Looking for that perfect cold weather meal? This French Onion Soup will do the trick! It’s totally uncomplicated, delicious and well worth a try.
I know it’s winter and everybody has already probably had enough soups and salads, but hear me out, because this French Onion Soup is so decadent and hearty, you’ll be happy you made this.
It has a little-added twist, but this recipe is perfect for a cold winter’s night. It’s robust and flavorful and it’s a really great recipe to keep in mind if you have a romantic dinner planned.
This has been on of my favorite soup recipes for a long time! I love the flavors of the cheese, onion, broth and herbs all together, it is one of my go-to’s for sure!
If you have never tried French Onion Soup then you are sadly missing out and I have to encourage you to try this recipe because you will fall in love!
Some of my other favorite soup recipes that we have on the site include Stuffed Pepper Soup, The Best Tomato Soup and Rotisserie Chicken Noodle Soup!
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
- The flavor of the soup have the perfect ration of flavors not making it overwhelming.
- You can double this batch to serve more people.
- It is super easy to whip up and I will show you how below!
HOW TO MAKE FRENCH ONION SOUP:
For the soup:
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In a large pot with a heavy bottom, I like to use a dutch oven, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the onions and garlic, stir to coat in the butter. Add the bay leaves, thyme, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Reduce the heat to low and cook for two hours, so the onions caramelize. Stir every 5 or so minutes so they do not burn. It is ready when the mixture is a medium golden brown color.
-
Add the wine and stir to combine, cook an additional 20-30 minutes stirring occasionally until the liquid is reduced by 3/4. The mixture will not become completely dry because of all of the butter, but we are cooking out the wine in this step. Discard the bay leaves and thyme.
-
Sprinkle the mixture with the flour and stir to combine. Let cook, stirring occasionally for 5 additional minutes so the raw flour taste cooks out of the mixture. Add the stock a little at a time at first and stir to combine, making sure there are no lumps. After one quart is added, stir to make sure there are no more lumps and add the remaining stock. Bring to a simmer, simmer 10 minutes. Taste, adjust seasoning if necessary.
For the topping:
-
Turn on the broiler in the oven to the lowest setting. Brush the bread with the olive oil on both sides. Arrange the bread slices on a sheet tray and toast in the oven, flipping halfway through one you reach your desired toastiness.
-
Remove sheet tray from the oven and crank the broiler to high. Evenly distribute the cheese among the bread slices. Broil cheese bread until your desired color on the cheese, do not burn! Serve with the soup, on the side for a more crunchy topping or floating on top of the soup for a more traditional style.
WHAT IS FRENCH ONION SOUP?
If you have never had French Onion Soup before, you are missing out. It’s totally uncomplicated and well worth the effort to make this recipe yourself and give it a try.
French Onion Soup is basically made with beef broth and caramelized onions. What most characterizes this distinguished soup is the gratinéed top, which is a golden crust of cheese and crouton.
WHAT CHEESE SHOULD I USE?
Typically when you make a French Onion Soup, you want to use Gruyere or a blend of cheese that heavily relies on gruyere.
Gruyere is a nutty and creamy cheese that increases in complexity and aggressiveness as it matures. Basically a fancier Swiss cheese!
After about 5 months it begins to take on more earthy tones and a slightly gritty texture. You would normally slice the cheese. However, I like to do my recipe a bit differently and I shred my Gruyere.
IS THIS SOUP ACTUALLY FRENCH?
According to Wikipedia French Onion Soup as we know it today originated in Paris in the 18th century, although the crouton on top is ancient in origin and onion soup dates back to the Roman Empire.
French Onion Soup was popularized in America in the 1960s when interest in French Cuisine was spreading.
HOW TO STORE:
Let soup cool completely and then transfer it to a large ziptop bag or air tight container and place in refrigerator, it should last up to 3 days, reheat in microwave or a pan on the stove.
This can also be frozen! To do this again let soup cool completely and place in freezer safe containers or bags. This will keep up to 3 months frozen.
When ready to eat let soup defrost in the refrigerator overnight and then reheat on stove or in microwave.
This soup makes a terrific starter for a romantic dinner. It’s really easy to make and it tastes amazing. The secret touch to my version of this classic is adding a touch of balsamic vinegar right at the end.
I really think adding the balsamic adds another depth of flavor, making this French onion soup super rich and delicious!
TIPS AND TRICKS:
- You can easily double this recipe to serve more people.
- This can be frozen, see my tips above on how to do that.
- We like to shred our cheese for this recipe but you can use slices as well.
- Make sure to remove your thyme sprigs before serving.
- The onions take about 2 hours to caramelize, you can do this ahead of time as well.
- French bread is what we use for this recipe but you can also use baguettes if needed.
If you are wanting a delicious and comforting soup then you have to make a batch of my French Onion Soup, it will quickly become one of your favorites!
If you like this recipe you might also like:
If you’ve tried this FRENCH ONION SOUP let me know in the comments how it turned out! You can follow me over on PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM OR FACEBOOK to find some more of our mouthwatering recipes!
French Onion Soup
Ingredients
For the soup
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 4 large sweet onions sliced thin
- 4 cloves garlic sliced thin
- 4 dried bay leaves
- 8 fresh thyme sprigs
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 10 cracks fresh black pepper
- 1 cup dry red wine I used chianti
- 3 tablespooons all purpose flour heaping tablespoons
- 2 quarts beef stock
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
For the topping
- 6 slices French bread
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 ounces gruyere cheese shredded
Instructions
For the soup
- In a large pot with a heavy bottom, I like to use a dutch oven, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the onions and garlic, stir to coat in the butter. Add the bay leaves, thyme, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Reduce the heat to low and cook for two hours, so the onions caramelize. Stir every 5 or so minutes so they do not burn. It is ready when the mixture is a medium golden brown color.
- Add the wine and stir to combine, cook an additional 20-30 minutes stirring occasionally until the liquid is reduced by 3/4. The mixture will not become completely dry because of all of the butter, but we are cooking out the wine in this step. Discard the bay leaves and thyme.
- Sprinkle the mixture with the flour and stir to combine. Let cook, stirring occasionally for 5 additional minutes so the raw flour taste cooks out of the mixture. Add the stock a little at a time at first and stir to combine, making sure there are no lumps. After one quart is added, stir to make sure there are no more lumps and add the remaining stock. Bring to a simmer, simmer 10 minutes. Taste, adjust seasoning if necessary.
For the topping
- Turn on the broiler in the oven to the lowest setting. Brush the bread with the olive oil on both sides. Arrange the bread slices on a sheet tray and toast in the oven, flipping halfway through one you reach your desired toastiness.
- Remove sheet tray from the oven and crank the broiler to high. Evenly distribute the cheese among the bread slices. Broil cheese bread until your desired color on the cheese, do not burn! Serve with the soup, on the side for a more crunchy topping or floating on top of the soup for a more traditional style.
Video
Notes
- You can easily double this recipe to serve more people.
- This can be frozen, see my tips above on how to do that.
- We like to shred our cheese for this recipe but you can use slices as well.
- Make sure to remove your thyme sprigs before serving.
- The onions take about 2 hours to caramelize, you can do this ahead of time as well.
- French bread is what we use for this recipe but you can also use baguettes if needed.
Nutrition
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I made this soup over the weekend and it was SUCH a hit. Amazing flavor!!!! Thank you!