French Onion Macaroni and Cheese plus Giveaway!
Macaroni and cheese is one of the best comfort foods. It is also one of my kids favorite meals. What kid (or adult) doesn’t love macaroni and cheese? Sometimes it’s fun to mix it up from a classic mac and cheese and add new flavors. This French Onion Macaroni and Cheese blends the flavors of french onion soup with macaroni and cheese. But guess what? Not only is this a creamy and comforting bowl of macaroni and cheese we all crave from time to time but I lightened it up so it can be enjoyed with less guilt.
For this French Onion Macaroni and Cheese you need to slice 2 or 3 sweet onions that you will cook over medium heat until they are nice and caramelized. The secret to the perfect caramelized onions is to thinly slice the onions. In order to perfectly slice the onions you need a good, sharp knife. I have to be honest with you, I always thought I had a good knife until I met my new best friend in the kitchen, a Wüsthof CLASSIC cook’s knife. Let me tell you, this knife seamlessly cuts through anything like butter. From the moment I took it out of the box, I started cutting anything I could get my hands on. I couldn’t believe how easily it cut through all my fruits and vegetables with ease. It didn’t take long to realize the knife I have been using for years wasn’t doing a good job. A good knife is essential in the kitchen. With the amount of prepping and cooking I do in the kitchen, this knife has made my life so much easier.
Located in Germany, Wüsthof has been family operated since 1814 crafting precision-forged knifes and kitchen tools that are used by chefs and in households across the world. Their selection of premium sharp knives range from paring to carving knives. From first slice, you will be able to see and feel the quality of these knifes that have been used for centuries. You will absolutely fall in love with the pristine quality of these exceptional knifes.
The CLASSIC Cook’s Knife is perfect for cutting all your fruits and vegetables. The ergonomic handle molds perfectly into your hand for the ultimate cutting experience.
It’s GIVEAWAY time! Wüsthof would like to give one Mother Thyme reader a CLASSIC 6″ cook’s knife! To enter, just simply use the entry form below. Giveaway open to U.S. residents only.
Thank you Wüsthof for sponsoring this amazing giveaway!
To find out more about Wüsthof and their variety of beautifully crafted products, you can visit them at www.wustfhof.com. For the latest news and updates, follow Wüsthof on Facebook and Twitter.
PrintFrench Onion Macaroni and Cheese
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients
- 2 cups dry whole wheat elbow macaroni
Caramelized Onions
- 1 pound sweet onions, thinly sliced (about 2–3 medium onions)
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
Sauce
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups fat free half and half
- 1/2 cup low sodium beef broth
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup Swiss cheese, shredded
- 1 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste.
Topping
- 2 tablespoons plain Panko bread crumbs
- 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water with a pinch of salt to a boil. Add elbow macaroni and cook until al dente. Drain and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Caramelized Onions
- Heat olive oil in a a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and toss to coat. Stir in salt. Cook, stirring occasionally to avoid burning until onions are brown and tender, about 18-20 minutes. Stir in balsamic vinegar and cook for 1-2 minutes longer until absorbed. Remove from heat and set aside.
Sauce
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add in garlic and cook for about 1 minute. Stir in half and half, beef broth and Worcestershire sauce and heat through.
- Stir in Swiss cheese, mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese and stir until melted.
- Stir in flour, 1 tablespoon at a time allowing flour to dissolve before adding more until sauce thickens.
- Stir in macaroni, onions and thyme. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Lightly spray a casserole dish with cooking spray. Pour in macaroni.
Topping
- In a small bowl combine bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle of macaroni.
- Bake for about 20 minutes until heated through.
The 6″ chef is perfect for use in my small kitchen. My 8 feels too big for the counterspace I have.
I love Wusthof knives. Great giveaway and great mac and cheese!!
It would be such a great help when Cutting up items for the gazpacho soup and for adding items to our pasta sauce.
This looks absolutely amazing! Two of my favorite dishes put together?! Yes please!
I love this! I can’t wait to try this recipe out! I could use the knife too, somehow my husband and I lost our favorite knife and have been working without an awesome knife for a while, this would be a fantastic addition to our home! Thanks!
I can’t wait to try this recipe! It looks amazing! And Wusthof’s are the best!
I prefer to use a knife instead of a single task kitchen tool. Easier to clean and store. With a good sharp knife chopping and mincing is a snap.
Chopping loads of fresh eggplant, tomato, summer squash, zucchini and garlic from the garden to make caponata!
I love French onion soup so this mac & cheese is a brilliant idea. I’d try this out first!
I would use this for ALL my veggie chopping! I need a better, sharper knife than what I have now.
Any kind of mac & cheese is good & this particular recipe adds caramelized onions. It looks really fantastic. Can’t wait to give it a try!
I would use this knife for all my vegetable chopping needs 🙂
To cut tomatoes! I could use a knife that slices instead of mushes.
It would make prepping veggies for my stir fry so much easier
I’ll answer the question (“What would you like to use a Wusthof CLASSIC 6” cook’s knife for? “) with another question: What WOULDN’T I use that gorgeous knife for? Cutting onions, for sure, which I do all the time. Cutting potatoes, and cheese, and apples. Broccoli. Carrots and celery. Lemons. Mushrooms. Everything!
I would use to cut meat for the beef stew
I would use it for chopping loads of veggies! Love these knives. What a great giveaway. Thanks for offering the chance to win.
This is perfect to chop veggies, love it.
cutting vegetables!!! i need a great knife!
Macaroni and cheese. Caramelized onions. A combination made in heaven! Wustof Cook’s Knife – sweeter yet.
What wouldn’t I use it for! I would use it for chopping up veggies and fruits, also partially frozen meat to make my own burgers. I like to enter food contests and the country fairs, but for all of that I use a $5 knife that is so bad it isn’t safe! I have lusted after this knife or a long time!
Cutting up lots of fresh seasonal produce!
I’d use it to cut up veggies!
I would use it to slice flank steak really, really thinly!
It be a nice knife in my new kitchen.
I would slice onions. As quickly as possible. Maybe without tears.
I’d use it for lots of chopping – herbs, veggies, etc. My hands are small, so I think a shorter knife would be easier for me to use
I was JUST contemplating how I wanted to scrap my original dinner plans for tonight when this recipe came up in my feed reader. A new dinner plan was born! Thanks for the recipe and for offering the giveaway. 😀
Love the idea of the caramelized onions in mac and cheese. Would love to have a good knife for chopping.
Oh mer gerd. This looks amazing Jennifer! My husband would flip for it!
I would love it for chopping all the vegetables I get out of the garden this year!!!
6″ knives are definitely my size of choice! And this macaroni and cheese sounds delicious =)
I’m a huge salad lover, and would be chopping up every imaginable ingredient, all the regulars, plus a few more not as common, including fruits, new & exciting from Whole Foods!
It would have nice to have a knife that actually cuts properly.
I love to cut up fruits and veggies for so many different recipes and snacks, a nice knife would make the work so much easier!
I would use it for chopping onions and bellpeppers, and for all the fruits and veggies I serve.
Caramelized onions! A whole lot of them!
I definitely could use a smaller knife that is bigger than my paring knife!
Love your recipes 🙂
I would use it for chopping up veggies for grilling this summer!
chopping fresh veggies!
Would love the knife!
i would use it to chop my veggies with!
I would use this knife to chop up veggies for soup tonight.
I would use the knife for cutting a whole ton of things!
Id use it for chopping all my veggies for soups!
The macoroni and cheese looks amazing! I wish we were not allergic to dairy so I could make it 🙁 Have a wonderful weekend – Lisa
Veggies for pizza
It would be perfect for me, since I have small hands. I’d chop garlic, onions, etc.
Chocolate!
I’d use it to chop Chocolate!
I need a sharper knife in general for all of my veggies and fruits. This is a great giveaway!
My fiance and I are getting married this summer and have been oogling Wustof knives! We put a set of them on our registry, but they are so expensive, that we guess that we won’t get them and will have to purchase them ourselves. We are also both cooks, so we would LOVE to have an extra chef’s knife!
Oh what wouldn’t I use it for!? I love making salsas so I’d probably start there!
Such a fabulous giveaway! Wusthof knives are second to none – love ’em! I would use mine to chop up a ton of veggies for a big Greek salad… my fave. Thanks for sharing, Jennifer!
for chopping up vegetables
This is a great giveaway! It’s not easy to get knives that are good quality. Also, your mac and cheese looks amazing!
My leftover meat loaf dinner pales in comparison to this!! Mac and cheese is my all time favorite comfort food!
I love chopped vegetables on my pizza, this beautiful knife would make it dream chopping. Thank you for the chance to win. My real reply is, EVERYTHING!
Would use it to chop every thing!!
Oh I would chop all my veggies that I can’t with my other knives. They won’t even sharpen any more.
I love Wusthof knives. I would use this for just about everything that my little Wusthoff knife couldn’t handle.
I’d use it as my number one go-to knife.
Oh wow, the possibilities! I would totally enjoy prepping veggies more if I had that beautiful knife to work with!
Thanks for the opportunity!!!
chopping the pineapple i have growing right now
Chopping vegetables!
There is something so comforting about a big plate of mac and cheese. I would love a new knife for chopping vegetables quickly!!!
What a delicious looking recipe. Cannot wait to try this.