Friday, June 12, 2015

French Onion Mac and Cheese

French Onion Mac and Cheese

Well, hello sweet onion season. The Vidalia's are back and I'm going through them like they're going out of style, or at least out of season, very soon. I'm sure I'm driving my neighbors crazy with the smell of sweet onions caramelizing in my cast iron pan on a daily basis. And I don't even necessarily have a plan for what to put them in but I'm just happy to eat them with bread if need be.

French Onion Mac and Cheese
Still, the other day I was thinking of some more traditional uses for a big batch of caramelized onions and I thought about French onion soup. But, it's 85 degrees outside so I wasn't really into the idea of a bowl of hot soup. A bowl of hot mac and cheese, though, is a whole other thing!

But not just regular mac with onions, I wanted to use the primarily flavors of the soup which are beef stock, fresh thyme and Gruyere cheese. Yes, yes and yes. Such a perfect blend of flavors with the creamy pasta and those heavenly onions. Really. I'm obsessed with them and now obsessed with this dish. Enjoy!

If you're not familiar with Vidalias, they are grown in one region of Georgia and the soil and daylight there make them significantly sweeter than regular onions. They are, in fact, the state vegetable of Georgia. Check out their web site for some fun and cute facts about these sweet veggies and download a coupon so you can try them for yourself. You'll quickly become as obsessed as I am.



French Onion Mac and Cheese
by Hungry Couple
Prep Time: 25 Minutes
Cook Time: 75 Minutes
Ingredients (4 Servings)
  • 2 Large sweet Vidalia onions
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 Tablespoons butter, divided
  • 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
  • 1/2 Cup beef stock (canned or homemade)
  • 3/4 Cup milk
  • 1 Teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
  • 6 oz. Gruyere cheese, divided
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/2 lb. Elbow macaroni
Instructions
French Onion Mac and Cheese
Peel and thinly slice the onions. Add them to a cast iron pan along with the olive oil and one tablespoon of butter. Cook on medium low heat, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes. Add the Worcestershire sauce and continue cooking for an additional 5 - 10 minutes, until the onions are a deep golden brown but not burned. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon.

Add the additional tablespoon of butter to the pan along with the flour and whisk until thoroughly combined. Slowly whisk in the beef broth and milk and continue cooking and whisking until the mixture thickens. Add the thyme and 2 oz. of the Gruyere cheese. Season to taste.

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees while you cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain and stir into the cheese sauce. Fold in the caramelized onions and pour the mixture into four individual crocks. Sprinkle the remaining cheese equally on each dish and bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and slightly browned.

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This recipe was sponsored by the Vidalia Onion Committee but all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the products I love and use in my kitchen.

15 comments:

  1. Let me think for a moment. Yes, yes and more yes. My favorite soup with my favorite childhood (oh scratch that favorite meal) combined. I'll have a double serving.

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  2. I would be glad to take a huge bite of this mac and cheese! Yum!

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  3. It's just completely unfair for you to show this to a pregnant lady without having a delivery option. I seriously want to swan dive into this crock of goodness!

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  4. How have i never thought of this before? This looks freaking amazing!

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  5. This looks AMAZING. The perfect winter warmer too.. which is ideal for the cold season here now in Australia!

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  6. OMG, YES YES YES. You know that diner mac & cheese I was telling you about, with the caramelized onions? Yours look way better! I imagine that dash of Worcestershire really brings the flavor of the onions and the cheese together. Super umami!

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  7. I'm literally blown away by the deliciousness that is this dish. I can't wait to make it!

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  8. Sweet onions are my favorite and this recipe looks so amazing. Your pics, Anita, are so gorgeous too!

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  9. well this is probably the best mac and cheese recipe in the entire world. And i so need to get in touch with the Vidalia peeps because I LOVE VIDALIAS!

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  10. You can never go wrong with mac and cheese! Love that you combined my favorite soup into mac and cheese.

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  11. No joke, I dreamed about this mac and cheese last night. It looks amaaaaaazing!

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  12. Wow! Mouth watering mac and cheese. I would love to taste your version too.
    I'll try this with my friends on weekends usingSargento is 100 % real and natural cheese. Check it out ! Thanks.

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