French onion soup recipe: Easy and authentic
Ingredients
 | 4-5 yellow onions |
 | 2/3 cup of grated cheese (eg. gruyère, saint nectaire, mimolette, comté, emmental, or cantal) |
 | 4 slices of country-style bread (baguette or ciabatta) |
 | Handful of chives or parsley (for decoration) |
Spices, herbs and flavoring ingredients:
 | 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme |
 | 30 g of butter |
 | 1.5 cloves of chopped garlic or 1 teaspoon of garlic powder or flakes |
 | Salt and pepper |
Accents for the soup:
 | 4.5 cups of poultry or beef broth |
 | 1 tablespoon of olive oil |
 | 1/2 cup of dry white wine (eg. pinot blanc, pinot gris) |
 | 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour |
How to make French onion soup
- Peel and slice the onions into thin, even rings. Thin slices help them soften and caramelize properly.
- Melt the butter in a large pot with a lid over medium heat, then add the onions. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they become soft and translucent.
- Sprinkle the flour over the onions, stir well to coat, and cook for 1 minute to remove the raw flour taste.
- Season and pour in the salt, pepper, minced garlic, thyme, broth, and white wine. Stir to combine and scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom.
- Cover and simmer for about 35 minutes, allowing the flavors to deepen and the onions to become fully tender.
- Slice and brush the bread with a light coating of olive oil on both sides.
- Toast the bread in a toaster, or alternatively in the oven for 5-7 minutes until lightly golden and crisp. You want sturdy, not burnt.
- Ladle the soup into four oven-safe bowls.
- Top each bowl with a slice of toasted bread, letting it float on the surface.
- Sprinkle generously with grated gruyère cheese over the bread.
- Bake the bowls in the oven for 3-4 minutes, just until the cheese melts and turns bubbly and golden. Watch closely, as it could go from perfect to charcoal quickly.
- Garnish with chopped chives or parsley for a fresh finish.
- Serve while hot and gloriously cheesy.
Soupe à l’oignon is one of those classic French dishes that sounds intimidating and, let’s face it, a bit wrong. Onion topped with cheese? In a soup?
Rest assured those Michelin-starred French chefs are not crazy, French onion soup is a recipe that is absolutely divine. And it is actually quite easy to make at home.
Legend has it became famous after being served to Stanislas Leszczynski, the Duke of Lorraine and ex-King of Poland. He was served the dish at an inn on his way to visit his daughter, Marie. Marie just happened to be married to French King Louis XV.
Apparently Stanislas was so taken with the soup, he demanded the recipe and had it prepared and served to the King Louis XV, who adored it as well. And thus a culinary delight was born.
(Stanislas also is said to have influenced the creation of the famous Baba au rhum dessert, so you can make it a Stanislas theme night! Or not.)
☞ READ MORE: ABC of French Cuisine (the Food Dictionary)
Type of onions
The question that comes up most often for French onion soup is what type of onions to use. The richest flavor in the soup is at the point where the onions carmelize and are slightly sweet. For this, choose either sweet onions like Vidalia or yellow onions. Red onions, on the other hand, have a stronger taste and can be slightly bitter even after carmelizing.
Cook the onions till they are lightly brown in color so that they are perfectly caramelized. If you are not sure what to cook them in, I recommend the French brand Le Creuset which makes a lovely dutch oven is perfect for cooking the onions evenly. (It comes in a variety of colors, but I like the blue!)
Type of cheese
The traditional French recipe usually uses gruyère or saint-nectaire. But other hard cheeses like comté, emmental, or cantal are also delicious.
Other great options are mimolette, grated parmesan or beaufort. You can read more about the different types of French cheeses here.
Type of bread
You cannot go wrong with good ole’ baguette in French onion soup. But any other country-style bread like ciabatta or rye bread with a hard crust will also do.
The bread is the base for the cheese in the soup, so you want a “sturdier” bread that will not disintegrate too quickly in the soup.
Easy French Onion Soup Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 large onions or 5 medium ones
- 2/3 cup of grated cheese eg. gruyère, saint nectaire, mimolette, comté, emmental, or cantal
- 4 slices Country-style bread, baguette or ciabatta
- 4.5 cups of chicken or beef broth
- 1/2 cup of dry white wine eg. pinot blanc, pinot gris
- 30 g butter
- 1 tablespoon of flour
- 1.5 chopped cloves of garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- chives or sprigs of parsley
- pinch of salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
Instructions
- Peel the onions and cut them into thin rings.
- Melt the butter in a pot (which has a lid) and cook the onions for 10 min until they become translucent.
- Sprinkle the onions with flour, mix and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the salt, pepper, garlic, thyme, and pour in the broth and the white wine.
- Cover the pot with the lid and cook for about 35 minutes.
- While the soup is cooking, cut the bread into small slices and lightly apply olive oil to both sides of the bread.
- Toast the bread in the oven for about 5 to 7 minutes until lightly browned.
- Pour the soup into 4 individual bowl.
- Float a slice of bread on top of the soup.
- Sprinkle the top of the bread with grated Gruyère cheese.
- Place the 4 bowls of soup in the oven for 3-4 minutes till the cheese melts.
- Remove from the oven and add some chives or parsley for decoration.
- Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Please note: We are not certified nutritionists and these estimates written and produced for entertainment purposes only.
What main dishes should you serve with French onion soup?
A bowl of French onion soup is rather heavy as a starter, so I prefer not having a heavy main dish as well (like a Boeuf Bourguignon).
Instead, pick smaller main dishes such as quiche and a large salad. For dessert, pick a fruity dessert like strawberry mousse and a cointreau as a digestif.
What drinks should you serve?
A light white wine like Alsace Pinot Blanc or Pinot Gris will be lovely with a French onion soup. You could also pair it with a Beaujolais Blanc.
You can use the same wine in the recipe as well, to ensure the tastes blend together. (See more about French wines here.)
How to store it?
You could freeze the soup (without the cheese and bread of course), but I would recommend just freezing the cooked onions.
Then before making the soup, thaw the onions for 10 minutes and add the stock and spices following the recipe below.
