A classic French onion soup that’s hearty and filling. What’s not to love?
I am almost ashamed to say that I’ve never had French onion soup. Growing up, I was never a big fan of onions, probably because my mom didn’t cook them enough. Something about that raw taste of onions turned me away as a kid, so I never really embraced it until I became and adult and learned that properly cooked onions are a wonderful, wonderful thing.
So French onion soup never entered my life until recently. My husband and his dad are big fans and like to order this soup when we eat out. Since I hadn’t consumed a single bite of this classic French soup before, I wanted to make it on my own.
I spent about 30 minutes caramelizing the onions until they were golden brown and smelled utterly sweet. Then I simmered the broth for about another 30 minutes so all the flavors could meld together. This resulted in a sweet, delicious soup. I topped mine off with toasted mini garlic toasts. Then I added some cheese on top and put everything under the broiler.
Luckily for me, my 8 year old is a big fan of cooked onions and even opts-in to adding peppers and onions to her cheesesteaks and other sandwiches. The girl knows good food. And while she really enjoyed the first few bites of her soup, she got bored quickly because she wanted something other than just onions.
My husband thoroughly enjoyed his large bowl of soup and declared that I needed to make this again. I hope to be able to visit France sometime and see how my version compares.
Classic French onion soup
Ingredients
- 1/2 stick (4 Tablespoons) unsalted butter
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 5 onions sliced
- 5 cups beef broth
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4 slices French bread or sliced baguettes
- 4 slices provolone
- 4 slices Swiss cheese
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
Instructions
- In a large stockpot, melt the butter with the olive oil.
- Add the onions and cook on medium heat, stirring constantly, until onions begin to caramelize and turn a golden brown. Mine took about 30 minutes.
- Add the broth, thyme, salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 30 minutes.
- Ladle the soup into 4 serving bowls.
- Add a slice of bread on top of each bowl of soup and cover with the cheeses.
- Turn your oven's broiler on and place the soup bowls in a baking pan with high sides. Allow the cheese to bubble and brown. Serve immediately.