Tags
#frenchonionsoup, #onion, #onionsoup, cheese, cheesetoast, soup
Nothing is better during the cooler days than a delicious steaming hot bowl of hearty French Onion Soup. In my post I am including two versions of French Onion Soup.
One is the classic french onion soup prepared with beef broth and topped with french bread baguette, topped with melted Gruyère and Parmesan Cheese.
The second version is my take on the classic that uses chicken broth, multi-grain toast topped with Gruyère and Old Cheddar Cheese. I am a Canadian girl and we have some of the best Cheddar Cheese made here in our country!
Both of these recipes are especially delicious onion soup topped with gooey melted cheese toast! Try them both!
The classic recipe uses beef broth but in my version I like to use chicken broth which gives it a nice light rich chicken flavour without being too heavy.
In my classic recipe I use french bread of course, but in my version my bread of choice is multi-grain bread because it makes for a nice nutty nutritional twist.
Enjoy!
Classic French Onion Soup
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 3 pounds onions (about 5 medium), halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup dry white wine or vermouth
- 6 – 7 cups beef broth
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 small baguette (cut into ½-in slices)
- 8 ounces Gruyère cheese ( or Comte or Emmenthaler) grated (about 2 heaping cups; look for one imported from Switzerland)
- 1 cup Parmigiano Reggiano grated
Instructions
- Chop all the onions and set aside.
- In a large Dutch oven or pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the oil, onions, salt, pepper. Cook, on medium heat, uncovered, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until onions are deep golden brown and caramelized, approximately 70 minutes.
- Add the vermouth or wine and deglace the pan. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to scrape any food from the bottom of the pan, until almost all of the liquid has evaporated approximately 10 minutes.
- Add the broth, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, and bay leaves to the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook, covered, for about 1.5 hours.
Prepare the Bread Slices
- While the soup simmers, preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Arrange the baguette slices in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake until the bread is dry, crisp, and golden at edges, about 12 minutes. Set aside.
Finish the Soup
- When the soup is finished cooking, remove the bay leaves and taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. If the soup needs a deeper flavor, try a few shakes of Worcestershire sauce.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Place oven proof bowls on a baking sheet. Place a baguette slice into each oven-proof bowls add a little parmesan cheese, then fill them with the very hot soup, top each bowl with 1 or 2 baguette slices without overlapping, and sprinkle evenly with Gruyère and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until cheese is beautifully browned. In the last few moments, place the remaining baguette slices in the oven to warm.Serve the soup immediately with the additional toasted slices of baguette.
Notes
Make-Ahead Instructions:
The soup can be made and refrigerated up to 3 days ahead (without toasts or cheese), or frozen for up to 3 months.
The toasts can be made (without the cheese) and kept sealed at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Enjoy!
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Gail’s Onion Soup
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 5-6 sweet onions, thinly sliced
- 6 cups chicken, turkey, or vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup vermouth
- 1 tablespoon Herb de Provence
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 6 slices multi-grain bread, you can also use the traditional baguette – sliced into ¼-inch pieces
- 1 cup Gruyère cheese, shredded
- 1 cup old cheddar cheese or mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1 tablespoon Fresh chives, chopped for garnish
Instructions
- In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until they are tender and beginning to soften for about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook until the onions are golden and caramelized for about 20 minutes.
- Add the broth, vermouth, herb de Provence. Then cook over low heat for one hour.
- Season the soup with salt and pepper.
- Preheat the broiler in your oven. On a parchment-lined cookie sheet place slices of baguette or multigrain bread.
- Top each slice of bread with a mound of the gruyere and cheddar cheese. Broil for 5 minutes.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and place a slice of cheese bread on top.
- Garnish with chives and serve immediately.
Oven Method
- Preheat the broiler. Ladle the soup into oven-safe bowls and place 2 slices of baguette or one slice of multi-grain bread on top. Mound the two kinds of cheese on top of the bread. Put the bowls on a cookie sheet and place them under the broiler.
- Broil the soup and cheese toast until the cheese is melted and browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Watch carefully it can burn quickly!
- Serve immediately, garnished with chives.
Notes
Broth
I like to use turkey or chicken broth in my onion soup because it gives a nice light flavour without being too heavy. This is my favourite way to use up my Turkey broth after Turkey dinner.
Bread
My bread of choice is multi-grain bread because it makes for a nice nutty nutritional twist.
I like to prepare the cheese bread on a parchment lined cookie sheet under the broiler so that the toast gets crispy on the underside.
The traditional way is to place the bread on top of the soup and broil it all together in the oven. I have given instructions for both methods and really – either way is delicious!
Enjoy!
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!