12 French Onion Recipes Beyond Soup

It feels reductive to call French onion soup a mere soup. Somehow, it doesn't quite capture the intensity of flavor that this mouthwatering recipe brings to the table. Slowly caramelized onions and rich beef broth create a depth of taste that goes beyond a standard clear broth-based soup, and some recipes dial up the strength with ingredients like vinegar, fish sauce, and wine. Although variations on onion soup can be traced back to Roman times, the soup that we now know today, which often includes crusty bread coated in melted cheese, was developed in Paris in the 18th century.

There are plenty of ways that you can make this classic dish (though we're particularly fond of our own French onion soup recipe). However, there are also ways to adapt the rich flavor combination into other dishes. Here, we've rounded up some of our favorite options, from flatbread to chicken tenders. Whether you're looking for a delicious side dish or a show-stopping main dish, make it a French onion recipe. Those flavors can't be beat.

Sometimes, you just want a new way to enjoy classic flavors, and that's what you'll get from this French onion flatbread recipe. Like the soup, you'll need to take your time caramelizing the onions if you want the maximum effect. Flatbread is easier to make than pizza because the dough doesn't rise. Plus, this recipe boasts not one but three cheeses –- Gruyére, Parmesan, and mozzarella — though recipe developer Michelle McGlinn notes that you can swap other cheeses in if you prefer. Swiss cheese and Romano work particularly well as respective substitutes for Gruyére and Parmesan.

Recipe: Triple Cheese French Onion Flatbread

If you want a quick side dish that is packed with flavor and offers a departure from your usual side dish rotation, this one-pan rice recipe will fit the bill beautifully. It also happens to be incredibly easy to pull together thanks to the use of French onion soup mix rather than from-scratch components. The bulk of the time goes to the actual cooking of the dish, which can be done without your direct supervision. Cooking the rice in beef broth ensures that you achieve the classic French onion depth of flavor.

Recipe: Earthy One-Pan French Onion Rice

Combining two beloved dishes into one (all in one skillet, no less), this French onion/pork chop mashup is sure to be a hit with anyone lucky enough to eat it. As it turns out, the delicious soup flavors make a mouthwatering pairing as a sauce with pork. It might sound like an intimidatingly fancy recipe, but in reality, it's a breeze. Just sear the pork chops, whip up the sauce, melt some cheese over the meat, and serve. It all takes less than 45 minutes to come together.

Recipe: 1-Skillet French Onion Pork Chops

Of all the ways to upgrade burgers, a French onion spin is one of the most underrated. You might already love cheese and caramelized onions on your burgers, so taking it a step further is heaven on a bun. Aside from the flavorful ground beef mixture, you'll need to make caramelized onions (don't skimp on time, as it's everything when it comes to creating flavor). Melted Gruyére cheese on top of the patties completes the formula. The end result is all you love in the soup, but in burger form -– bread, melted cheese, beef, and caramelized onions.

Recipe: Decadent French Onion Burger

"Au gratin" refers to any dish that is sprinkled with cheese or breadcrumbs and browned. While you might have heard it most often in conjunction with potatoes, we're willing to bet that this French onion soup variation will leave a lasting impression. It opts for the fullest definition of the "au gratin" phrase, calling for both melted cheese (Gruyére and mozzarella) and breadcrumbs (in the form of croutons). The resulting dish is gooey, decadent perfection with just the right amount of crunch.

Recipe: French Onion Soup Au Gratin

To make a really flavorful French onion soup, you need considerable time to caramelize the onions and simmer the beef stock. But the beauty of this French onion chicken recipe is that the slow cooker does the time for you. Instead of spending an hour with onions and multiple hours with the stock, you just put all the ingredients together (that part takes about 10 minutes) and let the slow cooker do its thing for another six hours or so. A dash of sherry at the end is the proverbial cherry on top.

Recipe: Slow Cooker French Onion Chicken

If you love French onion soup primarily for the cheese-drenched bread, we have a treat for you. This recipe for pull-apart bread tips the scales in favor of the cheesy baguette, and the results are pretty magical, if we do say so ourselves. It also looks beautiful, thanks to diagonal slices that look much more difficult to execute than they actually are. Although this recipe is easy to make, it does call for a full hour of caramelization for the onions. It might seem excessive, but trust us, you'll taste the difference.

Recipe: French Onion Pull-Apart Bread

Stand aside, Swedish meatballs, French onion meatballs are here to steal your thunder. Gooey Gruyére and caramelized onions make these bad boys about as mouthwatering as you could hope for, while ground chicken keeps them nutritious. Filling, protein-rich, and bursting with sweet and savory flavors, these meatballs might just be your new go-to recipe. One of the benefits of adapting a soup recipe for meatballs is that you get a delicious sauce to keep the moisture levels just right. Serve them with a crusty baguette to complete the French onion theme.

Recipe: French Onion Chicken Meatballs

Casseroles can be anything you want them to be, and it turns out that the French onion flavor profile suits this most convenient of dishes as if they were made for each other. Orecchiette pasta stands in as the carb of the dish in place of the usual crusty bread, while white wine adds flavor to the already flavorful combination of caramelized onions and beef broth. The best of all is that this recipe includes ground beef, making it a complete meal in one dish.

Recipe: Cheesy French Onion Soup Pasta Casserole

Mac and cheese is one of those recipes, like grilled chilled, that really doesn't need upgrading. But sometimes, a few ingredients here and there can turn this comfort food into a sophisticated main dish with little effort. Such is the case with this recipe. The standard cheesy sauce is made with beef stock, white wine, Gruyére, and thyme to meld it with French onion soup, and the caramelized onions are made with sugar and balsamic vinegar for an intense, sweet flavor. The combination is irresistible.

Recipe: Decadent French Onion Mac And Cheese

Although French onion soup is usually made with beef stock, you don't have to use beef if you want to add meat. Chicken is a lighter option that pairs well with beef stock, as demonstrated in this recipe. Start by making a quick version of French onion soup by caramelizing onions and stewing them briefly in beef broth. Then, coat the bottom of an oven-proof dish with most of the onions, layer chicken on top, and cover it with the rest of the onions and Gruyére cheese before baking.

Recipe: French Onion Chicken Bake

Chicken tenders are a childhood favorite, and if you're like us, you probably feel a twinge of jealousy every time you see them on the kids' menu rather than the regular menu. But with this French onion twist, no one would challenge an adult for partaking. They're easy to make, too, since the central alteration is to add crispy fried onions to the breadcrumb coating. It's really that simple. And although it might not sound transformational, those onions do, in fact, change the game entirely.

Recipe: Crispy French Onion Chicken Tenders

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