🧅 Did you know that we throw away 170,000 onions every day in the UK?
🍽 If you have onions to use up, why not make them the star of your dinner? Turn them into this indulgent pasta gratin. You need half a kilo of onions to make it. Slowly caramelise them until they’re sticky and rich, then bubble with cream and Gruyère cheese to make a luxurious pasta sauce.
French Onion Pasta Gratin
Serves 2
500g onions
50g unsalted butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1 bay leaf
A handful of thyme sprigs
3 garlic cloves
100g Gruyère
125ml dry white wine
2 tbsp plain flour
2 tsp Dijon mustard
150ml hot beef stock
200g fresh orecchiette pasta
100ml double cream
50g fresh breadcrumbs
Peel and finely slice the onions. Melt the butter in a deep frying pan over low heat. Add oil and onions. Drop in the bay leaf and 2-3 thyme sprigs. Season. Pop a lid on the pan. Very gently cook the onions for 20 mins, stirring regularly, till soft.
Take off lid. Gently cook the onions for 40 mins, stirring every 5-10 mins, till they’re well browned, sticky and caramelised. If they start to dry out, add an extra knob of butter and a splash of water.
Peel and crush the garlic. Coarsely grate the Gruyère. Pick the leaves off 1 thyme sprig. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil.
Lift the bay and thyme out of the onions. Turn heat up to medium. Add the garlic. Fry, stirring often, for 2 mins. Pour in the wine. Bring to a bubble. Simmer for 2-3 mins till reduced by half.
Stir in flour. Add mustard. Pour in beef stock. Bring up to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 3-5 mins till the stock has reduced by half and the sauce has thickened.
Add the orecchiette to the boiling water. Simmer for 4-5 mins till tender. Drain well. Preheat your grill to high.
Stir the cream and half the Gruyère into the onions. Stir in the pasta. Taste the sauce, and season with salt and pepper if needed. Spoon the pasta and sauce into an ovenproof dish. Scatter breadcrumbs and remaining Gruyère over the top. Grill for 3-4 mins till golden and bubbling.
Let it rest for 2-3 mins. Serve with the thyme leaves you reserved earlier. Serve with a peppery green salad on the side.
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