Easy French Onion Soup Recipe
This quick and easy French Onion Soup recipe is filled with caramelized onions in an aromatic beef broth, then topped with melty gooey cheese!
This quick and easy French Onion Soup recipe is filled with caramelized onions in an aromatic beef broth, then topped with melty gooey cheese!
- Carbohydrate 26.0149018710815 g
- Cholesterol 43.8073437598107 mg
- Fat 17.5816509414243 g
- Fiber 2.65195005249977 g
- Protein 9.35936031369523 g
- Saturated Fat 10.3831262524556 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (311g)
- Sodium 943.954643586152 mg
- Sugar 23.3629518185818 g
- Trans Fat 2.81707968776924 g
- Calories 297 calories
Step-by-step
- In a large pot melt butter and combine onions, thyme and bay leaf over medium high heat.
- Stir and cook onions for about 20 minutes or until really soft and tender.
- Add red cooking wine and stir, breaking up any browned bits on the bottom of pan, let liquid reduce to half the amount.
- Sprinkle with flour and stir to coat.
- Pour in the beef broth and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer for 5-10 minutes.
- Discard thyme and bay leaf.
- Meanwhile turn your oven on to broil and prepare oven safe bowl on a foil lined baking sheet.
- Ladle the soup into bowls, divide the croutons among the bowls, top each bowl with a slice of cheese.
- Carefully place in oven and broil until cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Use caution when serving, as the bowls will be HOT!
- Enjoy!
Why do yellow onions shrink by three-quarters of their volume during the twenty-minute initial cook? Moisture evaporates while natural starches convert into simple sugars through thermal hydrolysis, building the deep umami foundation required for a successful batch. Yellow onions contain optimal sugar ratios compared to white or red varieties, yielding superior browning without excessive bitterness.
Multiplying this formulation for larger gatherings requires careful attention to pot surface area rather than just volume capacity. Crowding more than three sliced onions into a standard ten-inch pan traps steam, preventing the crucial Maillard reaction from occurring efficiently on the bottom of the vessel. Batch cooking prevents steaming and ensures every slice develops an even golden hue before the red cooking wine is introduced to deglace the pan.
Deglazing releases fond stuck to the cookware, dissolving caramelized proteins back into the liquid phase where they enrich the beef broth. Simmering the mixture for ten minutes concentrates these compounds further, marrying the acidity of the wine with the savory depth of the broth. Discarding the woody thyme sprigs and bay leaf prior to serving prevents astringent herbal notes from dominating the palate.
Broiling the assembled bowls on a foil-lined baking sheet at high heat melts the Havarti cheese within two to three minutes while protecting ceramic surfaces from thermal shock. Selecting foil with a dull finish prevents excessive heat reflection underneath the bowls. Monitoring the oven closely prevents the croutons from burning once the cheese achieves bubbling golden spots.
