French Onion Pasta

This dish started with my love for french onion soup, but sadly I am the only one in the family that likes it.  I wanted the same flavors, but something transformed, that my family would all enjoy. This was just right! We all enjoyed it, but I think next time I would add some crushed Ritz crackers mixed with a little melted butter on top to add a little more texture and even more flavor! I brought this to work the next day and had a few extra taste testers and they all agreed it was definitely a keeper and a must make recipe! You could also add some shredded rotisserie chicken to this and it would be terrific!

INGREDIENTS
1 pound penne pasta
1/2 large onion
1/2 cup white wine
1 packet of Lipton onion dry soup mix
3 cups chicken stock
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup of cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese, grated
1/4 cup light cream
1 Tablespoon flour
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

DIRECTIONS
Cook pasta according to package direction and set aside. In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil and add the chopped onion and stir until golden brown.  Add the minced garlic to the onion mixture, stir and let cook another minute. Add the white wine to the pan scraping up any little bits that are stuck on the bottom of the pan. Add all of the chicken stock and the dry soup mix packet and let cook for 30 minutes. Stir in the flour and whisk the mixture until it thickens about ten minutes. Add the cream to the sauce along with the cheddar cheese and Monterey Jack cheese and stir until combined and cheese is melted. Add the pasta (and shredded cooked chicken, if using) and stir well, coating all of the pasta. Pour this into a 13 x 9 casserole dish. You can add a little extra cheese on top or top with crushed crackers mixed with melted butter. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. If you have a crumb topping, cover and bake 20 minutes, uncover and bake an additional ten minutes. Remove from oven and serve warm.

Enjoy!