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This is our most requested soup recipe of all time, and for good reason.
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In This Recipe
The Best French Onion Soup
The Secret Ingredient
Alternatives To Wine
Storing and Reheating
Freezing
Is there anything more comforting on a chilly day than a hot bowl of French onion soup? Especially with a thick slice of toasted bread loaded with melty Gruyere cheese and lots of caramelized onion.
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How To Make the Best French Onion Soup
There are two essential components of a good French onion soup.
The first is the stock. Your soup will only be as good as the stock you are using. This soup traditionally is made with beef stock, though sometimes a good beef stock can be hard to come by and expensive to make.
If you use boxed stock, taste it first! If you don't like the taste, don't use it. (If you cook a lot of beef or beef roasts, save the scraps and freeze them to make a stock with later.)
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The Secret Ingredient Is Time
The second most important element is to properly caramelize the onions. Caramelizing the amount of onions needed in this recipe will take at least 40 minutes. Caramelizing is a chemical process that occurs when the sugars in the onions reach a certain temperature.
This only happens after a long cooking time (the addition of a little extra sugar will help). The more caramelized, the deeper the color of the onions and the more flavor you'll get from them.
Alternatives To Wine
The recipe calls for dry vermouth or white wine as well as brandy, which is optional. If you prefer not to use any alcohol, many readers who made the recipe mentioned in the comments that they omit it altogether and it's still delicious.
Others mentioned adding some Worcestershire sauce at the end to give it an additional depth of flavor. If you omit the alcohol, you may want to add a tablespoon or so of Worcestershire, but it's not necessary.
If you do choose to omit the alcohol, use a half cup of the beef broth to deglaze the pan as instructed in Step 2 before adding the remaining stock in Step 3.
The Best Cheese To Use for French Onion Soup
Gruyere and Parmesan are the classics for French onion soup. However, if you don't have them, try these alternatives.
- Gouda
- Swiss
- Fontina
- Mozzarella
How To Store and Reheat This Dish
Store the soup—without the croutons—in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. To reheat, bring to a boil on the stovetop. The croutons are best when made fresh.
How To Freeze French Onion Soup
This soup—without the croutons—freezes well. Freeze the cooled soup up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator and reheat by boiling on the stovetop. Make the croutons fresh.
More Warm and Cozy Soup Recipes to Try!
- Butternut Squash Apple Soup
- Instant Pot French Onion Soup
- Roasted Kabocha Squash Soup
- Smoky Vegan Lentil Stew
- Farro, Mushroom, and Spinach Soup
From the Editors Of Simply Recipes
French Onion Soup
Prep Time20 mins
Cook Time60 mins
Total Time80 mins
Servings4to 6 servings
Much of the success of this soup depends on the stock that you are using, and stock varies tremendously in its taste. Depending on your stock, you may need to bump up the flavor with some beef bouillon (we recommend Better Than Bouillon brand).
Ingredients
6 large red or yellow onions (about 3 pounds)
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon sugar
Kosher salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 cups beef stock, chicken stock, or a combination of the two
1/2 cup dry vermouth or dry white wine
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, a few sprigs of fresh thyme, OR 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons brandy (optional)
8 slices (1 inch thick) French bread or baguette
1 1/2 cups grated Gruyere cheese
Sprinkling grated Parmesan cheese
Method
Peel and slice the onions:
Peel and thinly slice the onions from root to stem. There should be about 10 cups of sliced onions in total.
How to Slice an OnionREAD MORE:
Begin caramelizing the onions with olive oil and butter:
In a 5 to 6 quart thick-bottomed pot, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil on medium heat. Add the onions and toss to coat with the olive oil.
Cook the onions, stirring often, until they have softened, about 15 to 20 minutes.
Increase the heat to medium high. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and the butter and cook, stirring often, until the onions start to brown, about 20 to 40 minutes. The amount of time will vary depending on your pot, stove, and onions.
Sprinkle with the sugar, finish caramelizing, and add garlic:
Sprinkle with sugar (to help with the caramelization) and 1 teaspoon of salt. Continue to cook until the onions are well browned, about 10 to 15 more minutes.
Add the minced garlic and cook for a minute more.
Deglaze the pot with vermouth or wine:
Add the wine or vermouth to the pot and scrape up the browned bits on the bottom and sides of the pot, deglazing the pot as you go.
Add the stock, bay leaves, and thyme:
Add the stock, bay leaves, and thyme. Bring to a simmer, cover the pot and lower the heat to maintain a low simmer. Cook for about 30 minutes.
Season and add the brandy:
Season to taste with more salt and add freshly ground black pepper. Discard the bay leaves. Add brandy if using.
Toast the French bread slices:
While the soup is simmering, line a sheet pan with parchment paper or foil and preheat the oven to 450°F with a rack in the upper third of the oven.
Brush both sides of the French bread or baguette slices lightly with olive oil (you'll end up using about a tablespoon and a half of olive oil for this).
Put in the oven and toast until lightly browned, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from oven.
Turn the toasts over and sprinkle with the grated Gruyere cheese and Parmesan. Return to oven when it's close to serving time and bake until the cheese is bubbly and lightly browned.
Serve:
To serve, ladle soup into a bowl and transfer one cheesy toast onto the top of each bowl of soup.
Alternatively, you can use individual oven-proof bowls or one large casserole dish. Ladle the soup into the bowls or casserole dish. Cover with the toast and sprinkle with cheese. Put into the broiler for 10 minutes at 350° F, or until the cheese bubbles and is slightly browned.
Did you enjoy this recipe? Let us know with a rating and review!
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- Comfort Food
- Fall Soups
- Onions
- French
| Nutrition Facts (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 699 | Calories |
| 26g | Fat |
| 84g | Carbs |
| 30g | Protein |
Show Full Nutrition Label
×
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings: 4to 6 | |
| Amount per serving | |
| Calories | 699 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| Total Fat 26g | 33% |
| Saturated Fat 10g | 50% |
| Cholesterol 43mg | 14% |
| Sodium 1727mg | 75% |
| Total Carbohydrate 84g | 30% |
| Dietary Fiber 5g | 16% |
| Total Sugars 14g | |
| Protein 30g | |
| Vitamin C 8mg | 38% |
| Calcium 424mg | 33% |
| Iron 6mg | 34% |
| Potassium 1000mg | 21% |
| *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. | |
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.
