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French Onion Steak Pasta
- Category: Comfort |
If you love French onion soup and a good steak pasta, you’re going to be obsessed with this French Onion Steak Pasta recipe. It’s rich, creamy, packed with flavour, and comes together in one pan — perfect for busy weeknights or when you’re craving serious comfort food. Tender strips of steak, caramelised onions, and a silky sauce with hints of garlic and cheese… what’s not to love?
SERVES
2
COOKING TIME
1 hour
DIFFICULTY
simple
What is French onion and where did it come from?
French onion refers to the classic French onion soup. It’s made by slowly cooking onions until they’re soft, sweet, and golden, then adding beef stock. It originally comes from France – it’s a rich, comforting soup topped with cheese and bread.
Is French onion steak pasta just pasta in the soup?
No, it’s not soup with pasta added. It’s inspired by the flavours of French onion soup – sweet onions, rich beefy taste, cheese – but turned into a creamy pasta dish with steak. No broth or runny soup.
What cut of steak should I use?
Fillet, sirloin or ribeye work best. You want something tender that cooks quickly and stays juicy.
How do I cook steak in a pan? Any tips?
- Take the steak out of the fridge 20 mins before cooking.
- Heat a frying pan until really hot.
- Season your steak well with salt and pepper.
- Cook 2-3 mins each side for medium (depending on thickness).
- Rest it for 5 mins before slicing – it keeps the steak juicy.
- And remember, don’t move it around too much – let it get a nice sear!
Do I need to caramelise the onions?
Yes! Slowly cooking the onions makes them sweet and packed with flavour. It’s what gives the pasta that proper French onion taste.
Can I use any cheese?
Gruyère is classic for French onion flavour, but cheddar works too. You want a cheese that melts nicely and adds flavour.
Can I make this without steak?
Yep! It’s still tasty with just the onions, cheese, and pasta. Or swap steak for chicken or mushrooms.
Method
Step 1
Add a knob of butter to a pan over medium heat, then stir in three chopped onions. Cook gently for around 15 minutes until soft and golden. Once sautéed, add Worcestershire sauce, thyme, garlic, salt, pepper, and beef stock. Stir well and let it simmer for 30 minutes. About 10 minutes before the sauce is ready, pour in the cream and cook until rich and glossy.
Step 2
Season your steak with some olive oil, salt and pepper (on both sides). Add to a pan with some butter, fresh rosemary and a garlic clove. Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side.
Step 3
Let the steak rest and cook your pasta.
Step 4
Once the pasta is cooked, add to the french onion sauce and serve with your steak and grate some cheese.
Ingredients
For the sauce:
3 large onions, chopped
2 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
250ml beef stock
125ml double cream
1 tsp thyme
1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp garlic puree
Salt and Pepper
For the steak:
2 ribeye steaks
Drizzle of olive oil
Salt and pepper
Knob of butter
Garlic clove
Fresh rosemary
Serve with:
300g rigatoni, cooked
75g gruyere cheese grated
Handful of fresh rocket
