French Onion Soup

Name: French Onion Soup
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h 15 min
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 4 large large yellow onions, thinly sliced (about 2 pounds); 3 tbsp unsalted butter; 1 tbsp olive oil; 1 tsp granulated sugar; 1 tsp kosher salt; 0.25 cup dry white wine (such as Sauvignon Blanc); 6 cup high-quality beef broth; 2 bay leaves bay leaves; 0.5 tsp fresh thyme leaves; 0.25 tsp freshly ground black pepper; 4 slice crusty French bread, cut into 1-inch thick slices; 1.5 cup Gruyère cheese, freshly grated

Caramelized Onion Soup with Gruyère Toast

This isn't soup you rush through on a weeknight — those onions need time to slowly transform into jammy, caramelized perfection. The payoff is a bowl of pure comfort with deep, sweet onion flavor swimming in savory broth, crowned with bubbly cheese that stretches with every spoonful.

FrenchDinnerSoupComfort FoodIndulgentBeefWinter

Prep15 min

Cook1 hr 15 min

Total1 hr 30 min

Servings4

Difficultymedium

Nutrition

fat26g

carbs28g

protein18g

calories420

Ingredients

4 largelarge yellow onions, thinly sliced (about 2 pounds)
3 tbspunsalted butter
1 tbspolive oil
1 tspgranulated sugar
1 tspkosher salt
¼ cupdry white wine (such as Sauvignon Blanc)(optional)
6 cuphigh-quality beef broth
2 bay leavesbay leaves
½ tspfresh thyme leaves
¼ tspfreshly ground black pepper

Topping

4 slicecrusty French bread, cut into 1-inch thick slices
1½ cupGruyère cheese, freshly grated

Instructions

Melt the butter with olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. The combination prevents the butter from burning while giving you the best flavor from both fats.
Stir in the sliced onions, sugar, and salt. Cook slowly, stirring every 10-15 minutes, until the onions turn a rich, deep amber color — this takes patience but it's where all the flavor develops. They'll release their liquid first, then gradually deepen and concentrate.
⏱ 45 min
Pour in the wine and scrape up any caramelized bits stuck to the bottom of the pot — that's pure flavor. Let the wine bubble away until it's mostly evaporated and you can barely smell the alcohol.
⏱ 2 min
Add the beef broth, bay leaves, thyme, and black pepper. Bring everything to a boil, then dial back the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Let the flavors meld together while you prep the topping.
⏱ 20 min
Switch your oven to broiler and position a rack about 6 inches from the heat. Toast the bread slices on a baking sheet until they're golden on both sides — they need to be sturdy enough to float on the soup without falling apart.
Fish out the bay leaves and discard them. Ladle the hot soup into individual oven-safe bowls, filling them about three-quarters full to leave room for the bread and cheese.
Float one slice of toasted bread on each bowl of soup, then pile on the grated Gruyère — don't be shy here. The cheese should cover the bread and extend to the edges of the bowl.
Slide the bowls under the broiler and watch carefully as the cheese bubbles and turns golden brown in spots. You want it melted through with some beautifully browned edges — this happens fast, so stay close.
⏱ 3 min