French Onion Soup

Here's another great French recipe to make! This French onion soup is so scrumptious and comforting. Serve it hot and bubbly with melted Gruyère on top of toasted garlic french bread, absolutely amazing! This soup will keep you warm and cozy all year long!

Learn how to make the traditional French Onion Soup from scratch! This is a simple soup recipe that delivers big flavors without a ton of ingredients! Not only is this soup delicious but it's so easy to make! Also, check out this tasty COQ AU VIN (FRENCH CHICKEN IN WINE SAUCE)!

The Classic French Onion Soup

French Onion Soup, soupe à l'oignon [sup a lɔɲɔ̃]) originates in Paris, France in the 18th century. It's basically caramelized onions in meat stock and often served with gratinéed; cheesy bread floating on top. The soup itself is quite simple but layered with rich umami flavors. It's probably one of the most popular soups in the world.

Caramelized Onions

Caramelizing the onion is the slow process of sautéing onions in olive oil on medium to medium-low heat that could take up to an hour until the onions are completely browned and developed a sweet flavor as the natural sugars in the onions caramelize.

This process takes a lot of patience because you need to stir the onions every few minutes. The caramelized onions are the secret of good French onion soup. For that reason, you shouldn't skip this caramelizing the onion process because it's definitely worth it!

Use Good Beef Broth

Traditionally, French onion soup is made with beef stock.

Beef stock is another important ingredient that makes the soup delicious. So, be sure to buy the best beef broth you can, something that you like and know will taste good. Alternatively, if you can't find a good quality beef broth or, use chicken or vegetable broth instead.

The Ingredients:

To make this French onion soup, you only need a few easy ingredients:

• Onions: The classic French onion soup called for "yellow onion". I personally think that is the best type of onion to use in French onion soup because of its bright and mildly sweet taste finish. However, you can use white, sweet (Vidalia), or red onions for French onion soup if that's the only thing you have on hand.
• Beef Stock: Use a good quality beef broth, or chicken or vegetable broth if you are vegan.

• Dry sherry: Dry sherry can enhance the flavor of a dish and commonly used to deglaze a pan. To get the most of the flavor, you need to let it simmer for a few minutes until it reduces at least in half to burn off the alcohol. Feel free to substitute dry sherry with dry white wine.
• Garlic
• Sugar: It will help the caramelization process. You just need to use a small amount of it, about ½ tsp.

• Bouquet Garni: Use this combination of aromatic vegetables, herbs, and spices to add aroma and enhance the flavors of a dish. To make bouquet garni, you need to tie leek leaves, parsley stems, thyme, and bay leaf into a bundle with butcher twine so you can easily pull out the bouquet when the cooking process is done.

• gratinée: aka a golden crispy crust on top of a dish. You need to garnish each portion of the soup with a crouton or french baguette and top generously with grated Gruyère or Swiss cheese or any melted cheese you prefer!

How to Make French Onion Soup:

Here are some important steps to follow:

• Caramelize the onions. First, you need to cut the onions into very thin slices then sauté them in the butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until they have a dark-brown, rich color for about 50 minutes or longer.

• You may need to add a small amount of sugar to help the caramelization process. Also, don't forget to use a wooden/silicone spatula so you can continue to cook and scrape and cook and scrape during the process without damaging your pot.

• Deglaze the pan: Add the dry sherry, cook, stirring to scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan, until it has evaporated and reaches a syrupy consistency.

• Add the stock and the other remaining ingredients: Add the stock, and bouquet garni. Bring the soup to a simmer then lower the heat and cover the pot. Simmer the soup gently for about 30-35 minutes to develop its full flavor. Season with salt/black pepper if needed.

• Prepare the garnish: While the soup is simmering, slice some fresh French baguette. Brush each slice of bread with olive oil then bake in the preheated oven (400°F) for about 3-5 minutes then rub the toasted bread with halved garlic.

• Serving: Ladle the soup into an individual bowl. Put one or two slices of toasted bread on top, sprinkle with a generous amount of cheese. Place the broiler-safe soup bowls on a baking sheet then transfer to a broiler. It usually takes less than 1 minute to melt the cheese so be sure to keep a close eye on the toppings so they don't burn!

If you don't have a broiler-safe bowl, you can sprinkle some cheese on the bread and bake until the cheese is melted in the oven at 400°F.

CHECK MORE TASTY SOUP RECIPES:

• CHICKEN CORN CHOWDER (STOVETOP INSTRUCTIONS INCLUDED)
• CAULIFLOWER SOUP (LOW-CARB)
• CHICKEN CORN CHOWDER (STOVETOP
• BLACK-EYED PEA SOUP WITH HAM HOCK AND SPINACH
• POTATO LEEK SOUP (NO FLOUR ADDED)
• PEA SOUP – VEGETARIAN!
• ROOT VEGETABLE SOUP
• POTATO SOUP WITH BACON!
• GREAT NORTHERN BEAN SOUP
• ITALIAN SAUSAGE KALE SOUP
• PRESSURE COOKER PUMPKIN SOUP
• INSTANT POT CLAM CHOWDER

I hope you’ll enjoy this French Onion Soup recipe! If you try this recipe, don’t forget to rate and leave a review on the recipe card/comment box below.

📖 Recipe