French Onion Macaroni and Cheese – Creamy homemade mac and cheese with caramelized onion, bacon, and topped with croutons.
Homemade macaroni and cheese is total comfort food for pretty much everyone! Creamy, cheesy, and so good in pretty much any form. Today I am combining it with my husbands all time favorite French Onion Soup for an over the top version that you are going to want to try immediately!
Caramelized onions are pretty much the best thing ever, so adding them makes perfect sense. Pretty sure it is acceptable to add them to anything. I also added a little bacon. We all know that bacon makes everything better, so this seemed like a good idea. Pasta, cheese, caramelized onions, and bacon; are you sold yet? I made this for the ladies of cooking club this month, and they loved it. Kind of seriously, over the top, gooey, deliciousness.
This is a baked mac and cheese recipe, so it takes a little longer to make, but it is totally worth it. The croutons on top get extra crunchy and golden brown and all of the flavors just blend together in perfect harmony.

How to Make Baked Macaroni and Cheese
- Pasta – the first step is to boil the noodles. You want to make sure you under cook them because they will continue to cook in the oven and you do not want them to be mushy.
- Sauce – the sauce starts by melting butter and sauteing garlic. Then you add flour which will help thicken everything. The milk gets mixed in until everything is smooth. I use skim milk, because that is what we have on hand all the time. But you can use whatever you have. Heavy cream or half and half would work and this would be even more decadent and delicious.
- Cheese – stir in the cheeses until they are completely melted and you have a glorious cheese sauce. I use a mix of 3 cheeses (Monterey Jack, Mozzarella, and Gruyere) to get the best flavor and creaminess that goes with French onion soup.
- Bake – everything gets mixed together and put in a casserole dish. Top with the croutons and then you bake until it is hot, bubbly, and the croutons are golden brown.
Homemade macaroni and cheese is pretty darn easy to make and so much better than anything from a box. It does take more time, but just look at it. It is a totally different food than the stuff from a box, not even fair to compare them. So if you love French onion soup and you love mac and cheese, this is a definite must!
More Pasta Recipes To Try
- Panera Mac and Cheese
- Pesto Cavatappi
- Goulash
- Bacon Macaroni and Cheese
- Stovetop Mac and Cheese
- Homemade Hamburger Helper Lasagna
- Creamy Mushroom Pasta
- Pasta Milano
French Onion Mac and Cheese

French Onion Macaroni and Cheese - Creamy homemade mac and cheese with caramelized onion, bacon, and topped with croutons.
Ingredients
- 1 pound pasta, , cooked 2 minutes shy of the time on the box
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 2 cups milk
- 6 ounces Gruyere cheese, , shredded
- 6 ounces Monterey Jack, , shredded
- 6 ounces mozzarella cheese, , shredded
- 3 cloves garlic, , minced
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
- 1 cup caramelized onions
- 1/2 cup crumbled bacon
- 1/2 cup croutons, , crushed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a sauce pan melt butter. Add garlic and saute until fragrant. Mix in flour, and stir until it forms a paste. Slowly whisk in the milk, stirring constantly. Add salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
- Stir in cheeses, and mix until hot and smooth. Remove from heat.
- In a large bowl mix together cooked pasta, bacon, caramelized onions and cheese sauce.
- Pour into a large casserole dish. Top with crushed croutons.
- Place in oven for 20-25 minutes; until bubbly and the croutons are golden.
Nutrition Information
Yield
6Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 677Total Fat 43gSaturated Fat 24gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 16gCholesterol 124mgSodium 1244mgCarbohydrates 38gFiber 2gSugar 3gProtein 35g
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Erin @ Texanerin Baking says
Ooh! This looks nice. 🙂 And caramelized onions? I think I should make this for my husband’s birthday! He’s an onion fiend.
Rachel Cooks says
Ooooh I love french onion soup and this looks so amazing!!! Total genius. Thanks for helping us kick off this event! xo
Nutmeg Nanny says
I feel like this recipe might be the secret to my heart….haha. All of those onions, that cheese….that crunchy topping! Pass me a bowl 🙂
Ali | Gimme Some Oven says
Such a great idea! I love all things French onion!
steph@stephsbitebybite says
Ok, this is genius!! Seeing the flavors together makes perfect sense, but I’ve never seen a recipe like this before!! YUM!!
Amy @Very Culinary says
Well you already know how I feel about caramelized onions. And then bacon. And then my favorite cheese – Gruyere. DUDE. *scratches at computer monitor and cries*
Sarah - Daisy at Home says
Ohhh two favorites in one! Yum!
Erin @ The Spiffy Cookie says
I’m not a french onion soup fan, but combined with mac and cheese this sounds awesome!
Liz @ The Lemon Bowl says
I adore caramelized onions!! And bacon too?? YES!!
Anna @ Garnish with Lemon says
You’ve taken two of my favorite dishes and made them one. Brilliant!
Phi @ The Sweetphi Blog says
What a cool idea, I love French onion soup so I can’t wait to combine that with my love of mac n cheese and try this recipe!
foodwanderings says
I absolutely love French onion soup. I am yet to absolutely be taken by mac and cheese. I suspect you found the formula that might just work. There’s yet hope for me. 🙂
Laura (Tutti Dolci) says
This is such a great dinner idea, I love anything French onion!
Paula-bell'alimento says
French Onion and Macaroni and Cheese. Yes please.
Rekha says
Oh wow I really love this idea of yours… I am really eager to try the mac n cheese with caramelized onions. I do add bacon to my mac n cheese sometimes so I know how good that would taste.
Lisa {AuthenticSuburbanGourmet} says
WOW – this is a mac and cheese lovers dream post! I can see why your hubby loves this recipe! My mouth is officially watering.
Dionne Baldwin says
French onion mac and cheese sounds like a really REALLY good idea. I love French onion soup and noodles are meant to be with cheese. 🙂 Now I’m craving a warm bowl of this…
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says
I love macaroni cheese, I love French onion soup… awesome 🙂
Jocelyn @BruCrew Life says
I love love love caramelized onions! What a great idea to add them to mac n cheese!! It looks awesome!
Angie | Big Bear's Wife says
Great mac and cheese recipe for Mac and Cheese Mania!!! I love Gruyere cheese so I know this will be a hit!
Lauren @ Healthy Delicious says
French Onion was a great idea!!
Lori @ RecipeGirl says
Love this version! You were all so creative w/ this challenge 🙂
Susan says
Yes to everything you have going on in your mac and cheese! The topping looks insane and of course caramelized onions!
Lora @cakeduchess says
Some of my favorite cheeses in a fantastic mac and cheese…but then you had to had a little touch of crumbled bacon?!? great job for this mac and cheese event, Erin!
Megan @ Country Cleaver says
Wowzer – my favorite soup in my favorite dish, like EVER!!