French Onion Soup

Andrea
Published on / Last updated on

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Delicious, flavorful French onion soup that is made with meat stock, onions and served with cheesy bread. It’s a classic soup and one that everyone loves!

We love soup recipes, and if you love this classics like minestrone soup and beef stew, you will love this French Onion Soup. Like most recipes, we love to serve it with bread and make it all year long! 

French onion soup with cheesy bread

What is it?

Do you know what French soup is, and have you had it before?  Believe it or not, but it’s ancient in origin and become really popular in the US back in the 1960s due to more interest in French cuisine. It’s stuck around ever since and is usually based on meat stock and onions and often served with cheese and a large piece of bread.

We’ve been long time fans of this yummy soup, and became even more of a fan when we realized how simple it was to make.

If you love flavor, simple soup recipes you’ll love this version. With onions, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, beef stock, garlic and more you won’t be able to resist this delicious french onion soup!

Onion soup close up image

How to Make French Onion Soup

Just follow these simple steps to make this delicious recipe.

In a wide heavy bottomed Dutch oven, set over medium heat, add the butter and oil. Once hot, add the onions. Let onions cook for 30 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent them from burning.
 
ONIONS. (NOTE: We like to cut these thin but can be any size you desire.) Sprinkle onions with sugar and salt, continue cooking until deep brown, about 15 additional minutes.
 
GARLIC. Add minced garlic and saute for an additional minute. Use a wooden spoon to scoot the onions to one side of the pan. Slowly pour in the white wine to deglaze the pan. Scrape any browned bits on the bottom or sides of the pot.
 
STOCK/BROTH. Pour in stock/broth and worcestershire sauce. Add bay leaf, thyme, and ground black pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer and cook, covered, for 30 minutes. Discard bay leaf.
 
BREAD. French soup is almost ALWAYS served with toasted bread. To make the bread, cut a slice of bread, butter, and sprinkle with garlic salt. BROIL at 400 for a few minutes. It should be deep golden brown. Add a slice of gruyere cheese and broil until bubbly. 
 
Once soup is done, ladle soup into a bowl and top with cheesy toast. Garnish with additional thyme, if desired.

Cheesy bread dipped in french onion soup bowl

Soup Tips + Tricks

We love to serve this soup with the cheesy bread but other sides that we love to make it with include:

Storing + Freezing. You can place any leftovers in an air-tight container and place in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can also freeze it by placing it in a freezer-safe bag or container and keeping it in the freezer for up to 2 months. Reheat in a stock pot until cooked through.

If you are wanting to make this soup more HEART-Y you can add some shredded beef or roast (or even chicken) to this soup.

French Onion Soup recipe image

For more soup recipes, check out:

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French Onion Soup Recipe

Delicious, flavorful French onion soup that is made with meat stock, onions and served with cheesy bread. It's a classic soup and one that everyone loves!
5 from 12 votes
Pin Rate
Course: Soup
Cuisine: French
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 216kcal
Author: Andrea
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Ingredients

  • 6 medium yellow onions, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 tsp granulated sugar
  • 1/4 tsp kosher sea salt
  • 4 tsp minced garlic
  • 1/4 cup dry white wine - can swap for additional broth or stock
  • 6 cup low-sodium beef stock
  • 2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 tsp loose thyme leaves
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
  • slices of baguette and gruyere for toasting

Instructions

  • In a wide heavy bottomed Dutch oven, set over medium heat, add the butter and oil. Once hot, add the onions. Let onions cook for 30 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent them from burning.
  • Sprinkle onions with sugar and salt, continue cooking until deep brown, about 15 additional minutes.
  • Add minced garlic and saute for an additional minute.
  • Use a wooden spoon to scoot the onions to one side of the pan. Slowly pour in the white wine to deglaze the pan. Scrape any browned bits on the bottom or sides of the pot.
  • Pour in stock/broth and worcestershire sauce. Add bay leaf, thyme, and ground black pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer and cook, covered, for 30 minutes. Discard bay leaf.
  • Meanwhile, toast the bread so that it's deep golden brown. Add cheese and broil until bubby.
  • Once soup is done, ladle soup into a bowl and top with cheesy toast. Garnish with addtional thyme, if desired.

NOTES

Inspired by Simply Recipes

Nutrition

Calories: 216kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 612mg | Potassium: 695mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 190IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 53mg | Iron: 1mg

 

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About the Author

Andrea

Hi I'm Andrea!

Hotelier turned Food Blogger to help make your life simple, one recipe at a time.

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Comments:

  1. 5 stars
    Thank you so much for this amazing onion soup recipe! It tasted really good and it’s super easy to make! Will surely have this again! Highly recommended!

    Reply