French Onion Soup

 

This French Onion Soup recipe has the flavors of that classic soup recipe we all know and love. And it’s easy enough to prepare in your kitchen at home. Caramelized onions in a reduction of white wine and sherry, with herbs of thyme and bay leaves in a clear beef broth make this French Onion Soup delicious. The topping of French baguette bread wrapped in 3 cheeses then melted to a golden, crispy crust, make it ultra-satisfying.

French Onion Soup

I’m so excited to share this French Onion Soup recipe with you because I have adored, yes, absolutely adored French Onion Soup since I was a child. I would order this soup at every restaurant that my family would go to. I would compare the flavors and think about which one I liked best. I would pick off the crispy cheese around the ceramic bowl when the soup was finished.

To this day, when my family goes out to a restaurant and orders French Onion Soup, we all critique it and compare it against previous French onion soup experiences. How could a simple soup made out of onions – of all vegetables – taste so good and flavorful?

What makes a bowl of cooked onions so good?

The answer is the combination of ingredients with simple techniques applied:

• The onions and garlic (my addition, I love garlic!) in unsalted butter with olive oil
• Caramelization of the onions, and let those onions be Vidalia onions – if you can get them
• The reduction of the dry white wine and sherry (alternately, you can add it in the bottom of the bowl before broiling)
• And the addition of an excellent quality beef broth (I used organic but if you can get your hands on some homemade, go for it!)
• Simmering everything with thyme and bay leaves
• Chilling the soup overnight to let the soup flavors settle together
• Using a combination of 2-3 cheeses with a crusty French baguette 

All of these things contribute to making an excellent French Onion Soup!

It’s hard to believe that you can get so much flavor from a soup of onions! It’s one of those soups you always order at restaurants but wish you could just have it at home where you are comfortable because it’s a true “comfort food.”

A Note About Caramelized Onions

The level of caramelization will determine the deepness of flavor in the broth. I prefer to have the onions golden to deep golden but someone else might prefer dark caramelized onions. I don’t like anything that tastes burnt, so that’s why I prefer not to go too dark with the onions. You just want to make sure that they are not too light either because we don’t want onion water! Just go with the flavor that you want, taste along the way and adjust seasonings and cook time, as needed.

Ingredients for French Onion Soup

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, regular
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 cups sliced onions, Vidalia variety is preferred or yellow onions
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cups dry white wine (I used Sauvignon Blanc) *I know this seems like a lot of white wine and you can cut back on the amount of wine if you want but I find that it gives that nice distinct “tang” flavor that French onion soup is known for
• 6 cups beef broth, get the best quality you can find (I use organic), plus more if you want to adjust the flavor later
• 2 tablespoons dry sherry
• 3 teaspoons fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt, or amount to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, amount to taste
• 1 French baguette bread, 8-10 1-inch slices
• 4-6 slices of provolone cheese
• 4-6 slices Swiss cheese
• 4-6 slices Muenster cheese

Helpful kitchen tools:

• a large Dutch oven or soup pot
• measuring spoons and cups
• wet measure
• cutting board
• chef’s knife
• ladle
• kitchen twine, for bundling the thyme and bay leaves
• Soup bowls, oven safe

Don’t you love these soup bowls? I picked this set up on Amazon specifically for this recipe, they are oven safe and great for soups and stews. I am just over the moon for them and can’t wait to use them for other recipes like chilies or even baked beans.

If you need a good homemade bread recipe that is similar to baguette bread, you can try my No-Knead Bread. It would work just great in this recipe. This French Bread is a great option too!

For serving size, you can do 4 really full bowls or spread it out to 6 servings.

That cheese though, right? Ah, gets me every time! Nothing light a giant strand of stretchy cheese as you hover over your French Onion Soup!

If you want to change the type of cheese, you can also try using Parmesan cheese as well. Gruyère cheese is undoubtedly the most traditional French cheese to have on top of this soup but I have found that it can be harder to come by in some places in the United States. Ultimately, you just want a combination of a sharper, more aged cheese with a medium cheese variety to get a nice balance of flavor.

This is one of those recipes that has my heart and soul, it is that good. We all have those comforting soup recipes that scream “home.” For some that may be Mexican Noodle Fideo Soup, Italian Sausage Orzo Soup, classic Chicken and Dumplings, or even Vegetable Rice Soup.

More comfort food recipes the whole family will love

• Salisbury Steaks
• Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta
• Shepherd’s Pie
• Chicken Fried Steak
• Southwest Ground Beef Casserole

French Onion Soup

This French Onion Soup recipe has the flavors of a classic French onion soup that you would find at a restaurant, yet is easy to prepare in your home kitchen.

5 from 9 votes

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Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American, French

Servings: 6 bowls

1 hour hr 35 minutes mins

Calories: 602

Author: Amanda Davis

Ingredients

• ▢ ½ cup unsalted butter
• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil regular
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 4 cups sliced onions Vidalia variety is preferred or yellow onions
• ▢ ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 ½ cups dry white wine I used Sauvingon Blanc*I know this seems like a lot of white wine and you can cut back on the amount of wine if you want but I find that it gives that nice distinct “tang” flavor that French onion soup is know for
• ▢ 6 cups beef broth get the best quality you can find (I use organic), plus more if you want to adjust the flavor later
• ▢ 2 tablespoons dry sherry
• ▢ 3 teaspoons fresh thyme or about 10 sprigs plus more for garnishing
• ▢ 2 bay leaves *bundle the thyme with the bay leaves with kitchen twine
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Kosher salt or amount to taste
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper amount to taste
• ▢ 1 French baguette bread 8-10 1-inch slices
• ▢ 4-6 slices of provolone cheese
• ▢ 4-6 slices Swiss cheese
• ▢ 4-6 slices Muenster cheese

Instructions

• In a Dutch Oven or large soup pot, melt butter and olive oil over medium heat, add garlic and onions. Stir until they are translucent (about 10 minutes). Add salt, sugar and 1/4 tsp black pepper, stir and continue to cook until the onions are a golden brown or darker caramelization, if you prefer (35 minutes).
• Add the wine and the sherry and turn the heat up to high. Stir and reduce the liquid until there's almost none (about 10 mins).
• Add the beef broth add the bundled thyme and bay leaves. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer for 20-30 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning, if you want. At this point, you can continue to finish the soup or chill overnight, I find the flavor best the 2nd day.
• Place your rack so that the top of the bowls will be several inches from the heat source so that the cheese doesn't burn (I do the 3rd rack down in my oven). Heat your broiler, on a rimmed baking sheet, place 4-6 heat safe bowls, ladle the soup into the bowls, place 1 slice of 1 variety of cheese cheese over the soup, place 2 1-inch thick baguette slices on top of the cheese. Place 2 more slices of the other 2 varieties of cheese on top. Cook the soup bowls under the broiler for about 1 minute. Make sure to stay and watch it cook so that you can get the desired amount of crispiness for the cheese and so that it doesn't burn. When the bowls are done, top with more fresh ground black pepper and a thyme sprig for garnish and enjoy!

Nutrition

Serving: 2cups | Calories: 602cal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Cholesterol: 88mg | Sodium: 1864mg | Potassium: 415mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1030IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 506mg | Iron: 2.4mg

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Recipe Attribution

This recipe is inspired by Rich and Simple French Onion Soup and Epicurious, Our Favorite French Onion Soup.