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These onion soup mix noodles are tender, buttery, and full of deep savory onion flavor—all with no separate pot of water to boil. Everything bakes right in one Casserole dish, making this an easy, comforting side for busy evenings. You’re going to love how much flavor comes from such a simple pantry recipe.
Why You’ll Love It
- One-dish convenience — dry noodles, broth, butter, and soup mix all bake together in the casserole dish.
- No separate boiling — skip the extra pot and let the oven do the work.
- Big savory flavor — onion soup mix and beef broth make the noodles rich and deeply seasoned.
- Pairs with almost anything — serve them with meatloaf, roast chicken, baked ham, or Pork chops.
- Generous yield — this easy side dish makes six servings.
Ingredient Notes
The wide egg noodles matter here. Not skinny egg noodles, not rotini, not whatever lonely pasta shape you found in the cabinet that looks like a tiny bicycle wheel. Wide egg noodles soak up the broth and stay soft without turning into complete mush—assuming you don’t wander off and forget them uncovered for half an hour. Ask me how I know.
For the onion soup mix, use the standard dry packet. I usually grab Lipton Recipe Secrets because that’s what our grocery store carries and because I’m not above a dependable grocery-store shortcut. Any comparable dry onion soup mix should do the same job, but don’t use dip mix by accident if it has extra ingredients or a different packet size. The packaging all starts to look alike after a while, especially without reading glasses.
Low-sodium beef broth is important because the soup mix itself is salty. I have made these with regular beef broth, once, and approximately a gallon of water afterward. Not my finest hour. Use low-sodium broth and let the onion mix bring the seasoning.
The butter should be unsalted, sliced into little pieces so it melts across the top instead of forming one large buttery pond in the corner. Though, honestly, a buttery corner is not the worst thing that can happen in life.
Ingredients
- 12 ounces wide egg noodles, uncooked
- 1 packet dry onion soup mix
- 4 cups low-sodium beef broth
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, sliced into thin pats or little slabs—however your patience allows
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and lightly grease a 9×13-inch casserole dish. I use cooking spray most of the time. Butter works too, of course, if you’re already holding the butter and don’t feel like opening another cabinet. Reasonable decisions are made every day.
- Spread the uncooked wide egg noodles evenly across the bottom of the prepared dish. Try not to leave them all heaped in the middle, because the noodles at the edges can get a little too dry while the center turns into a clump. It’s not a catastrophe, but it’s annoying—and I have enough annoying things in my life without arguing with pasta.
- Sprinkle the dry onion soup mix evenly over the noodles. Then arrange the sliced butter across the top. It won’t look like much at this point. In fact, it looks a little bleak, if we’re being honest. Trust the process, as people say on television cooking competitions when they’re about to serve something on a slate tile.
- Pour the 4 cups of low-sodium beef broth over everything. Most of the noodles should be covered or at least well moistened. A few may poke their little heads above the surface, and that’s fine—they’ll settle once the heat gets to them. Do not stir it yet. I know that feels strange. Leave it alone for now.
- Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Tight is the key word. If steam escapes, the noodles won’t have enough liquid to soften properly. I crimp the foil around the edges like I’m sealing an envelope. Does anyone send letters anymore besides the dentist’s office?
- Remove the foil carefully—the steam will get you right in the face if you’re not paying attention. Stir the noodles well, scraping gently around the edges and lifting the noodles from the center so they can cook evenly. At this stage they’ll look brothy and a bit loose. Don’t panic. They are supposed to.
- Return the dish to the oven uncovered and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the noodles are tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed. Different noodle brands behave differently, which is one of those small kitchen injustices nobody warns you about. If the pan seems dry before the noodles are tender, add a small splash more beef broth and keep baking.
- Let the noodles rest for 5 minutes before serving. I know, I know—the main dish is getting cold. But those five minutes help the sauce settle into the noodles. Skip it if you must; I have skipped it plenty of times. Still, when I remember, it really does make a difference.
Variations
The plain version is the one I come back to, because it’s easy and it goes with nearly anything. But if you want these a little Creamier, you can stir in 1/2 cup of sour cream during the last 10 minutes of baking. Along with a grind of black pepper, they come out more like a cozy little noodle casserole. Fancy European butter works nicely too, but I use what’s on sale.
A can of condensed cream of mushroom soup can be stirred in during those final 10 minutes as well if you want a richer, old-school casserole feel. That version is especially good with ham on the side. Or mixed in, really. Leftover diced ham, shredded rotisserie chicken, or cooked ground beef can turn this from a side dish into dinner without much fuss.
I tried adding shredded cheddar once, thinking it would make everything better. It did not. Well, it wasn’t terrible—nothing involving butter and noodles is truly terrible—but it muddied up that onion flavor and got oddly greasy around the edges. I wouldn’t do it again.
A little chopped parsley or fresh black pepper right before serving brightens the whole pan, if you have it. If you don’t, nobody will call the authorities.
Storage & Reheating
Leftovers keep well in the refrigerator for about 3 days in a covered container. The noodles do continue to absorb the sauce as they sit, so they’re thicker and softer—still good, just different. A little bowl reheated for lunch is especially nice.
To reheat, add a splash of beef broth or water to loosen the noodles, cover loosely, and warm them in the microwave until hot. Stir halfway through if you think of it. For a larger amount, put them back in a baking dish, add that splash of broth, cover with foil, and warm at 350°F until heated through.
I don’t love freezing them. You can, probably, but egg noodles have a way of getting a little sad after freezing and thawing. Like wet cardboard with an identity crisis. Make the pan fresh if you can.
Final Notes
There’s a time for recipes that require six bowls, a food processor, and a garnish you have to drive across town to find. I enjoy those days—sometimes. Usually around the holidays, when I have apparently forgotten what stress feels like and decide to make three kinds of pie.
But this is not that recipe.
This is the one for when the Chicken Is already roasting, the kitchen window is fogged up, and you need something warm that makes dinner feel like dinner. It’s simple, yes. Maybe almost too simple. But I’ve learned not to distrust a recipe just because it doesn’t put on a show.
Sometimes the unassuming pan of noodles is the thing everyone reaches for first. Funny how that happens.
The Rainy Miracle of Amish Onion Soup Mix Noodles
Ingredients
- 12 ounces wide egg noodles uncooked
- 1 packet dry onion soup mix
- 4 cups low-sodium beef broth
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter sliced into thin pats or small pieces
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and lightly grease a 9x13-inch casserole dish.
- Spread the uncooked wide egg noodles evenly across the bottom of the prepared casserole dish so they are not heaped in the center.
- Sprinkle the dry onion soup mix evenly over the noodles, then arrange the sliced butter across the top.
- Pour the low-sodium beef broth over everything so most of the noodles are covered or well moistened, but do not stir yet.
- Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 35 minutes, making sure the foil is sealed well so the steam stays inside.
- Carefully remove the foil, watching for steam, then stir the noodles well by gently scraping around the edges and lifting the noodles from the center.
- Return the dish to the oven uncovered and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the noodles are tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed; if the pan seems dry before the noodles are tender, add a small splash more beef broth and continue baking.
- Let the noodles rest for 5 minutes before serving so the sauce can settle into the noodles.