One-Pot French Onion Pasta

I’m already anticipating Sunday.

Talk about putting the cart before the horse.  We haven’t even hopped around the weekend enough to make it to Sunday.

Sundays, I would argue, are the worst.  Actually… they’re the BEST but only between the hours of 8am and noon when we’re sleeping in, churching, brunching, or napping after pancakes.  After noon on a Sunday I find myself in the unfortunate task of pretending to be relaxed while stressing about the week to come.  We’ve talked about this before.  It’s called The Sunday Stresses, and it’s more real that we deserve.

Luckily there’s PASTA.  All healing, all comforting, all filling PASTA.  Thank you, Lord.  For real.

I have pasta every Sunday night.  I spoon myself an embarrassingly large bowl, sit cross-legged on the couch, watch Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee and just tear through a bowl.  I’m trying to fill the pit of Sunday Stresses and pasta usually works, until it doesn’t… but even still.

This One-Pot pasta comes together easily and makes the house smell like an onion dream.  There’s just something so right about the smell of cooking onions.

While the onions, thyme, and chicken broth flavors have more of a Fall feel to them… well, The Sunday Stresses know no season.   Let’s just get some quality couch time in.  Let’s make out with pasta, just a little.

NOT WEIRD AT ALL!

Fat spaghetti pasta, chicken broth and water, onions halved and sliced, butter and olive oil, thyme and cheese and arugula and seasoning.  Everything! Let’s go!

The onions.  Oh the onions.  They actually cook longer than the pasta itself.  The onions need a bit of caressing with butter and olive oil and low heat.

Progress.  It’s hard not to hover and stir, but the onions do need quality time with the heat.  They need to sit and simmer a bit.

This is about when I get super impatient and start to think of worms.

Golden brown, studded with fresh thyme, seasoned with salt and pepper rather aggressively.

Deglazing the hot pan with water and chicken broth.  The steam!  The best part.

Welcome to the party, pasta!  We need you.

We do a little dance on the stovetop.  Simmer with the lid on for a bit.  Stir with the lid off for a bit.  Simmer with the lid on again.  Fluff with the lid off.

It’ll all come together in about 10 magical minutes.

Related:  I need more magical minutes in all of my days.  RIGHT!?

Taste and most likely add:  salt and pepper, way too much parmesan cheese, and handfuls of fresh arugula.

By now your neighbors are likely knocking on the door because you made the world smell AMAZING! Share the pasta, not the stresses.

This pasta is both slightly sweet and salty.  As the onions cook down, they take on a tender and sweet quality.  It’s lovely, but you may find yourself adding a bit more salt and parmesan cheese than you might expect.  I love the spice that fresh arugula adds to the pasta.  Red pepper flakes are also divine.  You want to add cooked sausage too!?  Heck yes!

Happy Weekend!

One-Pot French Onion Pasta

• Prep Time: 0 hours
• Cook Time: 0 hours
• Total Time: 0 hours

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Ingredients

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• 3 medium yellow onions, peeled and sliced
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• salt and fresh cracked black pepper
• 3 teaspoons fresh thyme
• 2 cups water
• 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 12 ounces uncooked spaghetti
• salt and fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
• parmesan cheese
• fresh arugula

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Instructions

1. Place a large heavy bottom sauce pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil and butter and stir until butter is melted. Add the sliced onions all at once. Stir to coat the onions in the fat. Allow onions to cook, undisturbed, for about 4 minutes. Add salt, pepper and thyme and stir. Allow the onions to cook for about 4 minutes at a time. Lower the heat if the onions are browning too quickly. The onions will begin to brown, break down, and resemble an onion jam.
2. When onions are entirely browned and completely soft (about 15 minutes), add the water and chicken broth to the pan. Using a wooden spoon, scrape any burned bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the pasta all at once.
3. Return to medium heat and bring to a simmer. Place the lid on the pan and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the lid to toss and stir the pasta for about 3 minutes. Return the lid and allow to cook for another 5 minutes. Remove the lid and taste the pasta for doneness. There will still be just under an inch of liquid in the pot. Allow the pasta to cook more (if it was still crunchy), or allow some of the liquid to cook off. It’s about your preference. I like a bit of the broth remaining. Plus, the pasta will absorb more of the liquid as it sits.
4. To serve, spoon into large bowls, top with parmesan cheese and fresh arugula.

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Nutrition

• Serving Size: 4