This pasta bake is a cheese lovers’ dream! Loaded with cheddar, gruyere and fontina cheese, with a four cheese tortellini – this dish brings all the flavours of a bowl of French onion soup to your favourite comfort food.

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter + extra for greasing dish
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 2 large sweet onions, peeled and thinly sliced
• Salt to taste
• pepper to taste
• 6 sprigs thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tsp. Better Than Bouillon- Beef Base
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• water
• 2 Tbsp. Marsala or sherry wine, or sub sherry vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. flour
• 2 packages Giovanni Rana Cheese Lovers Tortellini (300g each)
• 3 cups Pete’s Aged Cheddar, shredded
• 1 cup Val D’Aosta Fontina Cheese, shredded
• 2 cups Le Gruyere Classic cheese, shredded
• 1 Pete’s Demi Baguette, sliced 1/2” thick, ends removed and discarded
• 1 ½ cups homogenized milk
• 1 cup whipping cream

In a large pot, over medium heat, melt 1/4 cup butter and 1 tbsp. of olive oil. Add onion and toss to coat. Season lightly. Top with lid and cook for 3 minutes. Remove lid, stir onions, and add in bay leaf and thyme, reduce heat to medium low and cook, stirring often for 20 minutes. If sticking, add small amount of water to pot as needed.

After the 20 minutes, preheat oven to 450ºF. Grease a 9×13” baking pan with butter.

Add to pot the Bouillon and Worcestershire sauce and continue to cook onions for approximately 10-15 minutes until golden and caramelized.

Deglaze pan with wine and cook 2-3 minutes until smells sweet. Add flour and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring until flour smells cooked and has begun to turn golden brown.

Whisk in milk, followed by cream and bring to a low simmer, stirring often. Turn off heat. Slowly stir in cheese, reserving a small amount of each for the top, until fully melted. Season to taste.

Cover the bottom of your baking dish with approx. 1 cup of sauce. Toss tortellini into remaining sauce. Pour into baking dish. Top with baguette. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake for 15-20 minutes. Turn broiler on and broil, while watching very carefully for 2-3 minutes until golden brown.

Serve immediately and enjoy!

Recipe created by Chef Dany Duguay