Stuffed with tender caramelized onions and baked with lots of cheese and crispy breadcrumbs on top, these French onion stuffed shells are the best twist on the classic soup!
If you know me, you know I live for a good twist on French onion soup. There’s really no dish I wouldn’t like to see French onion soup-ified.
So stuffed shells are next on the agenda to put this incredible soup into every corner of my life. You won’t be bummed about it, I can promise you that.
Basically we’ve just got the base to French onion soup aka caramelized onions in rich beef broth stuffed into tender jumbo shells and baked with a metric truckload of cheese and crispy breadcrumbs on top.
It’s a comfort food dream to put it plainly. And you won’t need any fancy ingredients or much more than an hour to pull it off either! You can even prep most of these shells ahead of time cause that’s just how we roll around here.
These Stuffed Shells feature…
- A flavorful caramelized onion filling
- Melty swiss cheese and crispy panko breadcrumbs
- Easy to prep ahead of time with the option to make vegetarian
Making the Stuffed Shells
(scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe)
Ingredients You Will Need
- Olive oil
- Unsalted butter
- Sweet onions
- Garlic
- Thyme
- White wine
- Beef broth
- Jumbo pasta shells
- Swiss or provolone cheese
- Panko breadcrumbs
How To Caramelize Onions
You will need 2 large sweet Vidalia onions cut into thin slices to make the caramelized onions for these stuffed shells.
The most important part about caramelizing is cooking the onions very slowly so you’re going to want to cook the onion over medium heat for about 30-35 minutes, stirring occasionally until they are a deep golden brown.
These onions store very well, so you can easily make them ahead of time and store in the fridge for recipes.
Tips for Perfect Stuffed Shells
- Deglaze pan with white wine – once the onions are caramelized, use white wine to deglaze the pan by pouring into the pan and using a wooden spoon to scrape up those flavorful browned bits.
- Cook shells in boiling water to al dente – be careful not to overcook the shells otherwise they will get mushy and break apart while you’re filling them.
- Shred cheese manually – try to avoid pre-shredded cheese if possible. Freshly grated cheese will melt much better.
Recipe Variations
Try these ideas for a different twist on these shells.
- Add meat – add 1/2 lb browned sausage, ground chicken, cubed steak, or ground beef to onion filling.
- Use a different cheese – try mozzarella, havarti, Parmesan, or asiago. Feel free to use several kinds as well!
Make Ahead Instructions
Follow these instructions for time-saving make ahead tips.
- Caramelize onions – caramelize the onions and store in refrigerator up to 6 days.
- Cook the shells – cook the shells and store in refrigerator up to 6 days (for best results, arrange shells on a plate or sheet pan in a single layer so they don’t stick together)
- Assemble the shells – assemble the shells through step 3, but wait to bake them. Cover pan and store in refrigerator up to 4 days before baking according to recipe instructions.
One bite of these shells and you may quickly realize that the classic soup just isn’t cutting it anymore. The rich, savory flavors from the caramelized onions, all that cheesy goodness, and the crispy breadcrumbs on top tick all the comfort food boxes.
It’s French onion stuffed shells from here on out and you won’t be mad about it.
Save this recipe using the ‘save to recipe box’ button below. If you make it, please let us know! Leave a comment + star rating below, or take a photo and tag it on Instagram with #wholeandheavenlyoven.
More French onion soup favorites to cook up next!
French Onion Stuffed Shells
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Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 large sweet onions, thinly sliced
- 2 medium cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh minced thyme
- 1/3 cup white wine
- 1 cup beef broth (or vegetable broth if vegetarian)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 20 jumbo pasta shells, cooked according to package instructions until al dente
- 1-1/2 cups shredded swiss or provolone cheese
- 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
Instructions
- In a large skillet or Dutch oven, melt olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add onions and stir occasionally until onions are a deep caramelized color, about 30-35 minutes. Add garlic and thyme and cook 1 minute until fragrant
- Deglaze pan by adding white wine and scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon. Add beef broth and bring to a simmer until heated through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Preheat oven to 400F and lightly grease a 9×13 pan. Fill cooked jumbo shells with French onion mixture and top with shredded cheese and breadcrumbs. Bake stuffed shells at 400F 20-25 minutes until cheese is lightly browned. Serve shells warm and enjoy!
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