French
French Onion Soup
Slowly caramelized onions simmer in beef broth under a toasted bread and melted Gruyère top. The long onion cook is the whole method.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 1 hr 10 min
- Total
- 1 hr 25 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
Photo: basheertome (CC BY). Source
Why you’ll love it
- Low, slow onions build sweetness without sugar.
- Beef broth keeps the base savory and deep.
- Broiling the cheese creates a crisp lid.
- It feels special with ordinary pantry onions.
Ingredients
Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.
Check the ingredients you still need, then add them. If nothing is checked, the full list is added. Saved on this device.
Instructions
- 1
Melt butter with oil in a heavy pot over medium-low heat. Add onions and salt; cook 40 minutes, stirring often, until deep golden.
- 2
Add pepper and wine; simmer 3 minutes until mostly reduced.
- 3
Pour in broth and thyme. Simmer 20 minutes.
- 4
Heat the oven broiler to high, about 500°F. Ladle soup into oven-safe bowls, top each with baguette and cheese.
- 5
Broil 2 to 3 minutes until cheese is bubbly and browned.
Pro tips
- Do not rush the onions; pale onions taste sharp.
- Use oven-safe bowls so the cheese can broil safely.
- Stir onions every few minutes so edges do not burn.
Easy substitutions
- Gruyère
- Swiss cheese
- white wine
- extra broth plus 1 tsp vinegar
- beef broth
- vegetable broth
Storage and reheating
Storage
Store broth and onions without bread or cheese up to 4 days in the fridge.
Reheating
Reheat soup on the stovetop, then add fresh toast and cheese under the broiler.
Nutrition
Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.
- Calories
- 420
- Protein
- 18 g
- Carbs
- 36 g
- Fat
- 22 g
- Fiber
- 4 g
Moderate · Stovetop, Oven
You might also like
Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
Sweet roasted squash blends into a smooth soup with a little ginger and coconut milk. It is simple stovetop comfort that works for lunch or a light dinner.
55 min · Easy
View recipe
Beef Barley Soup
Stewing beef, pearl barley, and mixed vegetables simmer together until the broth turns savory and the grains are tender. It is a thick, spoon-standing soup for cold evenings.
1 hr 35 min · Medium
View recipe
Cheeseburger Soup
Ground beef is cooked to 160°F with onion, then simmered with potatoes and finished with cheddar and mustard. Dill pickles on top make it taste like a burger in a bowl.
45 min · Easy
View recipe
Chicken Gnocchi Soup
Chicken is cooked to 165°F, then simmered with potato gnocchi, vegetables, and cream. Spinach is stirred in at the end so it stays green.
55 min · Medium
View recipeStill hungry?
More in the same lane, not a random mix.
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Chicken is simmered to 165°F with tomatoes, black beans, and cumin, then topped with crisp corn tortilla strips and cheddar. The strips are toasted in a thin layer of oil, not deep-fried.
45 min · Easy
View recipe
Chicken Wild Rice Soup
Wild rice simmers in broth with carrots and celery while chicken cooks to 165°F. Milk and a little cream finish the pot once the rice is tender.
1 hr 10 min · Medium
View recipe
Classic Split Pea Soup
Green split peas break down into a thick, savory soup with carrots, celery, and smoked paprika. No ham bone needed for deep flavor.
1 hr 5 min · Easy
View recipe
Corn and Potato Chowder
Diced potatoes and sweet corn cook in a lightly thickened milk broth with celery and onion. The chowder stays chunky and mild enough for any night.
45 min · Easy
View recipeFind something else
From the kitchen
Kitchen tools we love
Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.
A heavy 12-inch skillet
Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.
An air fryer with a real basket
The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.
A half-sheet pan
Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.
A sharp chef’s knife
These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.
A large cutting board
Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.
Dry cups and a liquid cup
Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.
An instant-read thermometer
Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.
Read the affiliate disclosure.