Name: Creamy French onion pasta salad recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 2 brown onions, thinly sliced; 2 tsp olive oil; 20.00 ml brown sugar; 20.00 ml balsamic vinegar; 3 middle bacon rashers, trimmed, chopped; 185g French onion dip; 150g light sour cream; 187.50 ml parsley leaves, chopped, plus extra leaves to serve; 2 Lebanese cucumbers, seeded, cut into 1cm pieces; 250.00 ml cooked peas

by Greer Worsley Last updated on 12/18/2025

Pasta salad gets the French onion flavour treatment in this delicious bring-a-plate salad recipe. You’ll be batting away hands and salad servers to get a second serving of this creamy pasta salad. At least, that’s how it went down in my home. One powerful, creamy, shortcut flavour-boosting ingredient – hello, French onion dip – makes this salad all the more, well, moreish. You can also customise this recipe to be suitable for the vegetarians at your table.

How to make my creamy French onion pasta salad recipe: key tips

For those looking to get ahead, the creamy salad dressing on this pasta salad can be made up to 2 days ahead. Store in an airtight container in the fridge. And, the salad can be made up to 4 hours ahead. Store, covered, in the fridge until required. My number-one tip is to taste the salad before seasoning because the French onion dip and bacon might add enough saltiness without needing to add any extra salt. Rinse the pasta until it’s cold to prevent the pasta from clumping together and then drain it well so it doesn’t water down the salad. Another great idea is to deseed the cucumber. Deseeding the cucumber keeps excess water out of the dressing. If serving from the fridge, allow it to stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.

What goes into creamy French onion pasta salad?

Slow-cooked caramelised onions add an incredible sweetness to this easy pasta salad. And, spiral pasta is great for this salad as the curves catch the creamy dressing. Bacon adds a smokey crunch with a hit of salt that goes so well with the sweetness of the caramelised onions. But, you can swap the bacon for mushrooms if you want to create a vegetarian version. The combination of French onion dip and sour cream creates a flavour-packed dressing with minimal ingredients. Plus, we keep the salad fresh with the addition of cucumber, peas and parsley. What’s not to love here? You can use a store-bought caramelised onion jam instead of making your own onions, if you prefer.

Planning a party? Here are more pasta salad recipes you’re going to want to peruse first.

Recipe and photography by recipe developer Greer Worsley

- Greer Worsley

Ingredients

2 brown onions, thinly sliced
2 tsp olive oil
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 middle bacon rashers, trimmed, chopped
185g French onion dip
150g light sour cream
3/4 cup continental parsley leaves, chopped, plus extra leaves to serve
2 Lebanese cucumbers, seeded, cut into 1cm pieces
1 cup cooked peas

Method

Step 1

Place onion in a medium saucepan with oil and cook on low heat, covered, for 10-12 minutes until very soft and starting to colour. Add sugar and vinegar and continue cooking, uncovered, for a further 5 minutes until thick and golden in colour. Set aside.
Step 2

Cook bacon in a frypan until crisp. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towel to drain the fat.
Step 3

Combine dip, sour cream and parsley in a large bowl. Add cucumber, peas, cooked bacon, pasta and caramelised onions. Mix well, ensuring all ingredients are coated in creamy dressing. Season.
Step 4

Serve topped with extra parsley or refrigerate until ready to eat.