French Onion Mac 'n Cheese
3:08 PM | 
Posted by
Kelly
Week 4 of the recipe swap...holy yummy mac 'n cheese recipe!!! I was going to try to eat only a little bit of this (I halved the recipe) but that went out the window after the first bite. Whats not to love, it combines two of my favorite things - french onion soup and mac 'n cheese!I know people have mixed feelings about Rachael Ray, but I happen to love her and most of recipes. I will definitely make this again.
French Onion Mac 'n Cheese
Recipe from Rachael Ray
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons butter
2 large onions, very thinly sliced
1 teaspoon ground thyme
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper
1 pound penne rigate or whole wheat penne rigate pasta
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup whole milk
Freshly grated nutmeg
3/4 pound gruyère cheese, shredded (I used swiss)
Directions:
1.In a skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Stir in the onions, thyme and bay leaf for 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Lower the heat and cook until the onions are browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a plate and discard the bay leaf. Reserve the skillet.
2.Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it, add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and return to the pot.
3.In the reserved skillet, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour for 1 minute, then whisk in the chicken stock and milk and bring to a boil; season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Lower the heat and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cheese until melted.
4.Combine the onions and sauce with the pasta and toss well.
ZACH'S RATING - *****
Labels:
French Onion Soup
INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 large onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 (14 ounce) cans beef broth
1/2 cup white wine
1 1/2 cups water
2 bay leaves
6 slices French bread
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
DIRECTIONS
In a large saucepan over low heat, melt butter with olive oil. Cook onions in mixture, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes, until very soft, translucent and brown on the edges. Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir to combine. Pour in beef broth, wine and water with bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 20 to 30 minutes. Preheat oven broiler. Toast the bread slices. Ladle the soup into 6 ovenproof bowls and place the bowls on a baking sheet. Place a toasted slice of bread over each bowl and top with Swiss cheese. Place bowls under broiler until cheese is melted.
I used thick sliced reduced fat swiss instead of shredded and used 1 cup of wine/1cup of water instead. I also added about a tbs of fresh chopped thyme, which I thought was a key addition.
The soup was tasty but a bit sweet. I think next time I make this I will use a dry chardonnay instead of sauvignon blanc or maybe even red wine. Overall, I was pleased with how it turned out and will definitely make it again! My husband prefers provolone cheese, so I will probably change that as well.
