The French onion soup recipe is a classic to have in your repertoire. Sweet caramelized onions cooked in a beef broth topped with a slice or two of a baguette with some cheese. A great satisfying soup that will warm up your chilly evenings.
Making his soup takes some time in order to have all the right flavors but it is well worth the wait. Don't we say that good things take time? The steps to making it from scratch are fairly simple. To me, it is definitely not worth using a canned onion soup or a mix, the real deal, traditional French onion soup recipe is the way to go.
My favorite thing about cooking this soup is that you will need ingredients that you are likely to have at home. I buy my onions in net and when I run low (as only ⅔ onions left) I buy another net. Seldom there is a shortage of onion in our household.
How To Make French Onion Soup?
Cooking the French onion soup recipe from scratch only has 5 steps:
#1: Get your goggles or a box of tissues! Disclaimer: You might cry!
#2: Chop chop chop all the onions. Practice makes perfect, it's not a race. Take your time.
#3: Sauté in some olive oil and let it caramelize slowly but surely. This is long but this is how it's done. Do the dishes in the meantime :) and have a coffee or a glass of wine.
#4: Add the broth and let it simmer, voilà! Some more waiting around but you want your flavors to deepen.
#5: Serve in cute oven-proof bowls, cover with some sliced baguette, generously add some cheese, and broil.
Now, let's talk about step number 2. Do you chop half an onion and start crying? Do you have a special trick? Is wearing google a real thing? My way? Pretty traditional actually. I'm not a fan of gadgets, give me my favorite knife and a chopping board and I'm happy.
My secret is practice. By the time I'm done cutting the first onion, my eyes are barely watery. If you don't know how to cut an onion or need a reminder, I have a tutorial post here where I also share a quick video. Learn how to cut an onion under a minute!
Is Onion Soup Good For You?
Here is to enjoying delicious food that is good for you! Cheers to that! I read this amazing article, so well explained. The health benefits of onions are clearly listed and explained.
The ones that stood out the most for me were that onions are packed with vitamins, nutrients, and minerals. I had no idea. Onions are especially rich in Vitamin C.
LOADED with antioxidants is another surprising and impressive piece of information. Studies showed that a higher intake of these types of food reduces the risk of heart disease, diabetes, or cancer.
Although the article explains it all in detail in a more thorough way, the gist is that onions are good for you thus this French Onion Soup recipe should be on your menu ASAP.
What Do You Need To Prepare This Recipe?
Everyone has a different version of recipes. There are more ingredients or shortcuts in others. I don't use my slow cooker that often, I'm sure there is a version with it.
Beef broth: I find there are more flavors when the caramelized onions meet the beef broth.
Baguette: You can make it work with croutons as well but I find that a slice of bread holds way better.
Cheese: If you want to be authentic, gruyere. However, you can adapt to what is in your fridge.
No wine: I deglaze my onions with the broth.
If you are a fan of onions, here are some more recipes:
Scalloped Potatoes with Ham & Caramelized onions
3 Delicious Toppings for your Salads or Burgers
French Onion Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 onions
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 branches thyme fresh
- 5 cups beef broth
- 4 slices baguette
- 1 cup shredded cheese
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Slice all your onions.
- In a hot large pot, pour the olive oil and all your onions.
- On low heat, cook the onions and stir regularly.
- Cook for 45 minutes.
- Pour your beef stock and stir.
- Cook for 30 minutes on a simmer.
- Serve in cute oven-proof bowls, cover with some sliced baguette, generously add some cheese, and broil for ¾ minutes.
Linda says
What a great recipe! I love the final touch of baguette and cheese before serving!
Rebecca Blackwell says
I have these adorable little French onion soup crocks that have been sitting on a shelf for years and never used. This recipe inspired me to get them down and put them to good use and I'm so happy I did! This soup is sooooo delicious and just as easy as you promise. Thank you for a great recipe!
Elizabeth says
Quite the inexperienced "cook" here, but would like to try this recipe.
Am I missing something? You mention the garlic clove and fresh thyme as ingredients, but I'm not
seeing where it is included in the actual instructions for the soup.
Can you clarify this please?