Best French Onion Mac And Cheese Recipes

FRENCH ONION MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir onions, thyme, and bay leaf in the butter for 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until onions are browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a plate and discard the bay leaf. Reserve the skillet.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook elbow macaroni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes.
• Meanwhile, melt remaining butter in the reserved skillet over medium heat. Whisk in flour for 1 minute, then whisk in beef broth and milk and bring to a boil; season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Reduce heat and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in Gruyere cheese until melted.
• Drain macaroni and toss with onion and sauce until well combined.

FRENCH ONION "SOUP" MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Topping: Combine bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese in a small bowl and set aside.
• Bechamel Sauce: Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter over low heat in a medium saucepan. Add the flour and stir to combine. Stir constantly, for about 3 minutes. Increase heat to medium and whisk in the milk or half-and-half, adding a little at a time and cook until thickened, about 4 to 5 minutes. Lower heat, season with the salt and pepper and add Gruyere and mozzarella cheeses. Stir until cheese is melted and sauce is smooth. Set aside.
• French Onion "Soup:" Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter and olive oil over medium-high heat in a large saucepan. Add onions, cover, and cook 10 to 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove cover, add garlic and honey, and continue to cook uncovered, stirring frequently, until onions are caramelized, about 10 to 15 minutes. Season with salt and a generous amount of pepper. Remove pot from heat and add sherry. Return to heat and stir to remove browned bits from bottom of pan. Reduce sherry by half, then add stock and thyme and cook until almost all liquid is evaporated. Remove from heat.
• Grease a 3-quart baking dish or casserole with the last tablespoon of butter or spray with nonstick cooking spray. Combine cooked pasta with onion "soup" mixture and bechamel sauce, and stir well to combine. Transfer pasta to baking dish and sprinkle with bread crumb/Parmesan topping.
• Bake until top is golden brown and cheese is bubbly, about 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly before serving.

FRENCH ONION BAKED MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until just slightly softened, about 6 minutes. Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta and rinse under cold water.
• Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, sprinkle with the thyme, sugar and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until dark brown, about 20 minutes. Add the wine and bouillon cube and stir to dissolve the bouillon. Cook until the liquid is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
• Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Whisk in the flour, mustard powder and cayenne. Cook, whisking constantly, until smooth and slightly golden, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk. Cook, whisking occasionally, until the sauce begins to boil and thicken, about 7 minutes; remove from the heat. Stir in the Cheddar and 2 cups of the Gruyere until fully melted. Stir in the pasta, adding the reserved pasta water as needed to make a creamy sauce. Season with salt and pepper.
• Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter in a small bowl in the microwave. Brush a 9-by-13-inch metal baking dish with the melted butter. Spread half the pasta mixture in the prepared dish. Top with the onion mixture in an even layer, then cover with the remaining pasta mixture. Sprinkle with the remaining Gruyere.
• Bake until heated through and just bubbling, about 20 minutes. Top with the French fried onions and return to the oven for 5 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes, then sprinkle with the chives before serving.

FRENCH ONION MAC-AND-CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°F. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and thyme, season with salt and pepper, cover, and cook 5 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until onions are golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes (if skillet darkens or onions begin to stick, add a splash of water).
• Add wine to skillet, scraping up browned bits from bottom with a wooden spoon. Stir in mustard and bouillon; remove from heat.
• Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until still a bit crunchy, 5 minutes less than package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water, then drain.
• Melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter in same pot over medium-high heat. Add flour and cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk and reserved pasta water. Bring to a boil, whisking occasionally, then cook 1 minute.
• Remove from heat, mix cheeses together (you should have about 5 cups) and stir in all but 1 cup until melted. Stir in cooked pasta; season with salt. Divide pasta mixture evenly among six 6-ounce ramekins and place on a rimmed baking sheet.
• Top evenly with onion mixture, then bread. Bake 7 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese and continue baking until bubbly, 6 to 8 minutes more. Garnish with thyme leaves; serve.

FRENCH ONION MAC AND CHEESE!!

Steps:

• 1. Heat 2 tablespoons butter and olive oil over medium low heat in a large non-stick skillet. Add onions, cover, and cook 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.
• 2. Remove lid and cook an additional 10 minutes or until caramelized.
• 3. Meanwhile, prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain and place back in a large pot with the caramelized onions.
• 4. Melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth and cook one more minute or until mixture starts to brown.
• 5. Whisk in milk and bring to a boil.
• 6. Reduce heat to low and mix in Fontina, Asiago, and mascarpone cheeses, plus the salt.
• 7. Heat 5 minutes or until cheese is melted and the mixture is smooth, whisking occasionally.
• 8. Mix cheese sauce with cooked pasta and caramelized onions in the large pot.
• 9. Pour pasta into 8 oven-safe dishes, preferably French onion soup bowls. Place dishes on a large cookie sheet.
• 10. Heat oven broiler. Top bowls filled with mac & cheese evenly with croutons and shredded Gruyere cheese.
• 11. Broil for 2 to 3 minutes or until cheese is melted.

FRENCH ONION MAC AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Caramelized Onions 1. Trim off the ends of 2 lb. onions (I used yellow) and cut them in half from top to bottom. Then slice them thinly, it doesn't matter which direction. Place onions in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cover, stirring every five minutes or so, until they dry out and begin to stick to the bottom of the pan (approx. 15-20 minutes). 2. Add 2 tbsp. of vegetable oil to the onions and toss to coat, along with a large pinch of salt. and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook the onions uncovered, stirring occasionally until they turn a rich caramel brown, anywhere from 5 to 40 minutes (I went the whole 40). As they cook, add a tiny bit more oil if you need to keep them from sticking to the pan, no more than an additional 2 tbsp, or lower the heat on the stove-top. Once cooked to desired brownness, remove from heat and let cool and store for up to 1 week in the fridge. Mac and Cheese 4. Preheat the oven to 400 F and boil pasta in beef broth and water, according to package directions, leaving a little al dente since it will finish up in the sauce in the oven. 5. For the sauce: melt butter in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Once melted, whisk in flour and cook for 1 minute (but don't let it turn brown). 6. Slowly whisk in milk, stirring constantly to remove any clumps. Bring this mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer for 3-4 minutes or until thickened slightly. 7.Reduce heat to low and whisk in gruyere cheese until melted, then remove from heat until ready to use. 8.Drain pasta, then combine with sauce and caramelized onions in your pasta pot (the one you used to boil the noodles). Pour pasta mixture into a large cast iron skillet or a 9×9 inch casserole dish, top with breadcrumbs and additional gruyere cheese if desired. 9.Bake at 400 F for 10 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbly. To achieved more browning, put under broiler for only a minute or two (Be sure to watch because it can burn quickly!).