Real French Onion Soup

Recipe By CHEFTR
Rating
Published Jan 31st
Prep 20m Cook 1h Additional - Ready In 1h 20m
Servings 8 servings Calories 364.7

After many attempts via trial-and-error, this is my all-time favorite onion soup recipe.

Recipe Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 8 large red onions, halved and thinly sliced
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 4 (14.5 ounce) cans low-sodium beef broth
  • 1 sprig fresh thyme
  • 1 sprig fresh parsley
  • 1 cup sherry wine
  • 8 (1 inch thick) slices French bread
  • 1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese

Cooking Directions

  1. 1 Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Add the onions, and season with a little salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally until onions are nicely browned, about 20 minutes. This step can not be hurried, the end result will be a rich golden brown mass of onion. This is where all your flavor comes from and can take a little practice. The darker you can get the onion without burning, the better the flavor.
  2. 2 Slowly pour the beef broth into the soup, stirring to remove any bits of onion that may be stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add the sprigs of parsley and thyme to the soup. Bring to a simmer, and cook for 20 minutes. Do not boil. Pour the sherry into the soup, and simmer for 5 more minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper if desired. Remove the sprigs of parsley and thyme.
  3. 3 Preheat the oven's broiler. Place serving bowls onto a baking sheet. Ladle the soup into serving bowls, and float a slice of bread on top of each one. Sprinkle shredded Gruyere cheese over the top. Broil for 2 minutes, or until browned. Serve immediately.

Nutrition Facts

  • Calories 364.7
  • Carbohydrate 48 g
  • Cholesterol 18.2 mg
  • Fat 11 g
  • Fiber 3.9 g
  • Protein 16.6 g
  • Saturated Fat 4.3 g
  • Sodium 677.2 mg
  • Sugar 8.7 g

Reviews

  1. Patricia Carson Jan 1, 2020 10:44 PM
    Delicious. I used yellow onions and sake. Delicious.
  2. Jennifer Sep 11, 2009 11:53 PM
    This was great. I used it as a template. To make it healthier I upped the amount of onions added dry red wine and served without cheese and bread. A few days later I wanted to make the leftovers more of "meal" so I added some French lentils that I cooked in beef broth red - Read more ...
  3. Chrissy Nov 9, 2007 06:51 PM
    This was my first time making this soup and it turned out great! I didn't put enough beef broth in it and I had 2 onions left over. I used Baby Swiss to top it off. Great reviews from my family!
  4. nirmeenadel Feb 3, 2007 08:33 PM
    Amazing! my brother and i actually hate onion soups but we absolutely devoured this one! i excluded the sherry and used parmesan cheese and it was just perfect!
  5. Mrs. Anne Figueroa Nov 13, 2006 04:36 PM
    I didn't measure anything and I used white and yellow onions and butter instead of red onions and olive oil. This recipe is great because it explains how you get the rich onion flavor and it's from the browning. My onions were really browned and tasty. I added a bunch of worcestershire. I didn't think - Read more ...
  6. By the Lake Jan 31, 2006 04:54 PM
    My husband and I did not like this recipe. Too sweet. Too much sherry. Not enough onions. I won't try this recipe again. There are many good French Onion recipes out here!
  7. Noeller67 Jan 17, 2006 05:27 PM
    The wine was way too overpowering. I couldn't even finish my bowl. It also didn't have the nice richness that makes a good French Onion soup.
  8. SUZ830 May 10, 2005 10:50 PM
    Very good but I had a problem with the onions.
  9. Z24GIRL Jul 19, 2004 02:27 AM
    Soup was good, but I don't recommend using low sodium broth unless your diet calls for it. I made it again after using regular beef broth, and it was perfect!
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