Onion Soup Mix Recipes: 12 Grandma Dinners That Start With One Little Packet

These onion soup mix recipes all start with the same humble paper envelope grandma kept in the pantry door, and they still taste like Sunday dinner at her house. That one little packet is having a comeback: a slow cooker steak bites and potatoes video made with a stick of butter and one envelope of dry onion soup mix passed 10 million views on Instagram this fall. It makes sense. One packet adds onion, beefy savory flavor, salt and a little seasoning in a single shake, so cheap cuts and plain potatoes taste like you fussed all day. Below are the easy dinners and sides people keep coming back to, plus a homemade mix you can keep in a jar. Check your pantry before you scroll..

Onion Soup Mix Recipes Start With Slow Cooker Steak Bites

Grandma’s secret seasoning cost about a dollar and lived in a paper envelope. This fall, millions of people rediscovered it in a slow cooker. Cubes of beef, baby potatoes and green beans cook all afternoon with butter, garlic and one packet of dry onion soup mix, and the result is tender beef in a rich, buttery gravy. Would you serve it over A: rice, B: mashed potatoes or C: straight from the pot?..

You will need: 2 lb beef stew meat or sirloin cubes, 1 1/2 lb baby gold potatoes halved, 2 cups green beans, 1 packet (1 oz) dry onion soup mix, 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter cut in pieces, 4 cloves garlic minced, 1/2 cup beef broth, 1/2 tsp black pepper, chopped parsley.

How to make it: 1. Put the potatoes in the bottom of the slow cooker. 2. Add the beef and green beans on top. 3. Sprinkle the onion soup mix, garlic and pepper over everything. 4. Pour in the broth and dot with the butter. 5. Cook on low 6 to 7 hours, until the beef is tender. 6. Stir gently and top with parsley.

Onion Soup Mix Recipes Classic: Three Packet Pot Roast

The famous pot roast that every church cookbook seems to have. A chuck roast goes into the slow cooker with carrots and potatoes, then three dry packets go on top: onion soup mix, ranch seasoning and brown gravy mix, plus a cup of water. That is it. Hours later you have fall apart beef in a thick, salty, savory gravy. Did your family make it A: with ranch or B: without?

You will need: 3 to 4 lb chuck roast, 1 lb carrots, 1 1/2 lb small potatoes, 1 packet dry onion soup mix, 1 packet ranch seasoning, 1 packet brown gravy mix, 1 cup water.

How to make it: 1. Put the potatoes and carrots in the slow cooker. 2. Set the roast on top. 3. Mix the three packets with the water. 4. Pour the mixture over the roast. 5. Cook on low 8 to 9 hours. 6. Shred the beef and spoon the gravy over everything.

Onion Soup Chicken and Rice Bake

A true dump and bake supper. Uncooked long grain rice, a can of cream of mushroom soup, water and onion soup mix go into a 9 by 13 pan, chicken goes on top, and the oven does the rest. The rice soaks up all the savory juices from the chicken. Keep the foil tight so the rice cooks through. It is one of the oldest onion soup mix recipes, a supper grandma made on busy weeknights for decades.

You will need: 1 1/2 cups long grain white rice, 1 can (10.5 oz) cream of mushroom soup, 2 1/2 cups water or broth, 1 packet dry onion soup mix, 6 bone-in chicken thighs or 4 breasts, salt, pepper, paprika.

How to make it: 1. Heat the oven to 350 F and grease a 9 by 13 pan. 2. Stir the rice, soup, water and half the onion soup mix in the pan. 3. Lay the chicken on top. 4. Sprinkle the rest of the mix and some paprika over the chicken. 5. Cover tightly with foil and bake 1 hour 15 minutes. 6. Uncover and bake 10 minutes more.

Onion Soup Mix Recipes for the Holidays: Roasted Potatoes

This is the side dish that shows up next to every roast chicken and holiday ham. Toss chunks of potato with olive oil and a packet of dry onion soup mix and roast until crisp outside and fluffy inside. The onion bits toast in the oven and taste a little like the crispy topping on a casserole. Red, gold or russet potatoes all work. Do you like them A: extra crispy or B: soft?

You will need: 2 lb potatoes cut in chunks, 1/3 cup olive oil, 1 packet dry onion soup mix, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, chopped parsley.

How to make it: 1. Heat the oven to 450 F. 2. Put the potatoes in a big bowl or zip bag. 3. Add the oil, onion soup mix and garlic powder. 4. Toss until every piece is coated. 5. Spread on a sheet pan in one layer. 6. Roast 35 to 40 minutes, turning once, and top with parsley.

Grandma’s Onion Burgers

Mixing dry onion soup mix into ground beef is one of the oldest backyard burger tricks there is. The packet seasons the meat all the way through and keeps it juicy, no chopping needed. These are great on the grill or in a skillet, and the same mix works for sliders. It is one of the easiest onion soup mix recipes on this list and a favorite with kids.

You will need: 2 lb ground beef (80/20), 1 packet dry onion soup mix, 1 egg, 1/4 cup breadcrumbs, 2 tbsp water, 6 slices cheese, 6 buns, lettuce, tomato, pickles.

How to make it: 1. Mix the beef, onion soup mix, egg, breadcrumbs and water gently. 2. Shape into 6 patties with a dent in the middle. 3. Heat a skillet or grill to medium high. 4. Cook 4 to 5 minutes per side, to 160 F. 5. Add the cheese for the last minute. 6. Serve on buns with toppings.

Onion Soup Meatloaf

Many grandmas had a secret meatloaf, and very often the secret was a packet of onion soup mix. It seasons the loaf perfectly, keeps it moist and saves you chopping an onion. Top it with a sweet ketchup glaze for the classic diner look. Leftovers make the best cold meatloaf sandwiches the next day. Is meatloaf A: a family favorite or B: a dish you avoid?

You will need: 2 lb ground beef, 1 packet dry onion soup mix, 2 eggs, 3/4 cup breadcrumbs, 3/4 cup milk, 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce. Glaze: 1/2 cup ketchup, 2 tbsp brown sugar, 1 tsp mustard.

How to make it: 1. Heat the oven to 350 F. 2. Mix the beef, soup mix, eggs, breadcrumbs, milk and Worcestershire. 3. Shape into a loaf in a pan. 4. Mix the glaze and spread half on top. 5. Bake 50 minutes. 6. Add the rest of the glaze and bake 10 to 15 minutes more, to 160 F.

Onion Soup Mix Recipes for Sides: Baked Egg Noodles

This buttery noodle bake went viral this month as an old Amish style side, and it really is that easy. Wide egg noodles are tossed with melted butter, sour cream, a little cheese and dry onion soup mix, then baked until golden on top. It goes with pot roast, pork chops and holiday ham, and kids eat it like mac and cheese.

You will need: 12 oz wide egg noodles, 1/2 cup butter melted, 1 cup sour cream, 1 packet dry onion soup mix, 1 cup shredded cheddar or Parmesan, 1/2 cup milk, parsley.

How to make it: 1. Heat the oven to 350 F. 2. Cook the noodles 2 minutes less than the package says and drain. 3. Stir in the butter, sour cream, onion soup mix and milk. 4. Spread in a greased baking dish. 5. Top with the cheese. 6. Bake 20 to 25 minutes until bubbly and golden.

Smothered Pork Chops in Onion Gravy

Brown the pork chops, then let them simmer in a quick gravy made from onion soup mix, cream of mushroom soup and water. The chops turn tender and the gravy is perfect over mashed potatoes or rice. You can also do it in the slow cooker on low for about 6 hours. It is a true comfort supper, and one of the most loved onion soup mix recipes in old church cookbooks.

You will need: 6 bone-in pork chops, salt and pepper, 1 tbsp oil, 1 packet dry onion soup mix, 1 can (10.5 oz) cream of mushroom soup, 1 cup water, 1 onion sliced.

How to make it: 1. Season and brown the chops in oil, 3 minutes per side. 2. Move them to a plate. 3. Cook the sliced onion 5 minutes in the same pan. 4. Whisk in the soup, onion soup mix and water. 5. Return the chops and simmer covered 25 to 30 minutes. 6. Serve with the gravy over potatoes or rice.

The Classic Onion Dip Everyone Still Loves

The famous party dip that started it all. Since the 1950s, one packet of dry onion soup mix stirred into sour cream has been the easiest snack on the table. Make it a few hours ahead so the dried onion softens and the flavor gets stronger. Serve it with ridged potato chips, crackers or crunchy vegetables. Are you A: a chip dipper or B: a veggie dipper?

You will need: 16 oz sour cream, 1 packet dry onion soup mix, 1 tbsp chopped chives (optional). To serve: ridged potato chips, carrot sticks, celery.

How to make it: 1. Spoon the sour cream into a bowl. 2. Stir in the onion soup mix until smooth. 3. Cover and chill at least 2 hours. 4. Stir again before serving. 5. Top with chives. 6. Serve with chips and vegetables.

Onion Roasted Carrots

Carrots get sweeter when you roast them, and a sprinkle of onion soup mix gives them a savory edge that balances the sugar. Toss them with olive oil or melted butter and roast until the edges caramelize. It is an easy side for Thanksgiving because it uses the oven for only half an hour. Mix in some baby potatoes on the same pan if you like.

You will need: 2 lb carrots peeled and cut in sticks, 3 tbsp olive oil or melted butter, 1/2 packet dry onion soup mix, 1 tbsp honey (optional), fresh thyme.

How to make it: 1. Heat the oven to 425 F. 2. Toss the carrots with the oil and onion soup mix. 3. Spread them on a sheet pan in one layer. 4. Roast 25 to 30 minutes, turning once. 5. Drizzle with honey for the last 5 minutes if you like. 6. Top with thyme.

Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches

A beef roast cooks all day in beef broth with onion soup mix, then gets sliced thin and piled on toasted rolls with melted Swiss. The cooking liquid becomes the dipping sauce, called au jus. It is perfect for game day or a crowd, and the leftovers freeze well in their juices. It is one of the best onion soup mix recipes for feeding a lot of people for very little effort.

You will need: 3 lb beef chuck or rump roast, 1 packet dry onion soup mix, 3 cups beef broth, 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 onion sliced, 8 hoagie rolls, 8 slices Swiss cheese.

How to make it: 1. Put the onion and roast in the slow cooker. 2. Mix the broth, onion soup mix and Worcestershire and pour it over. 3. Cook on low 8 hours. 4. Slice or shred the beef. 5. Toast the rolls with the cheese until melted. 6. Fill with beef and serve with cups of the juice for dipping.

Homemade Onion Soup Mix in a Jar

Out of packets? Make your own. A jar of homemade mix keeps for months and costs less. About 4 tablespoons equals one store packet in any of these onion soup mix recipes. For more grandma style dinners, see our church supper casseroles, and try the viral onion soup mix egg noodle bake from Cooktop Cove. Which of these onion soup mix recipes will you make first?

You will need: 2/3 cup dried minced onion, 3 tbsp beef bouillon powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 1/2 tsp dried parsley, 1/4 tsp celery seed, 1/4 tsp paprika, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 1/4 tsp sugar.

How to make it: 1. Measure everything into a clean, dry jar. 2. Close the lid and shake well. 3. Label the jar with the date. 4. Store in a cool, dry pantry up to 6 months. 5. Shake before each use. 6. Use about 4 tablespoons in place of one packet.