French Onion Dishes to Try Now

Start with thinly sliced onions, cooked slowly to coax out their sugar so that they reach a deeper level of sweetness while still retaining their savory, oniony character. Add a splash of sherry and a tiny dollop of beef bouillon paste, plus a smattering of Gruyère cheese, and you get the recognizable (and beloved) flavors of French onion soup.

French onion soup is about as comforting as food gets. We’ll never tire of this combination of flavors, and have long been willing to pair them with baked cheese, a bowl of pasta, a hearty sandwich, and more. Try it yourself with these easy French onion–ified foods, perfect for a bistro meal at home, or any night that needs melty cheese and caramelized onions.

Table of Contents

French Onion Pasta

Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

We turned classic French onion soup into the ultimate comfort dinner by tossing bucatini with deeply caramelized onions, cheesy breadcrumbs, and an umami-rich sauce of beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, fish sauce, Parmesan, and Gruyère cheese.

French Onion Loaded Baked Potatoes

Food & Wine / Photo by Brie Goldman / Food Styling by Lauren McAnelly / Prop Styling by Sue Mitchell

Pack your baked potato with Frenched onions, Gruyère cheese, and a sprinkle of fresh thyme. Then pop the potatoes under the broiler to get the cheese nice and melty. Before serving, add a dollop of sour cream — or crème fraîche, if you’re feeling fancy.

French Onion Baked Brie

Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Amelia Rampe

Savory caramelized onions meet gooey melted baked Brie in this appetizer, which combines the best part of our favorite bistro soup with flaky, buttery puff pastry.

Caramelized Onion and Bread Soup with Brûléed Blue Cheese

Greg DuPree

Stilton cheese and full-bodied oloroso sherry contribute incredible depth of flavor to this reimagined French onion soup. Sommelier Dana Frank and recipe developer Andrea Slonecker start with a whopping four and a half pounds of mixed onions to usher in the unique notes of each variety; be sure to allow a full 45 minutes to caramelize them without risking burnt bits.

French Onion-Stuffed Butternut Squash

Food & Wine / Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Jennifer Wendorf / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

Stuff nutty butternut squash with caramelized onions, Gruyère cheese, and toasted croutons for this hearty sweet-and-savory side. The components can be made ahead to assemble and bake day of.

Frenched Onions

Chris Simpson / FOOD STYLING by MARGARET MONROE DICKEY / PROP STYLING by AUDREY DAVIS

The process of slowly sautéeing onions until their sugars release and brown is a fundamental cooking technique, and it works best with onions that have a high sugar content, like yellow onions. This recipe, with its savory beef notes from bouillon and nutty sweetness from dry sherry, can be used as the base for a classic French onion soup as well as the other dishes on this list.

French Onion Roast Beef Sliders

Chris Simpson / FOOD STYLING by MARGARET MONROE DICKEY / PROP STYLING by AUDREY DAVIS

Layer roast beef, Frenched onions, and Gruyère cheese between a split slab of sweet Hawaiian rolls. Brush the tops of the bread with melted butter, then cover well with foil. Bake at 350°F until the cheese melts; uncover and let cook a little longer until the top is toasted. Irresistible party food unlocked.

French Onion Mac and Cheese

Chris Simpson / FOOD STYLING by MARGARET MONROE DICKEY / PROP STYLING by AUDREY DAVIS

F&W food editor Paige Grandjean upgrades mac and cheese by stirring Frenched onions into the mix, then topping it with buttered, torn sourdough bread right before baking.

French Onion Chicken Pot Pie

Antonis Achilleos / Food Styling by Ali Ramee / Prop Styling by Christine Keely

The best of both worlds, this crossover of French onion soup and chicken pot pie is made with roasted and shredded chicken thighs along with deeply caramelized onions and carrots. Store-bought puff pastry reduces the overall workload, and rotisserie chicken can too.

French Onion Soup with Roasted Poblanos

Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Prissy Lee Montiel

Chef Carlos Gaytán’s onion soup is a labor of love that does not disappoint in flavor or presentation. Slow-cooked caramelized onions meet roasted poblanos for a little heat, balsamic vinegar for a little fruit, and Gruyère cheese for a whole lotta umami in this wonderful soup.

French Onion Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Brie Goldman / Food Styling by Annie Prost / Prop Styling by Addelyn Evans

Former F&W food editor Grace Parisi reinvented the classic grilled cheese sandwich with this version, which emulates the gooey, cheesy top of a bowl of French onion soup. Give yourself time to cook the onions slowly; caramelized onions take almost an hour to achieve their sweet flavor and melty texture, but are worth the wait.

Skillet French Onion Chicken

Food & Wine / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Christina Daley

Boneless chicken breasts get the French onion treatment with a rich beef broth and sherry pan sauce, softened onions, and melty Gruyère cheese in this recipe from Renu Dahr.

French Onion–Stuffed Onions

Chris Simpson / FOOD STYLING by MARGARET MONROE DICKEY / PROP STYLING by AUDREY DAVIS

This whole roasted onion hints at the pleasures of French onion soup with its stuffing of beefy caramelized onions. The white onion itself, already mild, mellows further while roasting and offsets the sweet intensity of the Frenched onions.

French Onion Dip

Jordan Provost / Food Styling by Thu Buser

Making creamy, tangy French onion dip from scratch will have you falling for this quintessential party snack all over again. Three whole caramelized red onions get mixed with Worcestershire sauce, beef bouillon, sour cream, and cream cheese for an unforgettable treat.

French Onion-Style White Bean Soup

Gwyneth Paltrow bolsters her French onion-bean soup hybrid with a thinly sliced fennel bulb and plenty of garlic; each serving is topped with a hunk of sourdough covered in freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and broiled until the cheese is melted and golden.

French (Canadian) Onion Soup

Chef Hugue Dufour uses bacon and a pig’s foot to build a base of rich, smoky pork broth for this French onion soup. The broth will be lighter but still delicious if you skip the pig’s foot.