Hope everyone can stand another recipe with caramelized onion in it!

Andrew is my mac & cheese guy. Both our offspring ate Kraft Macaroni & Cheese as kids. It was quick and easy to make and once they were old enough to use the stove, Kelly & Andrew put it together themselves. I didn’t often make mac & cheese from scratch in those days. Currently, in the colder months, Andrew still orders mac & cheese when we go out to eat at restaurants near him. One of his favorite local lunch places serves pulled pork mac & cheese. A huge bowl of homemade macaroni & cheese comes out from the kitchen with a generous portion of pulled pork on top of it. Andrew can devour most of it ( although not always all of it) in one sitting. Oh, to have the metabolism of an active 20-something male!

With Andrew in mind and the changing seasons making the weather very unpredictable, I knew I wanted the comfort of a mac & cheese dish to post this week. My first choice was a spinach & artichoke version. It was good, but I felt the recipe needed some work. My second choice was this French Onion Mac & Cheese recipe. The Gruyère cheese and caramelized onions elevate it to a level sophisticated enough to be served at a dinner party. Or to good friends and family. Cavatappi (cah-vah-TOP-pee) is a helical tubed pasta. It comes from the Italian word for corkscrew. But any short, curly or small cupped pasta will work well in this recipe. And we all need some incredible, homemade comfort food right about now! Stay safe & healthy, and cook at home!

French Onion Mac & Cheese

French Onion Mac & Cheese (adapted from delish.com) Yield: 4 – 6 servings, Total Time Required: 1 hour, 25 minutes, Prep Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 5 tablespoons butter, divided
• 2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
• kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 8 ounces cavatappi
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 cups milk
• 1 cup (about 4 ounces) grated fontina cheese
• 2 1/2 cups (about 9-1.2 ounces) grated Gruyère
• 1 cup (about 4 ounces) shredded sharp white cheddar
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, plus more for garnish

Directions:

In a large skillet, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Add the onions and a pinch of salt to the pan and cook them, stirring occasionally, until they are golden, about 30 minutes.

Caramelize the onions.

They’re getting there.

And they are done after about 30 minutes!

While the onions are caramelizing, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, according to the package directions, until it is al dente. Drain the pasta and set it aside.

Cook the pasta.

When the onions are ready, preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 2-1/2 quart baking dish with some butter or coat it with cooking spray. In a medium saucepan, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat. Add the flour and cook the roux, stirring, for 1 minute. Continue to whisk the mixture and slowly pour in the milk until it is combined with the flour and butter. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium. Simmer, stirring, until the sauce is thickened, about 6 minutes. Stir in the fontina, 1 cup of the Gruyère, and the cheddar until all the cheese is melted.

Heat the milk and add the cheeses, stirring until they are melted.

Remove the sauce from the heat. Stir in the pasta, caramelized onions, Dijon, thyme, and cayenne. Season it with salt and pepper. Transfer the mac & cheese to the prepared dish. Top it with the remaining Gruyère.

Add the cooked pasta to the cheese sauce.

Add in the caramelized onions.

Add a pinch of cayenne pepper & Dijon mustard to the mix.

Bake until the sauce is bubbly around the edges, about 20 minutes. Switch the oven to broil and broil the mac & cheese until the cheese is golden, about 2 minutes. Garnish with more thyme and serve.

This is . . .

. . . awesome!

 Absolutely awesome & delicious comfort food! ~Linda

French Onion Mac & Cheese (adapted from delish.com) Yield: 4 – 6 servings, Total Time Required: 1 hour, 25 minutes, Prep Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 5 tablespoons butter, divided
• 2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
• kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 8 ounces cavatappi
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 cups milk
• 1 cup (about 4 ounces) grated fontina cheese
• 2 1/2 cups (about 9-1.2 ounces) grated Gruyère
• 1 cup (about 4 ounces) shredded sharp white cheddar
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, plus more for garnish

Directions:

In a large skillet, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Add the onions and a pinch of salt to the pan and cook them, stirring occasionally, until they are golden, about 30 minutes.

While the onions are caramelizing, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, according to the package directions, until it is al dente. Drain the pasta and set it aside.

When the onions are ready, preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 2-1/2 quart baking dish with some butter or coat it with cooking spray. In a medium saucepan, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat. Add the flour and cook the roux, stirring, for 1 minute. Continue to whisk the mixture and slowly pour in the milk until it is combined with the flour and butter. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium. Simmer, stirring, until the sauce is thickened, about 6 minutes. Stir in the fontina, 1 cup of the Gruyère, and the cheddar until all the cheese is melted.

Remove the sauce from the heat. Stir in the pasta, caramelized onions, Dijon, thyme, and cayenne. Season it with salt and pepper. Transfer the mac & cheese to the prepared dish. Top it with the remaining Gruyère. Bake it until the sauce is bubbly around the edges, about 20 minutes. Switch the oven to broil and broil the mac & cheese until the cheese is golden, about 2 minutes. Garnish with more thyme and serve.