This classic French Onion Soup recipe is incredibly easy and gets a wonderfully rich flavor from very few ingredients. It’s the perfect comfort food!
Talk about a change in the weather. Where did all that rain come from? We were basking in summer-like heat last week and then all of a sudden we’re once again pulling out our rain boots. It’s far-fetched to say that El Nino has brought us all of the wet weather we’ve been hoping for this year, but it sure has kept us guessing.
Well, this change in the weather is a-okay with me, because I have a super-easy, super-delicious French Onion Soup that I’ve been dying to share with you. It’s another recipe I stole from my dad (rather, reinterpreted since he never follows a recipe) and I know it’s just going to knock your socks off.
But first, how was your weekend? Was it rainy (or snowy) where you live too? Did you cuddle up on the couch in your PJ’s, watch movies and eat delicious snacks like Spiced Rosemary Bar Nuts and Mango Sriracha Hummus? I’m not going to lie, I could totally use one of those days right now.
We just got back from another whirlwind trip to Napa & Sonoma, where we did our final walkthrough for our wedding….Crazy! We are still a little over three months away, but with Chris and my insane schedules for the next few months, it was the last time we’d be able to get up there for a “wedding planning weekend” before the big day. We’re so lucky to have an amazing wedding planner based up there to finalize all the last-minute details, I’m not sure what we would do without her. (Shout-out to my girl Jamie at A Savvy Event!)
We absolutely LOVE our trips to Napa/Sonoma, and I only wish we could spend more time there. Because we’ve had to go up there so many times these past few months for strictly “wedding planning business,” it will be a little relief once we can take a trip up there after the wedding for an actual vacation. Regardless, we never fail to eat as much good food, drink as much good wine, and see as many friends as possible when we’re there.
Because these trips are such a non-stop whirlwind, we’re always a bit beat once we make it home on Sunday night. It takes at least a couple of days for us to find our feet again and get around to unpacking our bags.
This French Onion Soup is the epitome of the type of meal we like to make for dinner after such a busy (and quick) weekend trip. It takes a little bit of time to “blonde” the onions, but after that you literally just throw everything into a big pot and let it simmer away for all of the flavors to meld. It always surprises me how few ingredients go into this dish to make it so incredibly tasty. Ahhh…the power of a cooked onion!
The next hardest part (after “blonding” the onions) is to get your crispy Gruyere toast-topper the perfect level of toasted and cheesy golden brown. Our broiler is our friend, not our foe, in this particular situation. We just need to keep a close eye on it to avoid an unfortunate run-in with the fire alarm.
One quick note regarding the toast: I picked up a seeded multigrain loaf from the Farmer’s Market and I would HIGHLY recommend using something similar if you can find it (the fresher, the better!) The nuttiness from the seeds and the whole grains really stood up well to the Gruyere and heartiness of the soup. You most definitely will not regret it!
Really, it is sooo easy. And the flavors are just out of this world. The ultimate comfort food and a quick meal to prepare, any leftovers reheat wonderfully (just avoid adding the Gruyere toast topper until you’re ready to eat it, those don’t reheat too well.)
Although this soup could surely be served in any oven-safe bowl, if you really want to get fancy I highly recommend ordering some of these French Onion Soup Bowls. The handle will be very useful when you’re pulling the hot dish out from under the broiler!
So have I convinced you yet? Are you no longer intimidated by the fancy French Onion Soup you order at your favorite restaurant? Good, because there’s absolutely no need to be. Now go out and get yourself some onions and crusty bread, because this French Onion Soup deserves to be on your table for dinner. It is that good.
French Onion Soup
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick) I prefer Kerrygold
- 3 large white onions sliced
- 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
- 4 cups beef broth
- 1 10.5-ounce can beef consommé
- 1/3 cup dry Sherry
- 4 thick slices seeded whole grain bread
- 1-2 cups thinly sliced or shredded Gruyere cheese (depending on how much cheese you like)
Instructions
- Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add sliced onions and sauté until blonde (not browned.) Stir frequently. Add tarragon and stir to combine.
- Add beef broth, consommé and Sherry. Stir and bring to a simmer. Let simmer for at least 30 minutes or up to an hour or two. The flavor just gets better with time.
- While soup is simmering, turn broiler on high. Place bread slices on a jelly roll pan lined with aluminum foil (for easy cleanup.) Place under broiler for about 3 minutes, or until bread just starts to take on a golden-brown hue.
- Ladle soup into individual French Onion Soup Bowls.
- Remove bread from oven and place one slice on top of each bowl of soup. Sprinkle each slice of bread with cheese. Using the same jelly roll pan you used for the bread, place soup bowls on the pan and return to the broiler for about 5 more minutes, or until cheese has melted and started to brown. Remove from oven and enjoy as soon as possible without burning yourself.
Notes
- Wine Pairing Note: This dish is big on flavor but is still not SUPER heavy. Because of this, it would pair equally well with a lighter Pinot Noir or a heavier Cabernet Sauvignon or Cabernet Franc.
- When cooking the onions in the first step of the recipe, low and slow is the key. Getting the onions to their nice caramelized state may take about a half-hour or more.
- This recipe is freezer-friendly! Just let cool after cooking and transfer to sealable glass containers. Remember to label the containers before you put them in the freezer so you know what's in there!
Nutrition
My kind of comfort food.
We were promised rain, but only got a couple drizzles. It was very disappointing, since rain is my favorite kind of weather! Anyways, I love French Onion Soup and this looks pretty simple – definitely going to have to give it a try sometime soon! Yum!
Brenna you definitely should! It’s quite tasty!