French Onion Soup
Deeply caramelized onions simmered in beef broth with a splash of wine, topped with toasted bread and bubbling Gruyère.
- Servings
- 4
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 1 hr 30 min
- Total
- 1 hr 45 min
Ingredients
Equipment
- Large heavy pot or Dutch oven
- Oven-safe soup bowls
- Baking sheet
Instructions
Melt the butter in the pot over medium heat. Add the onions and salt, stir to coat, cover and cook until the onions collapse and release their liquid, 15 minutes.
Uncover and cook, stirring every few minutes and scraping the bottom, until the onions are soft and a deep caramel brown, 45–60 minutes. Lower the heat if the bottom starts to scorch rather than brown.
Pour in the wine and scrape up the browned bits. Add the broth, thyme, bay leaf and pepper and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove the herbs and taste for salt.
Meanwhile toast the baguette slices on the baking sheet under the broiler until golden on both sides. Keep an eye on them; broilers are fast.
Set the oven-safe bowls on the baking sheet and ladle in the hot soup. Top each with toasts and a thick layer of cheese.
Broil until the cheese is melted, bubbling and browned in spots, 2–4 minutes. The bowls will be extremely hot, so serve them on plates.
Notes
- Patience with the onions is what makes the flavor. The soup base (without toast and cheese) keeps for 4 days and freezes well.
- For a vegetarian version, use a rich vegetable broth with a splash of soy sauce, and a vegetarian Swiss-style cheese.
My notes
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Nutrition estimate
- Calories
- 730
- Protein
- 31 g
- Carbs
- 74 g
- Fat
- 32 g
Per serving, estimated from USDA FoodData Central values for the listed amounts. Optional ingredients and to-taste seasoning are not included, and actual values vary by brand. How we estimate
