French Onion Soup

5 from 4 votes

With its rich and filling flavor, French Onion Soup is a delicious broth made of caramelized onions, herbs, toasted bread, but the melted cheese topping is the real star of this restaurant style soup.

Prep Time15

Cook Time1

Total Time1 15

Course: Soup

Cuisine: French

Servings: cups

Calories: 440kcal

Author: Rachel

Ingredients

2 tablespoon Olive Oil
1 tablespoon Butter
3 lbs Yellow Onions - thinly sliced
¼ cup Cooking Sherry
2 teaspoon Fresh Thyme about 2-3 sprigs
1 teaspoon Minced Garlic 2 cloves
6 cups Beef Stock
1 teaspoon Beef Base
8 slices French Bread
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Swiss Cheese, sliced or grated Gruyere, Havarti, and Emmental can also be used

Instructions

Melt butter and olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook onions until translucent and soft. Turn down heat to med-low and cook until onions are thoroughly caramelized, about 20-30 minutes. Onions should be a golden brown rather than a deep, dark chocolate color.
Add sherry for 30 seconds and stir to deglaze the pot. Add fresh thyme to taste and more ground pepper, if desired.
Pour in beef stock and add beef base. Heat to simmer. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 30 minutes.
Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Brush each side of the bread slices with a bit of olive oil and place on baking sheet. Cook the slices for 10-15 minutes in the oven on each side until the side starts to turn golden and is hardened.
Turn heat on oven to broil. Pour the soup into oven safe bowls or ramekins. Top with bread and cover entirely with cheese. Place bowls on a cookie sheet and place under broiler until cheese melts and is bubbly. It only takes a few minutes so watch carefully. *See note if you do not have oven safe bowls.

Notes

General Tips:

If you do not have oven safe bowls or soup crocks, place the toasted bread on a cookie sheet and cover with cheese. Broil the cheese covered bread until golden and bubbly. Place the cheesy croutons on top of the soup.
The onions should be a rich, golden brown rather than the color of dark chocolate or the beef broth. The sweet, deep flavor that we are trying to achieve is a better indicator than the color. If the onions aren't turning, try adding a teaspoon of sugar to get the caramelization process going.

Nutrition