Hello! I'm Jen, and I re-create a lot of viral recipes! I have a biweekly series where I try recipes that are trending in pop culture (or some that just look good).
Recently, I haven’t been able to escape the latest food obsession dominating my For You page: French onion pasta.
You see, in the beginning, God created spicy vodka pasta and baked feta pasta. And then God said, "Let there be French onion pasta," and there was French onion pasta.
In a clip that now has over 8.1 million views, Carolyn, aka @carolbeecooks, explains why she's "never" making the pasta again.
Oh, wait, there are no reasons. She's definitely making the pasta again.
Naturally, I was intrigued by a dish that could only make Italians upset, so I decided I'd try it for myself. I used Carolyn's recipe from her website, although I cut all the measurements in half, since I was only cooking for myself. Here's everything I used:
First things first, I sliced up half an onion. I tried my best to keep the pieces pretty thin.
I melted a tablespoon of butter in my pot and added in the onions, cooking them on medium heat with the lid on. After about five minutes, I turned the heat on low, took the lid off, and let them caramelize for another 15 minutes.
Next, I added the sherry and white wine, followed by the sprigs of thyme. My kitchen was beginning to smell amazing.
I then added in the uncooked rigatoni and beef stock and turned the heat back up to medium. I let the concoction boil for about 15 minutes, poking at the pasta every now and again to ensure that it would be cooked ✨al dente✨.
Once the soup boiled down, I picked out the thyme. By this point, the onions were gorgeously caramelized, and the pasta had taken on a toasty, brown hue.
Immediately after removing the plants (LOL), I added in the cheese and half-and-half and stirred until the sauce was nicely emulsified.
Finally, I plated the pasta. She was glimmering. She was beautiful.
I tried the pasta, and I swear, I ate nearly the whole pot in 10 minutes — it was THAT good. As you could guess, the sauce tasted exactly like French onion soup, although I honestly think I liked this better than French onion soup.
Not to sound like the asshole from The Menu (you know the one), but the flavors in this pasta are delectable. The caramelized onions and rigatoni are so flavorful, and straight out of my savory dreams. The pasta is very cheesy, yet it maintains an air of sophistication because of the complexity that the wine adds to the dish. All in all, it's a YES from me!
