This rich beefy French Onion Soup is a delicious cozy comfort dish for a family meal. Elegant enough to serve to company, too! Topped with a crispy baguette and ooey-gooey melted cheese.
PREP TIME 25 minutesminutes
COOK TIME 25 minutesminutes
TOTAL TIME 50 minutesminutes
YIELD 8servings
Ingredients
1/2cup(1 stick) butter
4large onionscut in half and then sliced very thinly
Sprinkle of kosher salt and pepper
1teaspoonsugar
2teaspoonsminced garlic
2teaspoonsdried thyme
1cupred wine
3tablespoonsflour
8cupsbeef stock
2bay leaves
1crusty baguette
3 - 4tablespoonsbutter
8ouncesshredded Gruyere cheese
Instructions
Caramelize the Onions:
In a large heavy bottomed pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions, salt and pepper, and sugar to the pot and stir everything together.
Cook the onions, stirring occasionally, for about 25 minutes or until they soften and turn a deep golden color. As they cook down, you'll need to stir them more frequently so they don't stick to the pot and burn.
Add the garlic and thyme and stir. Cook for another minute.
Build the Soup:
Add the wine to the pot and stir it into the onions. Bring it to a boil and simmer for 5 - 8 minutes or until the liquid has mostly evaporated.
Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir to combine. Cook for 3 - 5 minutes. Pour in the beef stock and scrape the bottom of the pan to catch all the browned bits.
Add the bay leaves and simmer the soup for 10 minutes or until the broth has slightly thickened.
Make the Crostini Topping:
Slice the baguette into 1-inch thick slices on an angle.
Add the butter to a small skillet and melt it over medium-high heat. Add a single layer of bread slices to the skillet and griddle them until golden brown. Flip them over and toast the other side. Work in batches as needed to toast the baguette.
Serve the Soup:
Ladle a serving of the French Onion soup into a soup bowl. Top it with a slice of toasted baguette and then top with a sprinkle of cheese.
OPTIONAL: You could serve the soup in broiler-safe soup bowls so you could melt the cheese under the broiler for 30 seconds - 1 minute. Simply line up the bowls on a broiler-safe baking pan, fill them with soup, top with a baguette and cheese, and broil until bubbly and golden brown.
Recipe Notes
Make-Ahead Freezer Tips
You could make the onion soup up 3 - 5 days ahead of time and simply reheat in a pot on the stove or in a slowcooker. Toast the baguettes up to 24 hours ahead and store them separately in an airtight container at room temperature.You could freeze the soup for up to 12 months. You can freeze a whole baguette, thaw it overnight in the fridge, and toast it fresh before serving the soup.Do not try to freeze portions of soup with the baguette and cheese already in place, the bread will go very soggy as it thaws.