Description
A soul-warming French classic featuring deeply caramelized onions, rich broth, and a bubbly blanket of gruyère cheese over toasted baguette.
Ingredients
Scale
- 5 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 6 cups beef broth
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 French baguette, sliced
- 2 cups grated gruyère cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (or broiler if finishing soup later).
- In a large pot over medium heat, melt butter with olive oil.
- Add sliced onions and a pinch of salt. Cook for 40 minutes, stirring regularly until onions are deeply golden and caramelized.
- Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Deglaze the pot with white wine, scraping up any browned bits.
- Add beef broth, thyme, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. Simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Discard thyme and bay leaves.
- Toast baguette slices on a baking sheet for 10 minutes or until crisp.
- Ladle soup into oven-safe bowls, top each with a slice or two of toasted baguette and a generous amount of cheese.
- Broil for 3–5 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Let cool slightly, garnish with fresh thyme if desired, and serve hot.
Notes
- Use a mandoline for evenly sliced onions to speed up prep.
- For a vegetarian version, use vegetable broth and plant-based cheese.
- Let soup rest before serving to allow flavors to deepen.
- To avoid soggy bread, always toast it before adding to soup.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop and Broiler
- Cuisine: French
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 390
- Sugar: 8g
- Sodium: 980mg
- Fat: 22g
- Saturated Fat: 12g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 32g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 14g
- Cholesterol: 45mg