French Onion Soup

No ratings yet

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!

Prep Time15

Cook Time1

Total Time1 15

Course: Appetizer, Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: French

Servings: people

Calories: 375kcal

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)

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.

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!