French Onion Soup

Rich, savory French Onion Soup features sweet caramelized onions in a flavorful broth topped with toasted bread and melted Gruyère cheese for the ultimate comfort food.

Course Main Course, Side Dish, Soup

Cuisine American, Southern

Keyword best-french-onion-soup-recipe, french-onion-soup

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 1 10

Total Time 1 30

Servings servings

Calories 504kcal

Ingredients

6 jumbo yellow onions (about 3 lbs or 10-12 cups total) thinly sliced from top to bottom (See Cook's note)
4 Tbsp olive oil divided
2 Tbsp salted butter
1 tsp granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
3 cloves garlic minced
10 cups beef stock
1/2 cup red or white wine (preferably dry)
2 medium bay leaves
2 Tbsp Brandy or Sherry optional
1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves
1/2 tsp black pepper
Cheese Toast:
8 slices french bread, cut 1-inch thick on bias (french baguette)
1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cups shredded Gruyere or Swiss cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

In a 6 quart heavy bottomed dutch oven or pot, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil on medium heat. Add the sliced onions and stir to coat.
Cook the onions uncovered stirring often, until they have softened. About 15 to 20 minutes.
Increase the heat to medium-high. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and the butter cook stirring often, until the onions start to brown. About 10-15 more minutes.
To the onions add sugar and salt continuing to cook until the onions are a rich golden brown, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add garlic cooking for 1 minute or until fragrant.
Add wine to the pot to deglaze. Scrape any browned bits from bottom and sides of the pot
To the pot add beef stock, bay leaves, thyme and pepper. Bring to a simmer then cover the pot with a lid and cook on medium-low for about 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes uncover adjusting the salt and black pepper to your taste. Remove bay leaves. Add brandy or sherry, if using.
Cheese Toast: Just before serving, preheat oven to 450°F. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper. Raise oven rack to upper third of oven.
Brush both sides of the French bread lightly olive oil.
Place into the oven and toast until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Remove from oven, flip and sprinkle with Gruyere cheese and a sprinkling of grated Parmesan.
Return baking sheet to oven for a few minutes longer just until the cheese is bubbly and lightly golden brown.
Serve: Ladle soup into a bowl or soup crock. Top each with one piece of cheese bread. Garnish with fresh thyme or chives.
Serve immediately.

Notes

Use Fresh Onions - Don't skimp on the amount of onions. After all, that's what this soup is all about.
Sweet Onions - Yellow onions will give a more intense onion flavor to this soup. Vidalia onions, which I love, will add sweetness. Either will work in the same amount, choose according to your own personal preference.
Caramelize the Onions For Flavor - Caramelizing onions is a process and the flavor forms the foundation for the entire dish. Give the onions ample time to brown to increase the depth of flavor.
Wine - You can use red wine or white wine in this recipe. Preferably a dry wine. If you prefer not to, replace it with beef stock.
French Onion Soup with Brandy - Brandy is a standard ingredient in classic French onion soup. It gives a slightly sweet finish to the end product, but I find that a splash of sherry or cognac works beautifully, too.
Cheese - I highly recommend going with Gruyere for the over-sized cheesy bread topper for this dish. That being said, Swiss cheese is a suitable substitution.
Alternate Topping - You can serve french onion soup with a grilled cheese sandwich and top with croutons or serve with crackers for crunch.
Beef Broth - You can use store-bought beef stock, beef broth or homemade beef stock for the liquid.

Nutrition