Description
This classic French Onion Soup recipe features slowly caramelized onions simmered in a rich beef and chicken broth, enhanced with white wine and herbs, then topped with toasted baguette slices and melted Gruyere cheese. Perfectly comforting and flavorful, this soup is ideal for cozy evenings.
Ingredients
Scale
Onions
- 4 large yellow onions (about 5 pounds total)
- 2 large sweet onions (Vidalia)
Main Ingredients
- 6 Tablespoons butter
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- ¾ cup dry white wine (Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio)
- 3 tablespoons flour (optional)
- 4 cups beef broth (high quality)
- 1 beef bouillon cube or 1 tsp Better Than Bouillon
- 1.5 cups chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- Salt and pepper to taste
For Serving
- 1 baguette
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil (optional)
- 6 slices Gruyere cheese
Instructions
- Slicing the Onions: Slice the onions into ¼-inch thick slices to ensure they caramelize properly without becoming stringy. Using a mandoline slicer can help achieve uniform thickness.
- Melting Butter: Melt the butter in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-low heat until it begins to foam. This clarifies the butter by evaporating the water content, making it smoother for cooking.
- Cooking Onions: Add the sliced onions to the pot and toss them to coat in the butter. Cook uncovered over medium-low heat, stirring every 10-15 minutes, allowing the onions to caramelize slowly over 2 hours or longer.
- Deglazing: As the onions caramelize and leave brown residue on the pot bottom, add a splash of the white wine and use a silicone spatula to scrape and loosen the browned bits. Repeat deglazing as needed throughout the cooking process.
- Adding Flour and Wine: When onions are nearly fully caramelized, sprinkle flour over them and cook for 2 minutes. Add the remaining white wine and turn the heat to medium-high, tossing frequently until onions are richly brown and sweet.
- Simmering Soup: Add beef broth, beef bouillon, chicken broth, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves, and thyme to the pot. Simmer for 45 minutes over medium heat with the lid slightly cracked to let steam escape.
- Preparing Baguette Slices: While soup simmers, preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Slice the baguette into ½-inch thick pieces, brush the tops with olive oil, and bake for about 5 minutes to toast.
- Melting Cheese on Baguette: Increase oven temperature to 450°F (230°C). Top each toasted baguette slice with Gruyere cheese and bake until melted and bubbly with golden brown spots.
- Finishing Soup: Remove bay leaves and thyme sprigs from the soup. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serving: Ladle hot soup into bowls and top each with one or two of the warm, cheesy baguette slices. Serve immediately and enjoy the comforting flavors.
Notes
- Use about 5 pounds of onions total for this recipe.
- To avoid using wine, substitute 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar plus enough chicken or beef broth to make ¾ cup liquid.
- Alternative cheeses like Comté, Emmental (Swiss), or Provolone can be used instead of Gruyere.
- Crock Pot Method: Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a slow cooker, add onions, toss to coat, and cook on low for 10 hours. Then sauté 2 tablespoons butter in a pot, cook onions 10-15 minutes, add flour for 2 minutes, add wine and cook 2-3 minutes, combine broths, Worcestershire sauce, herbs, simmer 45 minutes on stove or transfer back to slow cooker for 2-3 hours on high or 4-6 hours on low.
- Mandoline slicer is recommended for uniform onion slicing.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl with baguette and cheese
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 9g
- Sodium: 780mg
- Fat: 18g
- Saturated Fat: 10g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 28g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 12g
- Cholesterol: 45mg
