Learn how to make this amazingly delicious creamy goat cheese pasta bake infused with irresistible balsamic sweet onion flavor!
Jump to RecipeOh man. You guys. This creamy goat cheese pasta bake with balsamic sweet onion is AMAZING! Like, omg-I-want-to-tell-everyone-I-know-that-they-have-to-try-it amazing.
Seriously, my whole family raved about it for days—I’ll definitely be making this again soon.
The creamy goat cheese sauce with that lovely balsamic sweet onion flavor… mmm, I don’t think I’ve ever had another pasta dish that I’ve loved this much, haha!
And while it tastes super fancy, it’s really pretty easy to make. Wanna see what I’m talking about?
Let’s get making!
I adapted this recipe from Nora’s over at Hob and Larder.
How to make balsamic sweet onion goat cheese pasta
Go ahead and set the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit so it can heat up.
The first order of business is preparing the balsamic sweet onions—it’s really easy, but you do need to be patient and not try to rush things.
In a wide pan over medium heat, melt 2 teaspoons of butter and stir in 2 sweet onions that have been thinly sliced. Sprinkle in 1 teaspoon of brown sugar, ¼ teaspoon of salt, and 1/8 teaspoon of baking soda along with 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and stir everything together. Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring frequently.
Put a lid on the pan and reduce the heat to medium-low. Allow the onions to sweat for about 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so. You’ll know the onions are ready when they’re very soft and translucent.
Move the onions to a bowl and set aside for now. Don’t rinse or wipe out the pan—we’ll need it for the next step and don’t want to loose any of the flavor bits left in the pan!
In the same pan, over medium heat now, melt 1 ½ tablespoons of butter and stir in 1 tablespoon of flour. While stirring, allow the roux (flour and butter) to cook for about a minute.
Next, stir in 1/3 cup of white wine and allow it to simmer until the wine is almost all evaporated, stirring a little bit. This won’t take very long, so don’t walk away from the pan yet. The roux should now look thick and smooth.
Whisk in 2 2/3 cup of chicken or vegetable stock and 2 cups of milk (I used 2%– you can use whatever you like, but I would not recommend using fat-free milk for this recipe) until everything is mixed together well.
Stir in ¼ teaspoon of ground thyme and 1 pound of pasta. Allow the milk mixture to come to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer (about medium-low) and put the lid on the pan.
Cook until the pasta is al dente, stirring every few minutes. How long this takes will depend on the pasta you’re using, so keep an eye on it. It only took 7 minutes of simmering for the pasta pictured here to be ready. You can add in extra water if your pasta is looking dry/too thick. I didn’t need any extra, but the amount of liquid you need can vary depending on the pasta you’re using as well as your elevation.
Turn off the heat and stir in 4 ounces of goat cheese, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, ½ teaspoon of salt, and the onions until the cheese is all melted.
Transfer the pasta to a 9×13 pan and sprinkle 3 ounces of freshly grated Romano cheese on top. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, or until the cheese is starting to get toasty.
Are you drooling yet?? Go ahead and dig into your amazingly delicious creamy goat cheese and balsamic sweet onion pasta!
Creamy Goat Cheese Pasta Bake with Balsamic Sweet Onions (Making With Megan)
Ingredients
- 2 tsp butter
- 2 sweet onions, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp baking soda
- 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 1/2 Tbsp butter
- 1 Tbsp flour
- 1/3 cup white wine *can substitute with stock
- 2 2/3 cup chicken or vegetable stock
- 2 cups milk *not fat-free
- 1 lb dry pasta
- 1/4 tsp dried, ground thyme
- 4 oz goat cheese
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 oz freshly grated Romano cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Melt the 2 teaspoons of butter in a wide pan over medium heat. Stir in the onions.
- Sprinkle in the brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, baking soda, and vinegar. Cook for a couple of minutes while stirring.
- Put a lid on the pan and reduce the heat to medium-low. Allow the onions to sweat for about 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so. The onions are ready when they're really soft and translucent.
- Move the onions to a bowl and set aside. Do not rinse or wipe out the pan!
- In the same pan, over medium heat, melt the 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter and stir in the flour. Allow to cook for about a minute while constantly stirring.
- Stir in the white wine and let it simmer until the wine is almost all the way reduced. The roux (flour and butter) will look thick and smooth when it's ready.
- Whisk in the stock and milk until it's all smooth.
- Stir in the thyme and dry pasta. Bring everything to a boil, then reduce it to a simmer. Cover the pan with a lid and cook the pasta until it's al dente, stirring every few minutes. You may add some water if the sauce is looking too thick or dry. How long this takes/ how much liquid you need will depend on the kind of pasta you're using as well as your elevation (with the smaller pasta I used at sea level, it only took 7 minutes with no additional liquid).
- Turn off the heat and stir in the goat cheese, mustard, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and the onions until the cheese is all melted.
- Transfer the pasta to a 9×13 pan and sprinkle with the Romano cheese.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, or until the cheese on top starts to get toasty.
