Description
Classic French Onion Soup, a rich and savory comfort food made with caramelized onions, beef broth, and topped with toasted baguette slices and melted Gruyere cheese. This recipe offers two finishing options including traditional oven broiling or baking cheesy toasts separately for a deliciously cheesy and hearty soup.
Ingredients
Scale
Soup Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 5 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour (or gluten free flour)
- 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
- ½ cup dry white wine (or beef broth), for deglazing the pan
- 7-8 cups beef broth (can also use bone broth)
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 bay leaf
Baguette and Cheese Topping
- 1 demi French baguette, cut into 1 inch thick slices
- 1 tablespoon butter
- Garlic powder, for sprinkling
- 8 ounces Gruyere cheese, thickly shredded
Instructions
- Caramelize Onions: Melt the olive oil and butter in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add the thinly sliced onions and salt, stirring to coat them evenly with the butter. Cook onions, stirring occasionally, checking every 10-15 minutes, until they become fully caramelized and golden brown, about 30-40 minutes. Lower the heat if onions start to burn or stick.
- Add Flour and Garlic: Stir in the flour and minced garlic with the caramelized onions, ensuring they are well-coated. Cook this mixture for 2 minutes to remove the raw flour taste.
- Deglaze and Add Broth: Pour in the dry white wine (or beef broth) to deglaze the pan, scraping up all browned bits from the bottom. Gradually add the beef broth, fresh thyme, freshly ground black pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered for 30 minutes to allow flavors to meld.
- Prepare Baguette Toasts: About 10 minutes before the soup finishes cooking, preheat the oven to 400°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange baguette slices in a single layer, brush one side with butter, sprinkle with garlic powder, and toast in the oven for 5 minutes per side until edges are golden and crisp. Remove from oven.
- Finish Soup – Option 1: Top one side of each toasted baguette slice with shredded Gruyere cheese, then return to the oven for 3-5 minutes until the cheese melts beautifully. Ladle the soup into bowls and add one or two cheesy toasts on top. Optionally, sprinkle extra cheese over the soup before serving.
- Finish Soup – Option 2 (Traditional Method): Use oven-safe bowls or crocks placed on a baking sheet. Ladle soup into each bowl, place a toasted baguette slice on top, and sprinkle about 1/3 cup shredded Gruyere cheese over each. Broil in the oven for about 2 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Watch carefully to avoid burning. Serve immediately.
- Final Seasoning: Remove the bay leaf from the soup before serving and adjust salt and pepper to taste as needed.
Notes
- Feel free to use a mixture of chicken broth and beef broth if preferred to lighten the soup flavor.
- For best results, stir onions occasionally during caramelization and adjust heat to prevent burning.
- See the full post for tips, tricks, and freezing instructions to store leftover soup.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl with 1-2 cheesy baguette slices
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 7 g
- Sodium: 850 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 8 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 32 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 14 g
- Cholesterol: 35 mg
