Our Christmas Tree is still up and I don’ even feel bad about it. We just returned from several weeks in Colorado and now that we’re back we want to enjoy our own Christmas decorations. Besides, January is not the boss of us!
Also? Not feeling bad about this cheesy french onion pasta bake with mushrooms and rutabaga noodles!
I first learned about the french onion pasta bake from Half Baked Harvest. Insanely delicious. It’s like comfort food and all things savory had a baby. I swoon!
But I wanted to eat this bowl of decadence like 18 more times so I decided to find a healthier alternative to the noodles. Which is easy when you have a gadget that turns veggies into noodles!
Enter the ever forgettable but oh-so satisfying rutabaga:
It was kind of hard to get a flattering picture of this root vegetable – but like the good people we are, we know looks aren’t everything.
Why rutabaga? I really wanted to try something other than zucchini noodles or my forever favorite sweet potato noodles but I wanted something that was firm and could stand up to this rich broth. Rutabaga, you did not disappoint!
Here she is all ready for the party:
Now we’re ready.
Cheesy French Onion and Mushroom Pasta Bake with Rutabaga Noodles
If you’re having a bad day, just throw some onions and mushrooms into a big soup pot and it will get 200% better. Promise.
Really bad day? Let’s add some red wine.
So.Much.Better.
This all comes together in one pot. Saute, simmer, stir…winning.
The best part is when we add the cheese. Because, cheese! I used gruyere. It has this sharp and tangy taste and is beautiful at melting. But you can also use parmesan.
Put your big pot of deliciousness under the broiler to let the cheese melt and get all bubbly.
Bring your people to your table and serve. Remember to invite me 😉
Full recipe below! I had to play around with this quite a bit because rutabaga noodles are not structured like pasta noodles. So be sure to follow the recipe 🙂
Cheesy French Onion Pasta Bake with Mushrooms and Rutabaga Noodles
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 1x
Ingredients
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 small sweet onions, thinly sliced
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup dry red wine (or broth)
- 8 oz sliced portobella mushrooms
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups vegetable (or chicken) broth
- 1 rutabaga or sweet potato, spiralized for noodles
- 2–3 fresh thyme sprigs
- 1/2 cup heavy cream or half and half
- 4 oz gruyere cheese, shredded and divided
- 1/2 cup frozen peas (optional)
Instructions
- For rutabaga noodles:
- Use vegetable peeler to remove skin. Cut rutabaga in half and put through spiralizer. Run a knife through noodles so they are not so long. Set aside.
- Preheat the the broiler to high.
- Heat butter in a dutch oven (or other oven safe pot) over medium-high heat. Once melted and slightly bubbly, add the mushrooms. Let mushrooms cook, without disturbing for 5 minutes. This will caramelize the mushrooms to perfection! After 5 minutes stir and let cook for an additional 3 minutes. Lower temperature to medium and add onions. Cook about 10 minutes, stirring every once in awhile, until softened. Add the Worcestershire sauce and wine, cooking until wine evaporates, about 10 minutes.
- Add the garlic, salt and pepper; cook 3-4 minutes. Add vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Add rutabaga noodles and thyme. Stir and cook for 10 minutes. Stir in the half and half; simmer an additional 5-10 minutes or until noodles are cooked. (Should not be mushy.)
- Stir in half the gruyere cheese and peas. Cook 2 minutes and then remove from the heat. Top with the remaining cheese and place under the broiler for 1-2 minutes until the cheese is melted.
- Serve warm!
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