Easy French Onion Soup
Restaurant-quality French onion soup with slowly caramelized onions, beef broth, a splash of white wine, toasted baguette and bubbling Gruyère. Includes my easy water trick to keep the onions from burning.
Servings: 8 servings
Ingredients
For the soup
- 5 to 6 large yellow onions thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp salt plus more to taste
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 100 ml dry white wine
- 1.2 to 1.5 liters beef broth homemade or store-bought
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- Black pepper to taste
- 2 to 3 sprigs fresh thyme add to the broth while simmering; remove before serving
For serving
- 1 baguette sliced
- 200 to 250 g Gruyère, Emmental or Swiss cheese grated
- Fresh thyme sprigs optional, for garnish
Instructions
- Melt the butter with the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the onions, salt and sugar and stir.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 10 minutes.
- Uncover and cook, stirring every few minutes, until the onions are deep golden-brown, very soft and jam-like, another 25 to 40 minutes or longer.
- Whenever the onions stick or the bottom of the pot gets too dark, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water and scrape up the browned bits. Repeat as needed.
- Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir for 1 minute.
- Pour in the wine and scrape the bottom of the pot.
- Add the broth, bay leaf, 2 to 3 sprigs of fresh thyme, Worcestershire sauce and black pepper. Simmer gently for 20 minutes to infuse the broth with the herbs.
- Remove and discard the bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Taste the soup and adjust the salt.
- Toast the baguette slices until lightly crisp.
- Ladle the soup into oven-safe bowls and top with the toast and cheese.
- Place the bowls on a baking sheet and broil until the cheese is bubbling and golden. Garnish with thyme and serve hot.
Notes
Caramelizing: The time depends on your onions, pot and stove. Go by color and texture, not the clock.
No oven-safe bowls: Broil the cheese on the toast separately and place it on the soup.
Storage: Refrigerate the soup without toppings for 3 to 4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.
