French Onion Soup

Name: French Onion Soup
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 1 h 40 min
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon butter; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 4 large yellow onions sliced in half and cut from pole to pole in no greater than 1/4 inch slices; 2 cloves garlic minced; 1 teaspoon dried thyme; 1/2 cup dry white or red wine (see notes); 3 cups low sodium beef broth; 1 cup low sodium chicken broth; 1 bay leaf; salt and pepper to taste; Crostinis or large croutons; 1 cup shredded Gruyere or Swiss cheese

June 9, 2020 by Beth Pierce 44 Comments

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The best French Onion Soup with slow cooked caramelized sweet onions, crisp baked crostini and plenty of smooth melting Gruyere Cheese. This is the ultimate comfort soup and is so quick and easy to make.

This is one of my husband’s favorite recipes. If you love onions than this delectable mouthwatering soup is a must make recipe. We make this tasty treat at least once a month and we love every spoonful. It is such an easy recipe that even the novice chef can handle this.

How to make French Onion Soup

Start by heating a little butter and olive oil in a Dutch Oven or stock pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for about 45 minutes stirring every few minutes until a rich golden brown. You may need to reduce the heat if they are browning too fast. There is a fine line between stirring too much and not stirring enough. The key is to stir them enough to keep them from burning but not so much that they are not browning.

Once browned stir in the garlic and dried thyme. Add the wine and scrape the bottom of the pan to remove the browned bits. This technique is known as deglazing. Now let the wine and onions simmer for a few minutes. Next add the beef broth, chicken broth and bay leaf and simmer for about 20-30 minutes. Discard the bay leaf and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon into oven proof soup bowls, add several crostini to the top and sprinkle with shredded cheese. Set them on a baking sheet and place under the broiler for a few minutes to melt the cheese. Plan to serve promptly.

Helpful tips for making French Onion Soup

Caramelized onions are the star of this show so don’t cut the process short.
Either dry red wine or dry white wine can be used. Red adds a more robust flavor and white more subtle. If you have a personal preference on which one you prefer to drink go with that.
You can use all beef broth for a richer fuller flavor or if it is just more convenient. I always have beef and chicken broth in the house so a combination is usually the way I go on this recipe.
I find Crostini works best for this recipe. They hold up long enough to provide structure and texture without coming off as a soggy piece of bread.
Gruyere is a smooth melting type of Swiss Cheese with fewer and smaller eyes. If it is not available you can substitute Swiss or Jarlsberg.
Broilers are very unpredictable. Stay close by and monitor well.

I love french onion soup. There is just something dreamy about all those onions slow cooked to complete perfection, then simmered in broth and spice, and topped with crostini and rich cheese! My friends life just does not get much better than this.

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This post was originally published September 16, 2014 and was republished June 9, 2020 with new content.