French Onion Soup

Luxuriously self-indulgent, this rich and comforting French Onion Soup is best enjoyed on a chilly day!

A bowl of this will warm you up from the inside out!

CAN FRENCH ONION SOUP ONLY BE MADE WITH YELLOW ONIONS?

Yellow onion are the best all-rounder onion for French Onion Soup but you can certainly use a combination of others, like yellow, red, white, and even shallots. 

I find combining different types of onions results in a more complex broth. Always use what you have!

WHAT TO DO IF THE ONIONS OR PAN START TO BURN

Be careful not to scorch your onions. You don’t want the ends or bottom burning; this will lend a bitterness to the soup.

If you start to see the browned onion juices on the verge of burning, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time, scrape the brown bits from the bottom, and continue cooking. Repeat this process as necessary.

WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH FISH SAUCE?

It’s true, fish sauce is not a traditional ingredient in French Onion Soup. However, with that being said, I will always add a teaspoon because it adds so much flavor to the broth. Red Boat fish sauce is a great option to have in your pantry!

Trust me, you won’t be able to taste any hint of fishiness, but it lends an incredible depth of flavor!

All ingredients in this recipe are widely available at most grocery stores. I managed to find every single ingredient at Trader Joe’s, including the fish sauce!

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French Onion Soup

Sacha Hirschfeld

Luxuriously self-indulgent, this rich and comforting soup is best enjoyed on a chilly day!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Caramelizing Onion Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 5 minutes mins

Course Soups

Cuisine French

Servings 4

Calories 835 kcal

Equipment

• 1 chefs knife
• 1 large stainless steel saucepan or large cast-iron skillet
• 1 Dutch-oven or pot
• french onion soup bowls or ovenproof bowls
• 1 baking sheet
• measuring spoons
• measuring cups
• 1 box grater
• 1 wooden spoon
• 1 soup ladle

Ingredients

  

• 3 lbs yellow onions or a mix of sweet, red, white; sliced into ¼ "
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• kosher salt
• freshly ground pepper
• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• ½ cup dry white wine like sauvignon blanc
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 8 cups beef broth
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 tbsp better than beef boullion optional but suggested
• 1 tsp fish sauce trust me on this one
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 8 slices of rustic baguette 2 per bowl; adjust amounts based on number of servings
• 1 lb Gruyère grated; adjust amounts based on number of servings
• 2 tbsp fresh chives optional, for garnish; minced

Instructions

 

• In a large Dutch-oven, heat butter and olive oil over medium-high heat until foaming. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 8 minutes.
• Lower heat to medium-low and cook, stirring frequently, until onions are rich golden brown color and tasting sweet, about 1-1½ hours.

  1 hour into cooking, sprinkle onions with sugar and stir to coat. Continue caramelizing onions until golden brown. Season with kosher salt and pepper.

  See Notes for a tip on this step!
• Add garlic, stir until aromatic, about 30 seconds.

  Add the wine and raise the heat to high. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon to scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pan, until almost all of the liquid has evaporated and the onions are jammy, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Add the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, BTB, fresh thyme, and bay leaves to the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook, covered, for about 30 minutes.
• While the soup simmers, preheat the oven to 400°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 10 minutes. Set aside.
• Stir in fish sauce and apple cider vinegar. Discard bay leaves and thyme sprigs. Season with kosher salt and black pepper.
• Adjust an oven rack 6 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Set individual broiler-safe crocks on a baking sheet and divide the hot soup among the crocks (be sure the soup is very hot as it won't warm up much in the oven). Top each crock with 1 or 2 baguette slices (do not overlap slices) and sprinkle evenly with Gruyère. Place the baking sheet under the broiler until the cheese is melted and bubbly around edges, 3 to 5 minutes. Let the crocks cool for a few minutes before serving. Be careful not to burn yourself! Top with minced fresh chives or thyme leaves (optional).

Notes

CAN I ONLY USE YELLOW ONIONS FOR FRENCH ONION SOUP?

Yellow onion are the best all-rounder onion for French Onion Soup but you can certainly use a combination of others. I like to use a combination of yellow, red, white, and even shallots. I find combining different types of onions results in a more complex broth. 

WHAT DO I DO IF MY ONIONS START BURNING?

Be careful not to scorch your onions, you don’t want the ends or bottom burning; this will lend a bitterness to the soup (which we want to avoid). If you start to see the browned onion juices on the verge of burning, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time, scrape the brown bits from the bottom, and continue cooking. Repeat this process if it happens again.

 

Keyword Caramelized, Melted Cheese, Onion, Restaurant Favorite