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French Onion Soup · Classic

Classic French Onion Soup

Three pounds of onions cooked low and slow until deep brown, simmered in beef broth and broiled under toasted bread and nutty Gruyère. A weekend project that pays off.

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Prep
20 min
Cook
1 hr 40 min
Total
2 hr 5 min
Serves
6
Level
Medium

Ingredients

Soup

  • 3 lb yellow onions, about 5 large, halved and thinly sliced
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup dry white wine
  • 6 cups beef broth, low-sodium
  • ½ tsp dried thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tsp worcestershire sauce (optional)
  • ½ tsp black pepper

Topping

  • 12 slices baguette, cut 1/2 inch thick
  • 8 oz gruyere, shredded (about 2 cups)

Steps

  1. Melt the butter with the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat.
  2. Add the onions and salt and stir to coat. Cover and cook, stirring once or twice, until the onions have softened and released their liquid.
  3. Uncover, lower the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring and scraping the bottom every 5 minutes, until the onions are deep golden brown. Add a splash of water if the bottom starts to scorch.
  4. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant.
  5. Sprinkle in the flour and stir to coat.
  6. Pour in the wine and scrape up the browned bits, then simmer until nearly gone.
  7. Add the broth, thyme, bay leaf, Worcestershire if using and pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer.
  8. While the soup simmers, heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Bake the baguette slices on a sheet pan until dry and crisp.
  9. Remove the bay leaf. Taste and add salt if needed.
  10. Turn the oven to broil on high. Set 6 oven-safe soup crocks on a sheet pan.
  11. Ladle the soup into the crocks, float 2 toasts in each and pile the cheese on top so it covers the bread.
  12. Broil until the cheese is bubbly and browned in spots, watching closely.
  13. Let the crocks cool a few minutes before serving. They are very hot; use oven mitts and warn your guests.

Tip: Don't rush the onions. Turning up the heat burns them before they get sweet.

Tip: No crocks? Top the toasts with cheese, broil them on a sheet pan and float them on the soup.

Storage: Refrigerate the soup (without bread or cheese) up to 4 days or freeze up to 3 months.

Make ahead: Make the soup up to 3 days ahead. Reheat, then toast, top and broil just before serving.

Estimated nutrition per serving: 460 calories · protein 20 g · carbohydrates 39 g · fiber 5 g · sugars 11 g · fat 24 g (saturated 13 g) · sodium 1,650 mg. Estimate from USDA FoodData Central; not medical or dietary advice. Based on 13 of 13 ingredients.