Looking for a quick & easy dinner recipe after a busy day? Look no further than this Crazy Good French Onion Noodle Casserole recipe.
All images and text ©Jenny DeRemer for Not Entirely Average, LLC
This easy casserole has only six ingredients, but each one wholeheartedly lends flavor in a seriously comforting and delicious crispy noodle bake.
Okay Friends get ready to make the most appetizing casserole of your life. Dare I say I LOVE THIS MORE than macaroni and cheese? THERE! I said it. And I do!!! It is six easy ingredients, and I already know you will be reaching for seconds.
This is a crazy good, crazy quick bubbly mixture that’s basically the pinnacle of comfort food. Cooked egg noodles, onion soup mix (you know, the kind that has the BEST onion flavor and makes the most DELICIOUS onion dip?), some sour cream, a bit of melted butter, and a handful of chopped parsley are all that is required to make these creamy smothered noodles.
Oh, best, best part; I top it all with those buttery and golden French fried onions we all know and love…and sneak whenever we open the pantry…or, maybe that is just me. I love recipes with French's fried onions…I could eat a container of them by myself. Seriously.
So, pour yourself a glass of wine and start a pot of water boiling. This easy side dish will be prepped and ready to eat in 30 minutes.
How do you say noodles in French?
A couple of years back, I was sifting through a mound of old recipes. These were recipes I always said I was going to try, but mostly never did. I hung onto them though. I would venture to say there were/still are about two thousand of them.
Yes, I was addicted to cooking magazines of all kinds, from Food & Wine to Martha Stewart. To this day, I have entire seasons of in-tact volumes of cooking magazines as a part of my personal library collection.
Need a recipe from Saveur from 1988? I have it. I guess I was always waiting to try them out on somebody other than just myself.
Nouilles
Back then, before I had my own business, I suppose I did not think too much about spoiling myself occasionally and cooking up one of Julia Child’s classics for example. Founding Not Entirely Average has given me that 'permission' as well as a sense of purpose in a way.
Permission to cook wholesome and yummy dishes for myself. And, I get to try the recipes out on each of you now. I relish answering the emails I receive with questions or requests from readers like yourself. This is my full-time job, and I cannot believe I get to wake up and do this every day.
But, in sifting through this seriously gigantic stack of recipes and notes, I realized I had not pulled or marked any recipes that were quickies. You know, fast but still homecooked food for busy weeknights.
It was November and cold already. I was wanting comfort food, so I raided my pantry to take inventory of what I had to work with. That reliable bag of egg noodles was just pleading to be experimented with. It also became the basis for this quickie 'almost no prep time' homemade crispy French onion casserole…
Sometimes it pays to fool around in your kitchen, and taste as you go...the absolute best dishes are created that way.
The funny thing about a recipe is that somebody had to come up with it. I do not just mean the ingredients, I mean the method, too.
If you are into preparing French food, you understand methods. The science in the combining of two or more ingredients does not come out quite right if the method for incorporating them together is not exact.
This could be as simple as whisking two ingredients together in a bowl. It could also be as complex as wheedling a soufflé to rise.
Crazy Good French Onion Noodle Casserole has only six ingredients, each one lending flavor in this seriously comforting crispy noodle bake.
And once a recipe has been developed, the creator of that recipe wants feedback as to how their idea tasted to YOU. I look for this feedback every day on this website. The recipes on this site need to be rated so that I know what YOU are trying.
But we are not always cooking French food or difficult dishes. Sometimes, they are 5 minutes of hands-on time, and just a few minutes more in the oven. That is the very definition of this recipe. It is crazy good, makes a bunch if you need to stretch, and is faster homemade than driving out somewhere for fast food.
The classic recipe for Chicken and Green Bean Casserole with French Fried Onions inspired this less busy version of the classic.
So, I still want to know how you like it, so do please still rate this after you have made it. I hope you will enjoy it for everything it is, and for that which it is not – no fancy methods, just homey and comforting noodles with a creamy onion sauce enveloping every twirl of the pasta.
I make Crazy Good French Onion Noodle Casserole as a side dish to accompany my Amazing Swedish Meatballs in Creamy Gravy. This casserole as a side dish also makes for fantastic leftovers, hot or cold.
You could add some vegetables or a protein and call it an entrée. Frozen peas, broccoli, or shredded carrots are all great choices for sneaking in some vegetables. And of course, you all know full well I always have a rotisserie chicken in the refrigerator.
Pulled chicken or fresh ground beef would be good additions, too. A sort of onion chicken noodle casserole with French fried onions.
For me tonight, it’s straightforward Crazy Good French Onion Noodle Casserole to accompany my killer Amazing Swedish Meatballs in Creamy Gravy. This is Saturday night at home food for the soul.
If You Like This Recipe…
…you might also like these main dishes:
- French Onion Salisbury Steak
- Normandy French Onion Soup
- Chive & Cheese Cocktail Swirls made with French Boursin
Chive And Cheese Cocktail Swirls
Want a bigger or smaller serving size? Hover over the serving size and move the bar until you get the number of servings you want. Easy.
Equipment
- 9 x 13 casserole dish
Ingredients
Did you know that it’s super easy to print out a version of a half recipe or even a double recipe on Not Entirely Average? Hover over the serving size (highlighted in blue, it says 8 on this recipe) and then slide the the white line to the left to make less or to the right to make more. This "calculator" allows you to play until you get the number of servings you want. Easy.
Ingredients for Crazy Good French Onion Noodle Casserole
- 1 16 ounce bag egg noodles
- 1 8 ounce container sour cream
- 1 envelope onion soup mix
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter melted and cooled slightly ** NOTE: there is quite a lot of salt in the dry onion soup mix and the crispy onion topping, so I prefer unsalted butter . You may however use salted if that is what is on hand.
- 1/2 cup parsley fresh chopped
- 3/4 cup crispy fried onions I am using French's French fried onions
Instructions
The Method
- Prepare the bottom and all sides of a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with cooking spray or butter. I prefer to use butter for this step, about 1 tablespoon softened. Cut a piece of aluminum foil to fit the casserole. Set both aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk the sour cream, the dry onion soup mix, the melted butter, parsley, and 1/4 cup of the crispy fried onion together until incorporated. Set aside.
- Boil the noodles according to package directions EXCEPT, undercook by 1 to 2 minutes. Reserve 3/4 cup of the boiling liquid before draining. ** NOTE: most wide egg noodles are meant to cook anywhere from 7 to 9 minutes. The above recipe cook time specified is based on a 9 minute package instruction boil that I reduced to 7 for this method.
- Return the hot noodles to the empty pot.
- To the sour cream mix, whisk in about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of the boiling liquid. This liquid will be absorbed during the bake by the noodles, so you want the sour cream mixture to be thin, but not too thin.
- Pour the mixture over the hot noodles and stir to combine and coat all of the noodles very well. Turn out into the prepared casserole dish. Top with the remainder of the crispy fried onions.
- Cover the casserole tightly with the aluminum foil. Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes before removing the foil to expose the top of the casserole. Bake for 5 minutes more in order to brown the top and the crispy fried onions to a golden color.
- Consider serving with Amazing Swedish Meatballs in Creamy Gravy.
Nutrition
Please note that the nutrition information provided above is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
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We loved this as a side dish to meatloaf!
Lenna, thank you for taking a moment to comment. This is just a great little throw-together and it feeds a bunch. Thank you for checking out Not Entirely Average, and please do rate this recipe. It helps me rank with Google search engines 🙂
This recipe sounds delicious, all I need from the grocery store is French fried onions, I have everything else in my pantry and fridge.
I can't wait to make this casserole for my husband. I'll have to check out your Swedish meatball recipe too. 😋
Linda, I am pleased as punch you will try this! Remember to undercook the noodles just a bit. If you like things creamier, add a little of the pasta cooking water to the sour cream mixture before tossing with the noodles. Whenever I do this, I add additional French fried onions so that I am still getting all of the flavor 😉 Please do come back to rate this recipe if you can. I am actively trying to grow and Google likes when people rate the recipes 🙂
My kids keep asking for the "new" macaroni n cheese and they are referring to this! I made it twice and because I thin the soup and butter and sour cream with pasta water, I have added a little more salted butter and a lot more crispy onions to the mix. Then crispy onions to the top. My kids really loved this and my husband does too.
This sounds oniony and delicious! It sounds like it would serve well beef!
Thanks for sharing with us on the Embracing Home and Family linkup party!
-Cherelle
Thank you Cherelle! Thanks for having me 🙂
Love this! Haven't made any french onion recipes in sooo long! I might make a comeback with this one. 🙂
Christian, thank you for taking a spin around Not Entirely Average! I am a fool for anything and everything French Onion. If you like FO soup, I have a killer recipe for Normandy French Onion Soup which uses hard cider as the caramelization element for the onions, a touch of heavy cream to finish, and that hint of thyme throughout. It's dinner party worthy! 🙂
Jenny,
I have made this delicious casserole a couple of times now and I must say, IT'S DELICIOUS! I make it according to your recipe except for one minor change, I use 1 full cup rather than 3/4 of french fried onion rings, just for a little extra flavor.
My husband ate 2 huge helpings both times I've made it and he's asked me to please make it again soon! We both love it and I love the fact that it's so easy to put together. TY for sharing your great recipes!
Linda, I want to thank you so much for this lovely comment. I just read it aloud to my Mom! If I can let you in on a secret, I add extra French fried onions, too...maybe 1 1/2 cups in total. Thank you for this. If you do have the chance to try any additional recipes, please let me know as you've done here, how you enjoyed them. It really helps me!!! 🙂
This does look delicious and the recipe sounds really easy--that makes it a winner! Thanks so much for joining the Grace at Home party at Imparting Grace. I'm featuring you this week!
OH MY GOSH! Thank you Miss Richella! This tickles me and I am so, so grateful. Thank you for your continued support - you help to make such a difference for me in all I am trying to accomplish! x - Jenny
This looks and sounds amazing! Thanks for sharing at the What's for Dinner party! Hope to see you again tomorrow! Happy Halloween!
Thanks Helen - a re-shoot for my most popular post!