French Onion Orzo with Meatballs: Comforting and Flavorful!
French Onion Orzo with Meatballs is a comforting and flavorful pasta dish inspired by the classic French Onion Soup. We bring together caramelized onions, orzo pasta, flavorful beef broth and red wine to make this amazing dish!
Things to know:
What is French Onion Soup?
French onion soup (soupe à l’oignon) is a traditional French comfort dish made from slowly caramelized onions and rich beef stock. It is served hot in an oven-safe crock, topped with a crusty slice of bread and melted cheese (typically Gruyère).
What is the origin of French Onion Soup?
French Onion Soup (soupe à l’oignon) traces back to ancient Roman and Greek times as a humble, cheap dish made from plentiful onions. The modern caramelized meat-broth version topped with bread and melted cheese evolved in 18th- and 19th-century Paris, popularized at the Les Halles central market.
What is the difference between French onion soup and regular onion soup?
French onion soup is a specific, classic dish featuring slowly caramelized onions in a rich beef or beef-and-chicken stock, deglazed with wine or brandy, and finished with a toasted bread crust and melted Gruyère cheese. “Regular” or generic onion soup is a broad term for any basic broth- or vegetable-based soup where onions are simply cooked or softened rather than deeply caramelized and gratinéed.
What is Orzo?
Orzo is a small, short-cut type of pasta shaped like a large grain of rice. Despite its appearance and name—which translates to “barley” in Italian—it is made from durum wheat semolina flour rather than a whole grain.
Is orzo healthier than rice and pasta?
Orzo is not a distinct grain; it is actually a small pasta made from wheat flour. Nutritionally, regular orzo is very similar to standard white pasta and white rice, offering comparable calories and carbohydrates, though regular orzo generally provides slightly more protein than white rice.
Ingredients:
For the meatballs:
2 large eggs
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
½ cup Panko
2/3 cup shredded Gruyère cheese
6 cloves garlic minced
4 T milk
1 T fresh thyme leaves
1 T Spiceology’s Vampire Killer (or garlic powder)
2 t kosher salt
1 t black pepper
For the onions and orzo
4 T butter
3 large Vidalia onions (2 pounds) , halved and thinly sliced
3 t fresh thyme leaves , divided
½ t kosher salt
2 T flour
½ cup dry white wine
3 ½ cups beef stock
1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
⅔ cups shredded Gruyère cheese
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper. Whisk the egg well in a large bowl and then add all of the rest of the meatball ingredients. Mix ingredients well.
3. Use a tablespoon to scoop out the mixture and form into balls, about the size of a golf ball. Arrange them in an even layer on the sheet pan.
4. Bake the meatballs until cooked through and lightly browned, about 15 minutes.
5. Remove the meatballs from the oven and set aside while you caramelize your onions.
For the onions and orzo:
6. Heat a large cast iron skillet (or other oven-safe skillet) over medium heat, and add the butter.
7. Once melted, add the sliced onions, 1 teaspoon of thyme leaves, and salt, and sauté, stirring so they don’t crisp or brown in spots.
8. Cook for about 30 minutes, or until the onions are nice and jammy, giving off a rich nutty aroma, and stirring them every few minutes, to prevent burning. If the onions look like they’re beginning to burn or crisp, stir in a splash of water and scrape the caramelized fond from the bottom of the skillet for the onions to absorb.
9. Add the flour to the onions and stir well to combine, cooking for 1 minute to cook the flour.
10. Whisk in the white wine to deglaze. Next, stir in the beef stock, 1 teaspoon of thyme leaves, and ½ teaspoon of salt, and bring to a simmer over medium-low.
11. Stir in the orzo and cook for about 10-12 minutes, or until the orzo is al dente, frequently stirring and scraping the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon to make sure the orzo doesn’t stick.
12. Arrange the top rack of your oven so it’s directly under your broiler. Turn the broiler on low. Nestle the cooked meatballs into the skillet, top with shredded Gruyère, and place in the oven, under a low broil for about 5 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the remaining 1 teaspoon of fresh thyme. Serve and ENJOY!
Equipment used:
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