Tuesday, January 7, 2014

French Onion Pasta


I found this quick and easy recipe on the blog Stephanie Cooks. It was packed full of flavor and we ate every last noodle! I loved how I could make the entire thing before my husband came home from work. When we were ready to eat, I just popped it into the oven for a couple of minutes to broil the cheese and it was done! Who doesn't love a simple meal that tastes like you've put way more effort into it than you actually have?

I did add an 8oz package of mushrooms to this meal to "beef" it up a bit. This pasta, paired with a simple green salad and a slice of crusty bread was enough to fill us up. If you are making this for more than two people, I think you should double the recipe. Enjoy!

Recipe from Stephanie Cooks:

2 cups of uncooked penne pasta (8 oz)
1 Tbl olive oil
1 shallot, finely diced
1 8oz package of baby bello mushrooms, chopped <this is my own addition>
2 cloves of garlic, smashed <I just diced it>
1 to 1.5 cup of chicken stock <I used 1 1/4 cup>
1 packet of Lipton's Onion Soup mix
1/2 cup of marsala wine <I didn't have marsala wine, so I used red wine>
1 tablespoon of flour
4 tablespoons of cream
1/4 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese <must admit I didn't measure this....just lightly covered the pasta...oh, and I added a little sprinkling of good quality Parm, too>

Directions-

Cook pasta according to directions, set aside and keep warm. <I HATE overcooked pasta and I find that pasta that is cooked fully in the pot and then also baked again in the oven really does get mushy. To counter this I always under-cook my pasta in the pot so it is very al dente. For this particular dish, I cut one minute off the cooking time on the penne pasta. It was perfect after broiled>

In a saucepan, heat the olive oil <I used my gorgeous new Le Cruset oven-proof skillet! An awesome Christmas gift from my parents>. Add the shallots <mushrooms, if using> and garlic, stir continually until soft and fragrant <about 5 to 7 minutes>.

Add the marsala wine, scraping the bottom of the pan to remove any stuck on pieces of onion. <I simmered for a few minutes until about 3/4 of the wine absorbed>.

Add the stock and soup mix packet, allow to cook on low for about 20 minutes <1/2 of the liquid will cook down>.

Stir in flour, whisking continually until well incorporated and thickened slightly.

Add the cream, mix well.

Add the pasta to the sauce and stir well.

<If you are using an oven-proof skillet, top the pasta with cheese. If you are not using an oven-proof skillet>, pour pasta mixture into an oven safe dish. Top with the mozzarella cheese.

Set it under the broiler until the cheese melts and gets a little crispy.

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