Traditional French Onion Soup with a special trick to get extra flavor & make it easy!
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This traditional but easy French Onion Soup is full of rich flavor from caramelized onions, wine and broth; but the method is really the secret here. The onions are cooked in the oven, bringing the most flavor possible while minimizing stove top stirring and the possibility of burnt onions.
French Onion Soup that's actually easy? That's extra-delicious, as far as I'm concerned!
What are the ingredients for this easy French Onion Soup recipe?
Caramelizing onions in the oven is the easiest, and most consistent way to do it. Besides, who wants to babysit a pan of onions when you don't need to? To make them: warm oil and butter in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Then you add the onions to the pot and cook for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add some thyme sprigs, turn the pan lid slightly and throw the whole thing in a preheated oven for an hour. Stir occasionally to ensure the onions aren’t sticking and to evenly caramelize them. It's that easy!
This easy oven method is how I make caramelized onions all the time now. So my Caramelized Onion and Prosciutto Pizza is on heavy rotation now that it's easier too!
Choosing onions for the soup:
I like to make this easy French Onion Soup recipe with locally grown sweet onions, or half sweet and half regular yellow onions, but any good-lookin’ yellow onion will do.Onions are grown throughout the U.S., mostly in California, Eastern Oregon, Idaho, New Mexico, Georgia and Texas. Harvest runs from late spring into fall, so you can enjoy the most flavorful soup throughout much of the year.
Gluten-Free French Onion Soup
K.C. Cornwell
This traditional French Onion Soup is full of rich flavor from caramelized onions, wine and broth.
Warm the oil and melt the butter in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add the onions to the pot and cover, cook for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 3 of the thyme sprigs, and turn the pan lid slightly ajar. Place the pot into the preheated oven for 1 hour, stirring occasionally to ensure the onions aren’t sticking (this is the way to evenly caramelize the onions.)
Carefully take the pot from the oven and return it to the stovetop over medium heat. Stir the onions, scraping off all the brown bits from the sides of the pot. Slowly pour in the wine along with 1 teaspoon of the salt and cook for 5-8 minutes, so the liquid begins to reduce. Remove the stems of the first thyme sprigs, then add the rest of the thyme, beef broth, Worcestershire Sauce and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 40-50 minutes.
Cut the bread into rounds that will fit into the bowls or ramekins used for serving the soup, and toast the bread thoroughly on both sides in the oven or toaster.
When the soup is ready, ladle into bowls or ramekins. Place toasted bread on top of the soup and cover the bread with the grated cheese. Broil until cheese is melted and delicious.
Serve immediately and enjoy.
Notes
Make it Dairy Free: substitute olive oil for the butter, and do not top with cheese.
Paleo-Friendly: use Dairy Free options and use coconut aminos in place of Worcestershire.
Once you've mastered this easy French Onion Soup recipe, try these next:
Make this deliciousGluten-Free French Apple Cake soon:
If apple desserts are what you're looking for, thisFrench Apple Cakeshould absolutely be the next thing you bake.
Homemade Tomato Soup
You can use any new tomato variety to make this homemade tomato soup any time of year! It goes well with grilled cheese, is good on its own, and can be served as the first course at a party to impress everyone!
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My personal go-tos include worcestershire sauce, fish sauce, and brandy. Each deepens the flavor of french onion soup. Balsamic vinegar and soy sauce are other great options.
What is the Difference Between Onion Soup and French Onion Soup? French onion soup is always made with beef stock. Other onion soups can be made with chicken, vegetable, or beef stock. Additionally, French onion soup typically contains wine or sherry, which isn't typical or necessary in other onion soups.
The caramelized onions for this soup cook more quickly due to a pinch of baking soda but still have that deep, slow-cooked flavor. Topping the soup with hot, cheesy toasts prepared while the soup simmers, eliminates the need to bake the soup in specialty French onion soup bowls.
Fix a bland onion soup by using supermarket broth and mild white onions, tasteless oil for sauteeing, stale plain white bread instead of croutons, and mild white cheese. Start by reducing the broth. Simmering out some water will intensify the flavor of the broth. Once you get it to the right point, add some salt.
Onion soup, at its very essence, is nothing more than onions and water boiled together. Period, done, finished, everything added from that point on is pure opinion. Caramelizing the onions brings out sugars, and makes a more luxurious silky and sweet soup, adding flour gently thickens and provides body.
Foods that have a great deal of acidity, like lemon juice, vinegar, white wine, and tomato puree, can help liven up the flavor of bland-tasting bone and other broths. "The acidity of these ingredients works to complement and enhance the broth's flavors, not mask it.
This soup traditionally is made with beef stock, though sometimes a good beef stock can be hard to come by and expensive to make. If you use boxed stock, taste it first! If you don't like the taste, don't use it. (If you cook a lot of beef or beef roasts, save the scraps and freeze them to make a stock with later.)
The classic French onion soup gets its name from its country of origin: France. After making its debut in the 18th century, it has become a national treasure. During ancient times (and still today), onions were cheap and easy to grow, and hence, readily available.
Panera Bread is working to regain customers' loyalty in 2020 with the reintroduction of its fan-favorite French Onion Soup. 2019 was a year of food news for Panera, not all of it positive. First, it removed the French Onion Soup, a staple on the menu for over 20 years, to make room for seasonal menu items in June.
Yes, over high heat, onions can brown on the surface very quickly, especially in a pan that's not crowded. But the goal of caramelizing onions isn't just to brown the surface; it's to transform the onions so that they're soft and sweet to the core. Try to rush it and all you'll end up doing is burning them.
If you want to thicken your French onion soup, you can add a bit of flour. Combine a couple of tablespoons of flour with a teaspoon of salt and whisk in about a quarter cup of water. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, until thickened.
The key to good French onion soup is to cook the onions so long that they threaten to melt into a viscous, dark brown paste, à la Marmite. As has already been extensively reported in Slate, there are no shortcuts when you're caramelizing onions; it always takes at least an hour, usually longer.
If the onions are steaming and not browning after the first 5 minutes, turn the heat up to high. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring only occasionally so the onions have a chance to brown. After those 10 to 12 minutes, they should be soft and wilted and starting to turn brown all over.
It is better to use chicken or vegetable broth rather than sub-standard beef broth. Best to use low salt and add salt if required. 4. Bread - The idea with the recipe is that you can use a spoon to cut through the bread into the soup to eat it (see video).
Serve the French Onion Soup immediately after broiling to enjoy the gooey, melted cheese at its best. The longer the soup sits, the more likely the cheese may start to sink. Make-Ahead. You can make the soup broth ahead of time and wait to top them with the bread and cheese when ready to enjoy.
Infusing the soup with a richer taste is as easy as quickly sauteing crushed garlic before pouring the soup in. Some soft, buttery garlic sauteed in earthy olive oil is the perfect addition to enrich canned French onion soup.
Herbs and sources add flavor, aroma, and intensity to the soup broth. You can pick fresh or dried herbs like basil for tomato-based soups or fresh parsley for clear broths. You may also add more spices like turmeric, ground ginger, ground paprika, or nutmeg for a touch of spice and color to your soup broth.
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