Homemade French Onion Soup is loaded with perfectly caramelized onions and topped with crusty bread and melted cheese. This restaurant favorite is easy to recreate at home with just a handful of ingredients and a little bit of patience.
Ingredients for Homemade French Onion Soup
Making your own Homemade French Onion Soup is easier than it may seem. The ingredients you will need are:
- Sweet onions
- Olive oil
- Butter
- Red wine
- Beef broth
- Salt and pepper
- Baguette
- Swiss cheese
How to Caramelize Onions
The most important step in this recipe is making sure that the onions are as caramelized as they can possibly get. This starts with first slicing the onions in half and then slicing them very thinly.
Then, in a large pot, melt the butter and olive oil together over medium heat. Once the butter is melted add in the sliced onions. Cook over medium to low heat stirring only every 5 minutes or so. The onions need to stay close to the heat source to get caramelized so you don’t want to stir them too often. This process will take about 30 minutes.
Don’t rush it or it will just burn the onions. The onions should cook down to about 1/3 of the volume you started with and they will be completely brown and soft. If you aren’t sure that they are cooked enough, keep going.
Frequently Asked Questions
The best bowls for French onion soup are any bowls that are oven safe. Most stoneware is oven safe. The soup will go into the oven in the broiler after its in the bowls to melt the cheese so it needs to be oven safe. Check the bottom of your dishes to see if they are oven safe. See below recipe for a recommendation on bowls.
No! Beef broth goes really well with red wine however if you prefer not to eat or use beef products then chicken or vegetable broth will work.
To keep it simple, we used Swiss cheese. However, many kinds of cheese work well with this recipe. If you want to get fancy go ahead and try emmental, gruyere or provolone (or even a combination of cheeses).
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If you enjoyed this Homemade French Onion Soup recipe be sure to try our One Pot Italian Sausage and Pasta Soup, Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup, Quick and Easy Hamburg Soup, One Pot Black Bean and Corn Soup, Broccoli Cheese Soup, Carrot Ginger Soup, Turkey Lasagna Soup and Healthy Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup. For other appetizer ideas, try our Air Fryer Crispy Parmesan Eggplant Fries, Simple Cheddar Cheese Fondue, Avocado Black Bean and Corn Salsa, Cranberry Pecan Goat Cheese Log and Black and Green Olive Tapenade.
Homemade French Onion Soup
Homemade French Onion Soup is loaded with perfectly caramelized onions and topped with crusty bread and melted cheese.
Ingredients
- 2.5-3 pounds sweet onions
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1/4 cup red wine
- 1-2 cups beef broth
- salt
- pepper
- 1/3 baguette, sliced into four pieces
- 4 slices swiss cheese
Instructions
- Slice the onions in half and then slice them very thinly.
- In a large pot, melt the butter and olive oil together over medium heat.
- Once the butter is melted add in the sliced onions. Cook over medium to low heat stirring only every 5 minutes or so. The onions need to stay close to the heat source to get caramelized so you don't want to stir them too often. This process will take about 30 minutes. Don't rush it or it will just burn the onions. The onions should cook down to about 1/3 of the volume you started with and they will be completely brown and soft. If you aren't sure that they are cooked enough, keep going.
- Add red wine and let cook for 2-3 minutes while scraping the bottom of the pan.
- Add broth. This recipe calls for 1-2 cups so you can make it as thick or thin as you prefer. Once the broth is added continue cooking and bring to simmer.
- Preheat the oven broiler.
- Once broth comes to a simmer, remove the pan from the stove and taste the soup. If necessary add salt and pepper to your liking. I added just a dash of each.
- Divide the soup among 4 oven safe bowls. Top with a slice of bread and a slice of cheese.
- Place all bowls on a baking sheet and put in the oven under the broiler.
- Broiler for 2-5 minutes or until cheese is melted and starting to turn golden.
- Remove from the oven, let bowls cool for a minute and then serve very carefully. Bowls will be hot for a little while.
Notes
See post for FAQ's
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 425Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 41mgSodium: 879mgCarbohydrates: 41gFiber: 4gSugar: 18gProtein: 15g