Classic Onion Soup Recipes

CLASSIC FRENCH ONION SOUP

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions, and cook, stirring often, until deep golden brown and caramelized, about 30-40 minutes.* Stir in garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in wine, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the stockpot. Stir in beef stock, thyme and bay leaves. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly reduced, about 15-20 minutes. Remove and discard thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Stir in white wine vinegar; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Preheat oven to broil. Place baguette slices onto a baking sheet. Place into oven and broil until golden brown on both sides, about 1-2 minutes per side; set aside. Divide soup into ramekins or ovenproof bowls. Place onto a baking sheet. Top with baguette slices to cover the surface of the soup completely; sprinkle with cheeses. Place into oven and broil until golden brown and cheeses have melted; about 2 minutes. Serve immediately.

FRENCH ONION SOUP

Steps:

• In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the oil, onions, salt, pepper, and sugar. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until onions are deep golden brown and caramelized, 45 to 55 minutes. In the beginning, you will only need to stir the onions only occasionally. As they start to brown midway through cooking, you will need to stir them frequently, scraping the fond (the brown particles) from the bottom of the pan. If the onions are browning too quickly, reduce the heat slightly or add a few tablespoons of water to deglaze the pan and continue cooking.
• Add the wine and raise the heat to high. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to scrape any fond from the bottom of the pan, until almost all of the liquid has evaporated and the onions are jammy, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for one minute.
• Add the broth, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, and bay leaves to the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook, covered, for about 30 minutes.
• While the soup simmers, preheat the oven to 400°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Arrange the baguette slices in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake until the bread is dry, crisp, and golden at edges, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
• When the soup is finished, remove the bay leaves and add the sherry; taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. If the soup needs a deeper flavor, try a few shakes of Worcestershire sauce. If it's not quite sweet enough, add ¼ teaspoon sugar.
• Adjust an oven rack 6 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Set individual broiler-safe crocks on a baking sheet and divide the hot soup among the crocks (be sure the soup is very hot as it won't warm up much in the oven). Top each crock with 1 or 2 baguette slices (do not overlap slices) and sprinkle evenly with Gruyère and then Parmigianno Reggiano. Slide the crocks into the oven and broil until the cheese is melted and bubbly around edges, 3 to 5 minutes. Let the crocks cool for a few minutes before serving. (Alternatively, if using regular soup bowls: Top each toast slice with some cheese and return to broiler to melt, about 2 minutes more. Divide the soup among bowls and top each serving with two cheese toasts.)
• Make-Ahead Instructions: The soup can be made and refrigerated up to 3 days ahead (without toasts or cheese), or up to 3 months ahead and frozen. Toasts can be made (without the cheese) and kept sealed at room temperature for up to 3 days.

CLASSIC FRENCH ONION SOUP

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons oil and butter over medium heat. Add onions; cook and stir until softened, 10-13 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, stirring occasionally, until deep golden brown, 30-40 minutes. Add minced garlic; cook 2 minutes longer., Stir in wine. Bring to a boil; cook until liquid is reduced by half. Add broth, pepper and salt; return to a boil. Reduce heat. Simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour. , Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400°. Place baguette slices on a baking sheet; brush both sides with remaining 3 tablespoons oil. Bake until toasted, 3-5 minutes on each side. Rub toasts with halved garlic. , To serve, place twelve 8-oz. broiler-safe bowls or ramekins on baking sheets; place 2 toasts in each. Ladle with soup; top with cheese. Broil 4 in. from heat until cheese is melted.

RICH AND SIMPLE FRENCH ONION SOUP

Steps:

• Melt butter with olive oil in an 8 quart stock pot on medium heat. Add onions and continually stir until tender and translucent. Do not brown the onions.
• Add beef broth, sherry and thyme. Season with salt and pepper, and simmer for 30 minutes.
• Heat the oven broiler.
• Ladle soup into oven safe serving bowls and place one slice of bread on top of each (bread may be broken into pieces if you prefer). Layer each slice of bread with a slice of provolone, 1/2 slice diced Swiss and 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese. Place bowls on cookie sheet and broil in the preheated oven until cheese bubbles and browns slightly.

CLASSIC ONION SOUP

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 275 degrees F.
• Melt butter in a large saucepan over low heat, add onions and cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until onions are golden and tender, about 20 minutes. Add vegetable stock, salt and pepper to taste, and simmer for about 15 minutes. Stir in dry sherry or cognac.
• Rub garlic clove on each piece sliced bread and toast on a baking sheet until both sides are golden.
• Place bread in a casserole or in 6 individual ovenproof, bowls and ladle onion soup over top. Top with a mixture of Gruyere and Parmesan and place casserole or individual bowls under the broiler and to melt cheese and slightly brown top.

CLASSIC FRENCH ONION SOUP

Steps:

• Melt the butter together with the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat, then add the white and red onions, leeks, garlic, bay leaves, thyme and salt and pepper to taste, and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until all the onions are caramelized, about 30 minutes.
• Add the sherry and cook until reduced by half, 10 to 15 minutes. Discard the bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Add the beef stock, bring to a simmer and cook 15 minutes. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper as desired.
• Preheat the broiler. Add the baguette toasts to each soup bowl and ladle soup over the top (they will rise to the top). Top each toast with the cheese and broil until the cheese browns, about 30 seconds.

CLASSIC ONION SOUP WITH GRUYERE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and preheat broiler.
• Melt butter and oil together in a large stock pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onions and sugar and cook 10 minutes, until onions are tender and golden brown. Add thyme, bay leaves, salt, and black pepper and stir to coat. Cook 1 minute, until fragrant. Add port and simmer until liquid is absorbed. Add broth and Parmesan rind and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low, partially cover and simmer 20 minutes.
• Remove bay leaves and Parmesan rind and ladle soup into oven-proof bowls. Place bowls on a baking sheet. Place reserved bread rounds or a sourdough round into each bowl and top bread with Gruyere cheese. Broil 2 to 3 minutes, until cheese is golden and bubbly.

THE BEST FRENCH ONION SOUP

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a very large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add the onions, bay leaves, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and a few grinds black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are very soft and light golden-brown, about 1 hour. (The onions will begin to stick to the bottom of the pan and turn brown after about 30 minutes; just keep scraping them up and stirring them into the rest of the onions. If they are browning to quickly, lower the heat.)
• Add the wine to the pot, bring to a simmer and cook until it has almost completely evaporated, about 4 minutes. Add the beef broth and 1 cup of water, bring to a simmer and cook until the flavors come together and the soup is rich, about 45 minutes. Remove the bay leaves. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Keep the soup warm on a low burner or cool completely and refrigerate to reheat later. (The soup can be refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 1 month.)
• Preheat the broiler. Place four soup crocks on a rimmed baking sheet and fill them about 3/4 of the way with hot soup. Float a slice of baguette on top of each and cover with 1/2 cup Gruyere. Broil until the Gruyere is golden brown (don't be alarmed if some soup bubbles out), 2 to 3 minutes.

CLASSIC ONION SOUP MIX

Steps:

• Combine the first 5 ingredients. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to 1 year. Yield: 4 batches (20 tablespoons total)., To prepare onion soup: In a saucepan, combine water and 5 tablespoons onion soup mix. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Yield: 3 servings., To prepare roasted potatoes: In a bowl, toss potatoes and oil. Sprinkle with 5 tablespoons onion soup mix; toss to coat. Transfer to an ungreased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Bake, uncovered, at 450° for 35-40 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Yield: 6 servings. , To prepare onion dip: In a bowl, combine sour cream and 5 tablespoons onion soup mix; mix well. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Serve with vegetables, chips or crackers.

FRENCH ONION SOUP

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large, heavy pot over medium. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and beginning to turn golden, 35 to 40 minutes (if onions develop color quickly, reduce heat).
• Add butter, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring a few times, until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes more. Add vermouth and boil, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pot, until mostly evaporated, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Stir in stock and Marsala. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and gently simmer 45 minutes. Season to taste.
• Preheat broiler. Ladle soup into broiler-safe crocks or bowls set on a rimmed baking sheet. Nestle a piece of toast into each, partially submerged, and top each with 1/3 cup Gruyère. Broil until cheese is melted, bubbly, and golden brown in places, 2 to 4 minutes. (Soup without toast and cheese can be cooled and refrigerated in an airtight container up to 3 days, or frozen up to 6 months.)