French Onion Soup Macaroni and Cheese

Submitted by SusieQusie

"From Food Network's Ultimate Recipe Showdown- Comfort Foods. This wonderful recipe was submitted by Brett Greenberg. While it looks wonderful and got lots of oohs and ahs from the judges, as written, this is an artery-clogging heart stopper! Using low fat ingredients in the bechamel sauce would be an easy way to lighten this up."

 

• Ready In: 2hrs
• Ingredients: 19
• Serves: 8-10

ingredients

• Topping

• 1⁄4 cup breadcrumbs
• 1⁄4 cup grated parmesan cheese

• Bechamel Sauce

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups whole milk or 2 cups half-and-half
• salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 8 ounces gruyere cheese, grated
• 3 ounces mozzarella cheese, grated

• French Onion Soup

• 2 tablespoons butter, plus
• 1 tablespoon butter (or nonstick spray)
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 3 large white onions, thinly sliced
• 6 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
• 2 tablespoons honey
• salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup dry sherry
• 2 cups beef stock
• 8 sprigs fresh thyme leaves
• 1 lb pasta, cooked al dente (elbow macaroni, ziti, or fusilli work well)

directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Topping: Combine bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese in a small bowl and set aside.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. Remove pot from heat and add sherry. Return to heat and stir to remove browned bits from bottom of pan. Cook over low heat until sherry is reduced by half, then add stock and thyme and cook until almost all liquid is evaporated. Remove from heat.
9. Grease a 3-quart baking dish or casserole with the last tablespoon of butter or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
10. Combine cooked pasta with onion "soup" mixture and bechamel sauce, and stir well to combine.
11. Transfer pasta to baking dish and sprinkle with bread crumb/Parmesan topping.
12. Bake until top is golden brown and cheese is bubbly, about 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly before serving.

Reviews

[Darkhunter]

A little labor intensive, but worth it. Even my sister , who dislikes mac and cheese, thought this was excellent. Could not find gruyere in my area so had to sub swiss. Still an excellent flavor. Will send off for some gruyere next time, just to prepare as written. Thnx for posting.

 

[Cheri Lee]

After watching the show last night, I decided to make this and it is truly the best I ever had! As Susie said, you could easily lighten it up by using low-fat ingredients. It is time consuming to make but absolutely incredible!

 

[Crystal T.]

This sounds great but for those strapped for time (or in college and in need of milk like myself) I found an easier way to do it. All you need is: French onion soup/dip powdered mix, boxed mac and cheese (you can make the mac and cheese homemade if you prefer), dried french onion chips(like the kind that would go on top of green bean casserole), butter, and grated cheeses(optional). You follow the instructions for the boxed mac and cheese without using milk. just boil the water, put in the noodles and let them cook around 16 minutes, drain, mix in the cheese mix and butter, mix in the french onion soup/dip mix. This completes this part. For the french onion chip you just melt butter in a pan and sautee them until they are nice and golden brown, then you put them on top of the mac and cheese, sprinkle a little grated cheese and viola! I know it sounds weird but it's actually pretty delicious.