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–+ servings

Cheesy French Onion Soup

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes

Equipment

Ingredients  

Caramelized Onions

  • 3 large peeled sweet or yellow onions, (about 1.5 pounds)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 ½ cups water or beef stock

French Onion Soup

  • 4 cups beef broth
  • 2 tablespoon dry vermouth optional
  • 4 springs thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • salt to taste
  • 8 slices baguette approximately 1 inch thick
  • 1 cup Gruyere cheese shredded
  • 1 cup Emmentaler cheese shredded

Instructions 

Caramelized Onions

  • Rough chop onions so that slices are between ⅛ and ¼ inches thick.
  • Heat the butter and olive oil in a saucepan on medium heat. Once the butter has melted add onions and sweat them until they become translucent.
  • Reduce heat to low and continue to cook onions, stirring every 5-10 minutes to prevent them from sticking. Deglaze pan with water or stock when fond starts to form on the pan.
  • As onions continue to caramelize, continue stirring every 5-10 minutes and deglazing the saucepan as fond forms.
  • Continue cooking until onions have reached a deep blonde color.

French Onion Soup

  • Once onions have cooked, add 4 cups of beef broth, dry vermouth, thyme, and bay leaf.
  • Bring soup to a boil, and then reduce heat.
  • Partially cover with a lid and simmer for 20 minutes. Season with salt to taste
  • Combine Gruyere and Emmentaler cheese in a medium bowl, set aside.
  • Place 4 oven/broiler-safe soup bowls on a cookie or baking sheet.
  • Fill each of the soup bowls with the soup and then top with two slices of french baguette and ½ cup of shredded cheese.
  • Broil until the cheese is melted and begins to brown.

Notes

1. Caramelized Onions: You can make the caramelized onions in advance. They can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months or refrigerated for up to 3 days.
2.  Dry Vermouth: Other types of alcohol can be substituted for dry vermouth such as sherry, white wine, or brandy. You can also omit it and use a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce for additional depth of flavor.
3. Beef Stock: This recipe can be made vegetarian by substituting vegetable stock for beef stock.  
4. French Baguette: Any type of artisan bread can be substituted but the best bread will be crusty to hold up to the cheese and delicious onion soup.
5. Cheese: Any good swiss cheese can be substituted for the gruyere and Emmentaler cheese or you can double up on gruyere and omit the Emmentaler.
6. Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. The nutritional value is only for the French onion soup and will vary and does not include the nutritional value of any toppings. It does not include the nutrition for any substitutions.
7. Be sure to check out the Key Ingredients along with the Recipe Tips and Notes sections found in the post, for more tips, options, substitutions, and variations for this recipe! You will also find step-by-step photos there.