 2 tablespoons (1.97 tablespoons) Marsala, or sherry
- 1 tablespoon (0.99 tablespoon) Worcestershire sauce
- 4 cups (946.35 ml) water, boiling
- 16 ounces (453.59 g) orecchiette
- 4 tablespoons (3.94 tablespoons) butter, unsalted
- 1/3 cup (41.67 g) *all-purpose flour
1 cup (236 g) caramelized onions- 6 ounce (170.1 g) Gruyere, 2 cups grated
- 1 cup (60 g) panko bread crumbs
- 2 tablespoons (1.97 tablespoons) butter, cubed
Instructions
- Put the bases in a large measuring cup with the Marsala and Worcestershire. Add the hot water and thoroughly mix.
- Put the orecchiette in a large sauce pan and pour the hot broth over it. Turn the heat to high and let the pasta boil for 2 minutes. Cover the pasta and turn off the heat. Let it sit for at least 10 minutes.
- At the end of 10 minutes, set a colander over a large bowl. Drain the pasta into the colander. Set the colander with the pasta aside. Leave the broth in the bowl and set it aside.
- Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a 12-inch cast iron skillet. When the butter is bubbling, add the flour and whisk it in, cooking it until it turns white. Add the broth leftover from cooking the pasta, and whisk it as it thickens.
- Add the caramelized onions and whisk them in until they are separated.
- Add the pasta and stir it so all the pasta has been covered by the sauce. Add half of the cheese and mix that in as well.
- Sprinkle the top of the casserole with the remaining cheese, then top that with the Panko breadcrumbs. Dot the crumbs with butter.
- Bake the casserole in a 350 °F (177 °C) oven for 20 minutes or until the topping has started to brown. Let the casserole sit for at least 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
You can add sauteed mushrooms to the caramelized onions.
You can make this vegetarian by substituting vegetable base, and vegan by substituting vegan cheese and olive oil for butter.
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