French Onion Mac and Cheese

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French Onion Mac and Cheese

This French Onion Mac and Cheese recipe combines two comfort food favorites by adding caramelized onions, seasonings, and Gruyère to classic baked macaroni!

Prep Time15

Cook Time1 15

Total Time1 30

Course: dinner

Cuisine: American, French

Keyword: French Onion Mac and Cheese

Servings: servings (1 cup per serving)

Ingredients

1/2 a baguette cut into 1/2 inch slices (12 slices total)
4 cloves garlic , peeled and left whole
1 pound dry jumbo elbow macaroni
5 tablespoons salted butter , divided + extra for greasing your casserole dish
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cups sweet onions , julienned
2 teaspoons salt , divided
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons flour
1 can (12 ounce) evaporated milk
2 & 1/2 cups whole milk , room temperature
7 ounce Gruyère cheese , shredded (about 2 cups)
7 ounce high quality aged cheddar cheese , shredded (about 2 cups)*
1/4 cup crispy fried onions

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Slice half a baguette into 1/2 inch slices and lightly toast in oven for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and rub with 4 garlic cloves. Set aside.
Put a large pot of salted water on to boil. Once ready, add 1 pound of jumbo elbow macaroni, cooking until barely al dente, about 7-8 minutes. Once your macaroni is cooked to barely al dente, strain and cover with a clean, moist towel (*see note.)
In a sauté pan, add 2 tablespoons of salted butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat.
Once the butter has melted, add 4 cups of julienned onions and 1 teaspoon salt.
Turn the heat up to medium-high and toss the onions to fully coat them in the butter. To the onions, add 1 teaspoon salt, 1 bay leaf, 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley, 1/2 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, and 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard. Stir to combine.
Then, stir every 2-3 minutes for about 30-45 minutes total until the onions have fully caramelized, turning a deep golden brown color.
Then, deglaze the pan with 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, scraping up any delicious crispy bits of onion from the bottom of the pan.
Turn heat down to medium and add 3 more tablespoons of salted butter to the pan. Once melted, add 1 tablespoon at a time of flour, stirring constantly.
Pour a 12 ounce can of evaporated milk and 2 & 1/2 cups of room temperature whole milk into the pan and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, stirring often until it becomes noticeably thicker, about 4-5 minutes. If needed, bump the heat up just a smidge.
Add 1 cup of shredded Gruyère and 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese, little by little, stirring to combine and only adding the next cheese until the cup before has fully melted.
Transfer par-cooked macaroni to a buttered large 3 quart casserole dish (I used a 9x13” casserole dish) and pour the finished cheese sauce over the macaroni, tossing it gently to make sure every piece of macaroni is covered in the cheese sauce.
Sprinkle the top of your macaroni with 1/4 cup of crispy fried onions.
Place the toasted baguette slices on top of the macaroni and cheese (each serving will have 1 slice of bread on top.)
Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of shredded Gruyère on top of the toasted baguette slices.
Bake in the oven for 15 minutes until the cheese and toasts on top are golden, bubbly, and dark in spots.
Let everything cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Notes

*I find this trick helps the macaroni stay moist but not wet and saves a little olive oil. If you prefer to toss your macaroni in a little olive oil to avoid it sticking together in large clumps, I still recommend the towel trick.

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