Rich and Simple French Onion Soup


This traditional French Onion Soup recipe has warm baguettes topped with hot, melted Gruyere cheese. High quality beef broth, a splash of wine, and perfectly caramelized onions are the secrets to this classic recipe.

The secret to making the best French Onion Soup is to properly caramelize the onions and to use high-quality ingredients. That means using good butter, wine, broth, fresh baguettes, and cheese.





What's the easiest way to caramelize onions?

The easiest, most hands-off way to caramelize onion is in the oven. That's right, you can actually do this without standing at the stove and stirring every two minutes for an hour!! (Sweet relief!) Start the onions on the stove, then partially cover with a lid, leaving a crack for steam to release.

Pop into the oven for about an hour. Stir once, half way through. The onions won't be fully caramelized at the end of the hour. They'll need another 10 to 15 minutes on the stove, but they'll cook a lot quicker after this head start in the oven!



Ingredients

2kg brown onions, thinly sliced
50ml olive oil
100g (3.5oz) unsalted butter
Salt
2 bay leaves
100ml brandy
2 tbsp flour
6 dashes Worcestershire sauce
4 dashes Maggi seasoning
1L (1 quart) beef stock
2 sprigs rosemary
1 baguette, thinly sliced
150g (5.3oz) Gruyère cheese, grated






Method

1. To a large pot over medium-high heat, add the butter and oil. When the butter is melted, add the sliced onions with a big pinch of salt.
2. Stir well and turn the heat to medium-low. Cook the onions slowly for 1.5 hours, stirring every 5-10 minutes. (You can do this faster at a higher heat, but you will need to stir more frequently.)
3. Once the onions are caramelised and have a good dark colour, add the bay leaves, then the brandy, and allow the alcohol to burn off.
4. Next, add the flour and stir.
5. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
6. Add the Worcestershire sauce and Maggi seasoning, followed by the beef stock and rosemary. Stir and simmer for 20 minutes.
7. Toast the sliced bread on both sides for 4-5 minutes each side.
8. Ladle the soup into your serving bowls, then add 2-3 croutons to the top, followed by the grated cheese.
9. Place under the grill of your oven until the cheese is golden brown and bubbly.






Make-Ahead Method

There is probably no better soup to make ahead of time than this. This soup can be stored in an airtight container for up to three days prior to serving.
The soup can be reheated on the microwave, Slow Cooker, or stove top, and the baguettes and cheese can be toasted/melted separately and added to the soup once ready to serve!


Freezing


This is a great freezer meal.

Let it cool prior to freezing and store it in an airtight container.
It’s best if used within 3 months of freezing.
Freeze only the soup, don’t include bread/cheese with it