French Onion Ground Beef Pasta Gratin–an easy Instant Pot meal made with ground beef, tender pasta, French onion soup, thyme and melted Gruyere cheese for a comforting French onion soup inspired pasta dinner.
Pin this recipe for later!
French Onion Ground Beef Pasta Gratin
If you love French onion soup you’ll love this cheesy, beefy pasta. Greg loves French onion soup! Whenever we go on a cruise, he orders it every single time it’s on the menu. It’s not something I typically make at home, but this pasta has all those yummy savory flavors in a dinner that’s super quick and easy to throw together. With just a handful of ingredients and about 20 minutes of prep time, it’s a great way to satisfy that French onion soup craving without all the work, and Greg absolutely loved it!
Ingredients/Substitution Ideas
- Lean ground beef–I used 93/7
- Onions–I used yellow onions
- Kosher salt
- Water
- Cavatappi pasta–or rotini, penne, macaroni
- Canned French onion soup–I used condensed Campbell’s French onion soup
- Dried thyme–or Italian seasoning
- Shredded Gruyere cheese–or Swiss, Parmesan cheese
Steps
Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. When display says HOT add in the beef and break it up. Brown for about 5 minutes.
Move beef to the side and add in the onions. Saute the onions in the grease from the beef for about 3 minutes. Stir and sprinkle in a pinch of salt.
Pour in the water and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking. Turn off Instant Pot.
Sprinkle in the cavatappi. Dump the french onion soup evenly over the pasta. Sprinkle in the thyme.
Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set manual/pressure cook button to 4 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 5-10 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
Stir in half the cheese. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and use an air fryer lid to melt it on top or you can place the stainless steel liner in the oven and broil for a couple minutes to melt the cheese on top.
Serve and enjoy!
Notes/Tips
- Finish this dish off with a slice of garlic toast and a green salad.
- Sliced mushrooms would be delicious in this recipe. Saute them along with the onions before pressure cooking.
- Try adding a crunch on top by sprinkling some french fried onions on each portion.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container* in the refrigerator for 4 days. Freeze leftovers for up to 3 months.
- Other recipes you can make with gruyere are French Onion Ground Beef and Rice Casserole and Darth Tater Casserole.
- Tools:
- I used my 4 quart Instant Pot*. You can also make this in a 6 or 8 quart pot.
- Wooden saute paddle*
- Knife*
- Cutting board*
- Magnetic measuring cups*
- Magnetic measuring spoons*
- Glass measuring cup*
- Digital scale* (I use this for measuring pasta)
- Cheese grater*
Did you know you can filter the recipes on my website to search by meat type, IP or Crockpot, low carb, gluten free, etc.? Use the filter to find exactly what you are looking for.
Pin this recipe for later!
French Onion Ground Beef Pasta Gratin
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 minutes (plus 5-10 minute NPR)
- Total Time: 24 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
Description
An easy Instant Pot meal made with ground beef, tender pasta, French onion soup, thyme and melted Gruyere cheese for a comforting French onion soup inspired pasta dinner.
Ingredients
- 16 oz lean ground beef
- 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
- Pinch of kosher salt
- 1 cup water
- 8 oz cavatappi
- 2 (10.5 oz) cans Campbell’s French Onion soup
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 4 oz shredded gruyere or parmesan, divided
Instructions
- Turn Instant Pot to saute setting. When display says HOT add in the beef and break it up. Brown for about 5 minutes.
- Move beef to the side and add in the onions. Saute the onions in the grease from the beef for about 3 minutes. Stir and sprinkle in a pinch of salt.
- Pour in the water and scrape bottom of pot so that nothing is sticking. Turn off Instant Pot.
- Sprinkle in the cavatappi. Dump the french onion soup evenly over the pasta. Sprinkle in the thyme.
- Cover Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to sealing. Set manual/pressure cook button to 4 minutes. When time is up let pot sit for 5-10 minutes and then move valve to venting. Remove the lid.
- Stir in half the cheese. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and use an air fryer lid to melt it on top or you can place the stainless steel liner in the oven and broil for a couple minutes to melt the cheese on top.
- Serve and enjoy!
- Category: Beef, Pasta
- Method: Instant Pot
More French Onion Inspired recipes…
Juicy French Onion Roast
Tender pieces of chuck roast with caramelized onions and gravy. Make it in the Instant Pot or slow cooker. This roast is addicting!
French Onion Beef Sloppy Joes
An easy 30-minute ground beef dinner made with French onion soup, Worcestershire sauce, and melted provolone cheese for a fun, savory twist on sloppy joes.
Cheesy French Onion Beef Potato Casserole
An easy Instant Pot or slow cooker stew-like dinner made with tender potatoes, savory ground beef, caramelized onions, smoky Gouda.
Crockpot French Onion Beef and Noodles
Tender beef, sweet caramelized onions, frozen egg noodles, and a creamy French onion-inspired sauce in the slow cooker or Instant Pot.
French Onion Cheesy Chicken Noodle Casserole
An Instant Pot dinner made with tender chicken, egg noodles, caramelized onions and French onion dip for an easy creamy pasta dinner.
French Onion Slow Cooker Dump Chicken
The easiest chicken ever! With only 4 main ingredients this dump and go crockpot chicken is fast to make and delicious to eat.
Incredible French Onion Ground Beef Casserole
An easy Instant Pot dinner made with ground beef, sliced onions, seasoned rice, melted Parmesan and mozzarella and crispy French fried onions on top.
French Onion Chicken Orzo Casserole
An easy Instant Pot dinner with tender chicken and creamy orzo with savory caramelized onions, Parmesan cheese and crispy French fried onions.
Crock Pot French Onion Meatloaf
Juicy, tender meatloaf with caramelized onions, French onion soup and melty Swiss cheese for a perfect comfort food dinner.
Crock Pot French Onion Beef Stew
A cross between french onion soup and beef stew made easy with your slow cooker.
*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
48