Traditional French Onion Soup with a special trick to get extra flavor & make it easy!
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This traditional but easy French Onion Soup is full of rich flavor from caramelized onions, wine and broth; but the method is really the secret here. The onions are cooked in the oven, bringing the most flavor possible while minimizing stove top stirring and the possibility of burnt onions.
French Onion Soup that's actually easy? That's extra-delicious, as far as I'm concerned!
What are the ingredients for this easy French Onion Soup recipe?
Caramelizing onions in the oven is the easiest, and most consistent way to do it. Besides, who wants to babysit a pan of onions when you don't need to? To make them: warm oil and butter in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Then you add the onions to the pot and cook for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add some thyme sprigs, turn the pan lid slightly and throw the whole thing in a preheated oven for an hour. Stir occasionally to ensure the onions aren’t sticking and to evenly caramelize them. It's that easy!
This easy oven method is how I make caramelized onions all the time now. So my Caramelized Onion and Prosciutto Pizza is on heavy rotation now that it's easier too!
Choosing onions for the soup:
I like to make this easy French Onion Soup recipe with locally grown sweet onions, or half sweet and half regular yellow onions, but any good-lookin’ yellow onion will do.Onions are grown throughout the U.S., mostly in California, Eastern Oregon, Idaho, New Mexico, Georgia and Texas. Harvest runs from late spring into fall, so you can enjoy the most flavorful soup throughout much of the year.
Gluten-Free French Onion Soup
K.C. Cornwell
This traditional French Onion Soup is full of rich flavor from caramelized onions, wine and broth.
Warm the oil and melt the butter in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add the onions to the pot and cover, cook for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 3 of the thyme sprigs, and turn the pan lid slightly ajar. Place the pot into the preheated oven for 1 hour, stirring occasionally to ensure the onions aren’t sticking (this is the way to evenly caramelize the onions.)
Carefully take the pot from the oven and return it to the stovetop over medium heat. Stir the onions, scraping off all the brown bits from the sides of the pot. Slowly pour in the wine along with 1 teaspoon of the salt and cook for 5-8 minutes, so the liquid begins to reduce. Remove the stems of the first thyme sprigs, then add the rest of the thyme, beef broth, Worcestershire Sauce and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 40-50 minutes.
Cut the bread into rounds that will fit into the bowls or ramekins used for serving the soup, and toast the bread thoroughly on both sides in the oven or toaster.
When the soup is ready, ladle into bowls or ramekins. Place toasted bread on top of the soup and cover the bread with the grated cheese. Broil until cheese is melted and delicious.
Serve immediately and enjoy.
Notes
Make it Dairy Free: substitute olive oil for the butter, and do not top with cheese.
Paleo-Friendly: use Dairy Free options and use coconut aminos in place of Worcestershire.
Once you've mastered this easy French Onion Soup recipe, try these next:
Make this deliciousGluten-Free French Apple Cake soon:
If apple desserts are what you're looking for, thisFrench Apple Cakeshould absolutely be the next thing you bake.
Homemade Tomato Soup
You can use any new tomato variety to make this homemade tomato soup any time of year! It goes well with grilled cheese, is good on its own, and can be served as the first course at a party to impress everyone!
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A few sprigs of thyme and a bay leaf elevate the soup even more, but I take it a step further, adding a splash of fish sauce for complexity and depth—don't worry, it won't taste fishy—and a hit of cider vinegar to balance some of that oniony sweetness.
The key to good French onion soup is to cook the onions so long that they threaten to melt into a viscous, dark brown paste, à la Marmite. As has already been extensively reported in Slate, there are no shortcuts when you're caramelizing onions; it always takes at least an hour, usually longer.
What is the Difference Between Onion Soup and French Onion Soup? French onion soup is always made with beef stock. Other onion soups can be made with chicken, vegetable, or beef stock. Additionally, French onion soup typically contains wine or sherry, which isn't typical or necessary in other onion soups.
The caramelized onions for this soup cook more quickly due to a pinch of baking soda but still have that deep, slow-cooked flavor. Topping the soup with hot, cheesy toasts prepared while the soup simmers, eliminates the need to bake the soup in specialty French onion soup bowls.
If the heat is too high, the onions will burn. If you don't stir often at beginning and almost constantly toward the end, the onions will burn. If one little bit burns the whole batch needs to be tossed. Otherwise the soup ends up tasting like burnt onion.
Onion soup, at its very essence, is nothing more than onions and water boiled together. Period, done, finished, everything added from that point on is pure opinion. Caramelizing the onions brings out sugars, and makes a more luxurious silky and sweet soup, adding flour gently thickens and provides body.
A few reasons could be that you sliced them too thick or too thin. You haven't cooked them long enough. Your heat isn't at the right temp, use between medium and medium-low.
It is better to use chicken or vegetable broth rather than sub-standard beef broth. Best to use low salt and add salt if required. 4. Bread - The idea with the recipe is that you can use a spoon to cut through the bread into the soup to eat it (see video).
For the onion soup, Julia Child says the onions should cook for 25-30 minutes and be “a dark walnut color”. So I'm stirring my onions, watching as they go from off-white to light brown and then to walnut, a process that does end up taking 30 minutes. Here's the recipe for 4 servings: 1/2 stick unsalted butter.
Panera Bread is working to regain customers' loyalty in 2020 with the reintroduction of its fan-favorite French Onion Soup. 2019 was a year of food news for Panera, not all of it positive. First, it removed the French Onion Soup, a staple on the menu for over 20 years, to make room for seasonal menu items in June.
Onions are very sweet, especially when they're cooked down, and that is the main purpose of onion soup. The sweetness can be balanced by adding some dry wine or vinegar. Taste as you go and don't overdo it. A little salt will balance it too, but don't forget that the grated cheese you will top it with is salty.
The classic French onion soup gets its name from its country of origin: France. After making its debut in the 18th century, it has become a national treasure. During ancient times (and still today), onions were cheap and easy to grow, and hence, readily available.
If you want to thicken your French onion soup, you can add a bit of flour. Combine a couple of tablespoons of flour with a teaspoon of salt and whisk in about a quarter cup of water. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, until thickened.
Wine is optional to deglaze the pan and add flavour to the soup. I recommend a dry white or red wine, such as a good quality Pinot Grigio/Gris, Sauv Blanc, Sémillon, Chardonnay, Merlot or Pinot Noir. Generally, if you can't drink it, don't cook with it.
Well, you'll be pleased to know that french onion soup is, in fact, a highly nutritious choice. Onions, as part of the Allium family, contain Quercetin which is a powerful anti-inflammatory and should not be overlooked as a vegetable when considering your daily 7-a-day.
Infusing the soup with a richer taste is as easy as quickly sauteing crushed garlic before pouring the soup in. Some soft, buttery garlic sauteed in earthy olive oil is the perfect addition to enrich canned French onion soup.
Use fresh vegetables, high-quality meats or broth, and fresh herbs to add depth of flavor. Add acidity: A squeeze of lemon or lime juice, a dash of vinegar, or a splash of wine can brighten the flavors of a soup and make it taste more complex.
Herbs and sources add flavor, aroma, and intensity to the soup broth. You can pick fresh or dried herbs like basil for tomato-based soups or fresh parsley for clear broths. You may also add more spices like turmeric, ground ginger, ground paprika, or nutmeg for a touch of spice and color to your soup broth.
Introduction: My name is Arline Emard IV, I am a cheerful, gorgeous, colorful, joyous, excited, super, inquisitive person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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