This saucy French onion orzo is loaded with jammy-sweet caramelized onions, mini meatballs, and melty Gruyère cheese for the ultimate comfort food dinner.
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“Absolutely delish! It’s a great fall/winter meal and turned out even better than my husband and I expected. Would definitely make again!” -Sarah, FoodieCrush reader
Your Favorite French Onion Soup, Served as a Saucy Pasta
Caramelized onions are such a stellar way to add a big umami flavor to various dishes. They’re sweet, savory, jammy, and teeming with complex flavor.
I have several recipes that are love letters to caramelized onions, like my French onion soup, French onion grilled cheese, crostini, and my French onion dip.
This French onion orzo is my latest hyperfixation meal. It’s saucy, cheesy, meaty, and so comforting. It features a blend of tender pork and beef meatballs baked in the oven so they stay soft and tender. The orzo is cooked in a skillet of caramelized onions in a savory sauce perfumed with fresh thyme. The meatballs get added back in and then it’s all topped with perfectly melty Gruyère cheese.
All in all, it’s the perfect comfort food dinner.
Enjoy!
What’s in This Recipe?
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Ground meat — I love using a blend of ground beef and pork for a rich, savory flavor that’s not too greasy.
- Egg — Helps bind the meatballs together.
- Panko — Breadcrumbs help keep these meatballs moist and tender.
- Gruyère cheese — The classic choice for “French onion” dishes. For maximum meltability, buy a block of cheese and shred it using a box grater.
- Milk — Helps tenderize the meat.
- Worcestershire sauce — Lends awesome savory umami flavor to these meatballs.
- Fresh thyme — Adds the classic French onion soup aromatics.
- Caramelized onions — Deep caramelized onions infused with fresh thyme, tossed with flour, and then simmered in a savory beef stock create a rich, umami-filled sauce for the orzo to cook in. I prefer making caramelized onions with sweet Vidalia onions, but yellow onions work too.
- Dry white wine — Nothing fancy, but one you would drink (used to deglaze the delicious caramelized onions).
- Orzo — Orzo is the perfect tiny pasta for this dish. Just know that you have to stir and scrape regularly so the orzo doesn’t stick to the pan!
How to Make French Onion Orzo with Meatballs
- First, you’ll want to make the meatballs. Caramelizing the onions will require a little bit of babysitting, so combine and shape the meatball mixture and throw those babies into the oven first thing.
- While the meatballs bake, caramelize the onions. The key to this umami-rich sauce is deeply caramelized onions. They usually take about an hour to prepare, but they’ll only take you about half that amount of time here. It’s important to keep an eye on them, stirring them every so often, and adding a bit of water here and there so they don’t burn.
- Then, build the sauce. Add the flour to the onions and stir well to combine, cooking for 1 minute to cook the flour. Whisk in the white wine to deglaze. Next, stir in the beef stock, thyme, and salt.
- Cook the orzo for 10 minutes. Once the orzo is added, you’ll need to stir frequently while scraping the bottom of the skillet with a sturdy spatula so the it doesn’t stick.
- Finish under the broiler. Nestle the cooked meatballs into the skillet, top with shredded Gruyère, place in the oven, and broil until the cheese is bubbly and melted.
Recipe Variations to Try
- Swap out some of the shredded Gruyere with freshly shredded Parmsan
- Omit the meatballs to keep this a side dish
- Instead of meatballs, stir in cooked chicken, shrimp, or sausage
- Make chicken meatballs instead of beef and pork meatballs
- Replace the white wine with sherry
What to Serve on the Side
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
French Onion Orzo with Meatballs
Ingredients
For the meatballs:
- 1 large egg
- ½ pound ground beef
- ½ pound ground pork
- ¼ cup Panko
- ⅓ cup shredded Gruyère cheese
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 2 tablespoons milk
- ½ tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 ½ teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
For the onions and orzo
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 large Vidalia onions , halved and thinly sliced (2 pounds)
- 3 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves , divided
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 3 ½ cups beef stock*
- 1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
- ⅔ cups shredded Gruyère cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Prepare the meatballs. Whisk the egg well in a large bowl and then add all of the rest of the meatball ingredients. Mix well with your hands (they’re your best tool!). Use a tablespoon to scoop out the mixture and form into balls, arranging them in an even layer on the sheet pan (You should have about 25).
- Bake the meatballs. Bake the meatballs until cooked through and lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Remove the meatballs from the oven and set aside while you caramelize your onions.
- Caramelize the onions. Heat a 10-inch cast iron skillet (or other oven-safe skillet) over medium heat, and add the butter. 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. 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.
- Add the seasonings. Add the flour to the onions and stir well to combine, cooking for 1 minute to cook the flour. Then, 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.
- Cook the orzo. 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.
- Top with cheese and broil. 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.
Notes
Nutrition
More Recipes with Orzo
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Sarah Smith
Absolutely delish! It’s a great fall/winter meal and turned out even better than my husband and I expected. Would definitely make again!
Thanks for the report and 5 stars Sarah! Glad your husband approves too :)
Lisa
What do you think about making these but using ground chicken only?
Hayley
Hi Lisa! We think you could totally try this with ground chicken instead of the beef! If you try it, definitely let us know what you think.
Lisa
Thanks for the quick reply. I’ll let you know how it goes.
mary g
This recipe is absolutely amazing, Savory, filling and easy to prepare. I cooked it with ground lamb, which gives it a more refined flavor. Will be doing again for Easter.
Happy to hear you made it with lamb and it was a success! Thanks for the tip and the 5-star rating. Happy soon to be Easter!
Liz @ Floating Kitchen
Really enjoyed this one! Served with asparagus and cheesy toasted bread. Thanks, Heidi!
Hayley
Thanks, Liz, we’re so happy to hear you enjoyed this!
Emily
I made this as written and I would not recommend it. Perhaps I caramelized the onions too long, but they completely disintegrated when I added the orzo and stock. The flavor was very sweet despite no sugar — the dish overall was missing a flavor profile. Perhaps sage? umami?
I would caramelize the onions separately if I decided to try this again. The meatballs were the only saving grace.
Hayley
Hi Emily. We’re so sorry to hear this recipe didn’t work out for you. Wondering if perhaps the onions were sliced too thin? They shouldn’t disintegrate into the sauce. We also recommend a concentrated beef stock for this (we like Better Than Bouillon Beef Base because of the umami-rich flavor it lends). Other beef stocks aren’t as flavorful or umami-forward. Not sure what kind of stock you used, but that could affect the overall flavor of the dish. We appreciate your feedback, and again, sorry to hear this missed the mark for you.
Emily R Garson
Thank you for the reply. I used Better than Bouillon Beef Base. My only guess is that I cooked the onions too long, but you have to cook them long enough to caramelize, so I’m not sure. Hope others have better luck!
Hayley
Gotcha! If the onions were super thin, that could explain them possibly being overcooked/dissolving into the sauce. Anyhow, we apologize it didn’t turn out right for you!
MaryAnn | The Beach House Kitchen
These look absolutely delicious Heidi! They would fly off the table at our house. Can’t wait to try your recipe!
They are super good! Savory, filling, and easy to make and clean up :)
Amanda
This looks so good. Can’t wait to try it!
I hope you give it a try Amanda!
Tiffany Schmierer
Hi! This looks GREAT! Do you have the nutrition facts for it?
Yes! Added! Sorry for the omission :)