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A classic French onion soup featuring slowly caramelized onions in a rich beef or chicken broth, topped with toasted bread and melted cheese for a comforting and flavorful dish.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 100 g / 3.5 oz unsalted butter
  • 1.25 kg / 2.5 lb brown or yellow onions, peeled, halved, thinly sliced top to bottom
  • 3/4 cup (185 ml) dry white wine (optional)
  • 2 tbsp plain/all-purpose flour
  • 1.5 liters / 6 cups / 1.5 quarts good quality beef broth or chicken low sodium/salt reduced broth
  • 2 dried bay leaves or 3 fresh bay leaves (optional)
  • 3 sprigs fresh thyme (optional)
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 6–8 slices French baguette or other soft bread
  • 100 g / 3.5 oz Gruyere or mozzarella cheese, or other melting cheese of choice
  • Fresh parsley or thyme leaves, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

  1. Melt butter in a heavy-based casserole over medium heat, add sliced onions and stir to coat.
  2. Lower heat to medium-low and cook for about 30 minutes, stirring every few minutes until onions soften and become translucent.
  3. Increase heat to medium or medium-high, sprinkle salt, and cook 20-30 minutes more, stirring often until onions are deeply golden and sweet.
  4. Slow-cooker option (optional): Toss sliced onions with 2 tbsp melted butter, cook on LOW for 10 hours, then transfer most onions and some jus to a pot with 2 tbsp butter and cook on medium-high 10-15 minutes to finish caramelizing.
  5. Pour in dry white wine (if using) and simmer rapidly for 2 minutes, scraping up browned bits from the pot bottom.
  6. Sprinkle flour over the onions and cook for 1 minute to remove raw flour taste.
  7. Pour in beef or chicken or vegetable broth and add thyme sprigs and bay leaves.
  8. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer gently for 30 minutes to blend flavors.
  9. Taste and season with salt and pepper; remove thyme sprigs and bay leaves.
  10. Preheat grill/broiler to high and toast bread slices on both sides until lightly golden.
  11. Top toasted bread with cheese and grill again until the cheese melts and begins to brown.

Notes

Caramelizing onions takes approximately 45-60 minutes on stove for a large batch; slow cooker method requires 10 hours on LOW plus 10-15 minutes finishing on stove., Best served with hot cheesy toast grilled separately to keep bread crisp and prevent sogginess., Good quality beef broth is recommended for authentic flavor; chicken or vegetable broth can be used instead if needed., Soup can be made ahead and refrigerated for 3-4 days or frozen for up to 3 months (without bread)., Reheat gently over medium-low heat without boiling to preserve flavor., Cheesy toast is best made fresh just before serving to prevent sogginess., Slow cooker method yields about 75% of the flavor of stovetop caramelized onions and is a convenient shortcut.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://gingerbaking.com/french-onion-soup/