French onion soup or onion soup as the French call it, may not have the most desirable name. Especially amongst people who don’t like onions, who are you and what is wrong with you?, but the flavor that comes from this soup is unmatched. It is a perfect balance of each ingredient. Sweetness from onion, a salty broth, tangy cheese, and texture from crunch French bread and crispy bubbling cheese. If you have not tried French onion soup, you should. And if you have never made it yourself, you should.
I love French onion soup. My parents would always order it when we would go to Chili’s growing up. It would come in a dark blue dish with a round handle, the cheese bubbling on the top. The soup was always blazing hot underneath the melted cheese. The best part was eating the cooled cheese off the rim when the soup was all but finished and you were still hoping for more.
My mom also made if for us at home. It was so fancy, she had four pfaltzgraff overproof dishes. She would make the soup and the put it under the broiler with slices of swiss cheese. We lived in Colorado and it was glorious. That, and her cheese grits were my favorite things to have at the dinner table, not necessarily at the same time, while growing up.
Then we moved to Hawaii where hot soup was not really something anyone years for most of the time. But unlike our houses, restaurants were air conditioned, and everytime it was on a menu, it was mine.
Between high school and college, my family took a trip to Europe. My dad gave me the choice spending two days in either France or Czech Republic. I choose France, obviously, probably to his chagrin, because Prague is amazing and most guys really don’t care about France. Until they go there. But that is a story for anothert time. Anyway, you can imagine my delight when I went to France for the first time and found French onion soup to actually be on the menu. I ordered that and a salad that came with shrimp heads that my dad had to eat because we were a family of five in Paris, nothing was going to waste. The soup was perfect, I still remember the exact café, it was the first café I ever ate at in Paris and it was perfect.
In college, I cannot say I loved the eating establishments in my town. But there was and is an extremely popular iconic sandwich shop , they have over 100 sandwiches named after historical things. I still to this day remember my order: I will have the Tonto with a French Onion Soup. I have no clue what the Tonto is anymore not what the Tonto is historically, but I do remember the soup.
It was a cup of soup, served with a plate with three slices of French bread that had been broiled with cheese on top. I loved getting that soup, and living in the mountains of Virginia, read cold, wind, no snow, sleet, and freezing rain. They have their own version of wintry mix there.
And then in my Junior year of college, I went to France again, and then several years later again, and again. Soupe a l’oignion is always my go. I live down the street from a pub that despite the hundreds of years rivalry with the friends across the channel, still can acknowledge that at the very least, good soup can come from the Normans. And last year, Sean made me one of the best French onion soups I’ve ever had. I have no idea what he did. He doesn't really use a recipe, or directions for that matter, in cooking or in life. So while I can’t recreate it, I can make the second best French onion recipe that I know how
The ingredients are usually on hand, all you need are some onions, butter, wine and broth. Oh and cheese. Cheese and bread are key. But they usually are!
📖 Recipe
Soupe à l'Oignion Gratinée | French Onion Soup
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 8 cups 1x
- Category: Soups
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: French
Ingredients
- 1 stick butter
- 5 large onions, sliced
- 1 garlic clove, smashed
- 2 tsp. Kosher salt
- 1 tsp. black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp. MarnaMaria Thyme
- 1 cup dry red wine (you can also use white if that is what you have)
- 6 tbsp. flour
- 8 cups beef broth
- 2 tbsp. cognac (optional)
- 1 day old baguette
- 3 tbsp. olive oil
- 3 cups Swiss gruyere cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Combine the butter, onions, garlic, salt, pepper, bay leaf, and MarnaMaria Thyme in a large Dutch oven or saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until onions are translucent and just softened, about 20 minutes.
- Add the wine, stir and bring to a simmer. Let cook, stirring frequently, until the wine is almost completely absorbed.
- Sprinkle in flour, stir and let cook about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, allowing the flour to cook but not burn.
- Add the beef broth and cognac, stir and let simmer for 20 more minutes for all flavors to combine.
For Croutons and to Serve
- Cut day old bread into cubes, drizzle with olive oil, seasoning with salt and pepper, and toast in a 400ºF oven for about 7 minutes until golden brown.
- In individual oven proof bowls, add a handful of croutons, fill with the prepared soup, and top with a handful of gruyere cheese. Place bowls on a baking sheet and broil until the cheese is melted and bubling!
- Alternatively, you can place slices of bread on a baking sheet and cover with gruyere cheese. Broil until bubbly. Spoon soup into bowls and top with the cheesy bread!
Notes
Can be made ahead or served immediately.
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