It's always a good day when French onion soup is the soup du jour. Can you tell it's a personal favorite of mine? There's just something about that combination of buttery caramelized onions in a rich broth that makes my taste buds want to sing a little French melody. Throw on a cap of toasted bread and an ungodly amount of broiled cheese, and it's just unfair how good it is.
This pasta casserole hits the classic soup with a few hearty upgrades (namely pasta and ground beef) that usher the French onion flavor profile foodies love into entree territory. Any short pasta shape you have on-hand will work here, but here at Tasting Table, our top pick is orecchiette (Italian for "little ears"). These small concave scoops can hold more of that flavorful broth and cheese in every bite.