Caramelized red & yellow onions simmered with red wine & broth make this soup very flavorful. Don't forget to add the thyme
As I was breaking a sweat in my kitchen yesterday, annoyed with the fact that I had already chopped 7 onions so there was no turning back now, I thought how dumb it was that I was making soup when it is about to start being hot outside.
I know it's still cold most everywhere, but once New Orleans gets hot, it pretty much stays hot. But please don't take this as a complaint. I hate {hate I tell you} cold weather!
So you can imagine how not so happy I was to know that I had to change out of my short sleeves this morning.
But I'm not too terribly upset because now this French onion soup is sounding pretttyyy good right now.
This recipe is for a vegetarian version, but I usually make it using beef & chicken broth. I just wanted to try the vegetarian recipe to make sure it was good before I posted a not so delicious recipe.
I think I prefer the version using beef broth & chicken broth instead of just vegetable broth, but the vegetable broth version was still really good!
Both red and white wine work in the soup. I've made it both ways. I like it better with red wine, though. However, just use what you have/like.
Honestly, this soup is pretty hard to mess up. If you like onions, it's almost a guarantee that you'll like this soup.
My favorite part is the topping, of course. I'm not a fan of mushy bread, so I like to toast the bread then top it with cheese and have them in my soup as croutons instead of one large slice of cheesy bread. You can do it however you want.
This meal is pretty inexpensive. You could use Swiss cheese instead of Gruyere since it's usually less expensive. If you buy a small enough piece, the Gruyere isn't too terribly expensive and it's totally worth it in my opinion. Feel free to skip the cheese if you like, but I wouldn't...
Oh and one last thing: be patient with the onions. You want them to caramelize. That's why the soup is good - because you're spooning massive amounts of caramelized onions topped with Gruyere into your mouth. Mmmmmmm
French Onion Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon canola oil
- 1.5 lb. yellow onions or white onions {about 3-4 onions}
- 1.5 lb. red onions {about 3-4 onions}
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ cup red wine
- 4 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth + beef broth
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce optional
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon fresh thyme optional
- 4 ounce Gruyere or Swiss cheese, shredded
- 4 (1 ounce) slices whole grain bread
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven or large soup pot, heat the oil & butter over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add all of the onions. Cook the onions, stirring occasionally, over medium/medium-low for about 25 minutes until they are caramelized {golden brown}.
- Add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds.
- Stir in the red wine and broth. Scrape up any bits of onion that are stuck to the pot.
- Add in the Worcestershire sauce, salt, dried thyme, and bay leaf. Stir well. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to a simmer.
- Simmer for 25-35 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Meanwhile, toast bread on both sides. Sprinkle with cheese and melt cheese over toast. Cut into cubes. Set aside.
- Stir fresh thyme into soup. Serve soup with cheese toasts.
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