French Onion Soup (Stovetop Version)
French Onion Soup is a creamy bowl of comfort food. It may be a labor of love to make, but it is worth every delicious bite!
Servings 6
Calories 414kcal
Equipment
- Dutch Oven
- Cast Iron Skillet
- Soup Crocks
- Baking Sheet
- Oven Mitt
- Wine Opener
- Pan(s)
Ingredients
- 5 tbsp salted Butter
- 4 large sweet onions sliced thinly
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup Dry white wine Try to find a younger bottle from the Burgundy region for a really authentic choice
- 8 cups beef stock two quarts
- 1 Tbsp Garlic about 2 cloves, minced
- 2 Bay leaves
- 2 sprigs Thyme
- ¼ tsp Salt
- ¼ tsp Pepper
- Stale Baguette cut into slices
- 10 oz Gruyere cheese block, shredded, or more if you like to go heavy on the cheese
Instructions
- Add a large pot or dutch oven to your stove over medium heat. Add 5 tbsp butter to the pot and allow it to melt. Then, add 4 large sliced onions.
- Stir the onions in the pot until they start to really whither and brown. You can add extra butter if you think it’s necessary. This step could take anywhere from 30-60 minutes depending on the size of your onions, the type of pot you use, and the heat level you are using.
- Once the onions have started to brown, add 1 tbsp granulated sugar and stir for another 20-30 minutes until the onions caramelize.
- Once the onions have caramelized, add 1 tbsp all-purpose flour and stir for 30 seconds until the onions are coated.
- Add ¼ cup of dry white wine to deglaze the pan. Stir for a few seconds to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Continue sauteeing until the wine cooks down.
- Once the wine is gone from the pot, add the 8 cups beef stock, 1 tbsp minced garlic, 2 bay leaves, 2 sprigs thyme, ¼ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp black pepper.
- Add the lid onto the pot and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Set out 6 oven-safe bowls. Put about 2 tablespoons of gruyere cheese in the bottom of the bowl, then evenly distribute the soup amongst the bowls. Place enough bread slices to cover the top of the soup, then sprinkle more gruyere cheese on top. Some people will add the bread to the bottom of the bowl instead. You can do this if you’d like.
- Place the soup crocks on a cookie sheet and turn the oven to a High Broil. Place in the oven under the broiler and broil until the cheese starts to bubble and toast.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Copyright The Foreign Fork. For educational or personal use only.
- Sweet Onions: I love the flavor of sweet onions but you could use yellow onions or red onions as well
- Sugar: Granulated Sugar
- Dry White Wine: Try to find a younger bottle from the Burgundy region for a really authentic choice
- Beef Stock or Beef Broth: Taste your stock before you use it to make sure you like it. Good soup requires good stock.
- Garlic: You could use pre-cut garlic but fresh will definitely taste best. I recommend mincing your own garlic for best results.
- Baguette: It’s best if your baguette is stale. I like to purchase a baguette the day before and leave it on the counter overnight for the perfect texture.
- Cheese: Gruyere cheese is the best choice for French Onion Soup. Check out this article about the Best Cheese for French Onion Soup for other options as well!
- Stir the onions periodically when caramelizing, but do not stir too much. You want the onions to have a chance to caramelize with the browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Just make sure to not wait too long for your onions to start to burn instead of caramelize!
- You can also use Comte cheese and add parmesan cheese to the top if you wish, though this is not traditional.
- This recipe calls for fresh herbs. If you decide to use dried you may want to use slightly less as dried herbs are a little bit concentrated.
- To deepen the flavor even further you could add a bit of sherry or red wine vinegar in with the broth.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 414kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 77mg | Sodium: 1161mg | Potassium: 913mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 760IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 555mg | Iron: 2mg