French Onion Soup

French onion is one of my favorite soups.  If I go to a restaurant and it’s on the menu, I’ll most likely order it (same goes for French Dip).   It’s such a simple concept, but the combination of sweet caramelized onions with that savory broth and most importantly the big crusty chunk of bread smothered in gooey cheese (?!) It’s just THE best.

Ingredients Needed

• Sweet onions – Such as Vidalia or Walla Walla.
• Butter
• Olive oil
• Sugar
• Salt
• All-purpose flour
• Fresh garlic
• Beef broth
• Black pepper
• Fresh or dried thyme
• White wine vinegar
• Toppings
  • French baguette
  • Gruyere cheese
  • Parmesan cheese
  • Thyme
  • Olive oil

How to Make French Onion Soup

1. If you’ve never made French onion soup, it starts with (spoiler alert) lots of onions.  Caramelized onions.  There’s several methods you can use to caramelize onions, but none of them are quick.  I recommend taking the time and doing them the good ol’ fashioned way on the stove top because all those browned bits you’ll get in the pan play a role in flavoring your soup. Don’t try and speed up the heat to hurry things along, low and slow is the way to go here and when you’re done you’ll have nice, even, gorgeous caramelized flavor.
2. After those onions are caramelized, you’ll add a little bit of flour and butter and make a roux to thicken up the soup.  Beef broth, black pepper and thyme are added and it simmers away with all those amazing flavors.
3. While the soup simmers, you can prep the best part- those crunchy giant toasty chunks of bread which are basically oversized cheese-covered croutons.  I just cut thick slices of a baguette, drizzle them with olive oil and toast them in the oven.
4. When you put everything together, you’ll pop those bread slices on top of your soup in oven-safe soup bowls or ramekins, smother with cheese and a little extra thyme, and broil so it gets all melty.  The finishing touch is a little drizzle of olive oil.
5. Now you might not have oven-safe bowls OR you might not want to serve piping hot bowls from the oven on the dinner table (not the safest thing for kids).  If that’s the case, simply toast your bread and then smother them with cheese on the baking sheet and simply place them into regular soup bowls over your soup.

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French Onion Soup

5 from 1 vote

French Onion Soup is such a simple concept, but the combination of sweet caramelized onions with that savory broth and (most importantly) the big crusty chunk of bread smothered in gooey cheese is just unmatched.

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

ServingsServings8 cups

Print Rate SaveSaved!

Equipment

• dutch oven

Ingredients

• 2-2.5 lbs sweet onions like vidalia or walla walla about 4 medium
• 4 tablespoons butter divided
• 1 tablespoon olive oil plus extra, see recipe
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 2 boxes beef broth 64 oz or 8 cups
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon thyme, fresh or 1 teaspoon dry
• ½ teaspoon white wine vinegar

For topping:

• french baguette sliced thick
• Gruyere cheese shredded
• parmesan cheese shredded
• extra thyme
• olive oil

Instructions

• Peel and slice onions. Heat a large dutch oven to medium heat. Add 3 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil. When melted, add onions and stir. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally for about 15 minutes.
• Continue cooking uncovered for about 15 minutes more and then add sugar and ½ teaspoon salt. Continue cooking for another 10-15 minutes or until onions are deep golden brown.
• Add remaining tablespoon butter, flour, and garlic and stir for about a minute. Slowly add beef broth, stopping after the first couple cups to really scrape down sides and bottom of pan and whisk broth smooth. Continue adding remaining broth, along with black pepper and thyme and bring soup to a simmer. Simmer uncovered for 20-30 minutes.
• While soup is simmering, prepare bread. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice baguette and place on baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and then bake for about 10 minutes or until toasted and very lightly golden.
• Turn heat off soup and add vinegar. Salt and pepper to taste. Ladle soup into small oven-safe bowls or ramekins and top with a couple pieces of toasted bread. Cover generously with a mixture of the two cheeses (there aren't amounts or ratios- it's okay to eyeball!) Sprinkle with a little extra thyme and then place in middle rack in oven with the broiler on to melt cheese. Be careful, those bowls are hot!

Notes

• Because this soup contains so many onions, it’s best served in small servings to avoid indigestion.
• Store cooled soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator and consume within 3-4 days for best results.
• Store any toasted bread separately. 
• Freeze individual portions for an easy meal on busy days.

Nutrition

Calories: 117kcal, Carbohydrates: 12g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 15mg, Sodium: 201mg, Potassium: 144mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 176IU, Vitamin C: 6mg, Calcium: 27mg, Iron: 0.5mg

Course: Main Courses, Soups

Cuisine: French

Keyword: French Onion Soup

Calories: 117kcal

Author: Sara Wells

Cost: $10

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