How to make French Onion Soup recipe.

French Onion Soup is our favorite soup. In this post I show you how to make a really flavorful french onion soup with a two ways of the broiling (grilling) and toasting bread in a pan.

ALSO READ : SOUP AND SALAD RECIPE.

About in this recipe
I had got so many requests for in this classic French soup. In a fact, it is one of those recipes for which I have got a maximum requests from our readers and fans.

French onion soup is made with a caramelizing onions in a butter which are then deg-lazed with a dry white wine and further cooked with a meat stock or a veggie stock. Then finished with a toasted bread or a croutons with a melted cheese.

I make in this vegetarian version of the soup with a good homemade vegetable stock. Being an a essential ingredient in the stock can make or break to your soup. I suggest to use a homemade stock or a low sodium stock.

The most important technique to get in this dish right and bang on the flavors is a caramelizing in the onions. They have to be a done perfectly and right.

The time that is a taken to caramelize in the onions will be about 40 to 45 minutes depending on the pan thickness and size. It took me an a exact 44 minutes to caramelize in the onions. So go slow and steady when sauteing in the onions. Do not rush.

You have in the option to the broil (grill) or a toast bread separately. Mostly, I place in the toasted bread topped with a cheese on the soup and broil in the oven till cheese melts. You can be a even bake cheese toasts separately and then place it on the soup while a serving. I have a shared both the methods below. Choose what is a easy for you.

There are many variants of this soup though. I am sharing in the recipe for a much-loved soup dish in my home after our favorites Tomato Soup and Sweet Corn Soup.

Ingredients you need

Onions: Any variety of the onions can be a added like a red, yellow, white onions or shallots. Depending on the type of onions in the flavors will be a vary. I prefer in this soup with a red onions. Just make sure to the slice in the onions evenly so that they get a cooked uniformly.

Stock: Both meat-based stock and vegetable broth (veggie stock) work well. The stock has to be a really good as a apart from the caramelized flavor of the onions, a flavorful stock also makes in the soup tasty. But I would suggest to make your own homemade stock and add in the soup. I have added to a really flavorful vegetable stock (I will be share in the recipe soon).

Bread or croutons (c route): Either can be a added. Both work well in the recipe. You can be use a couple of the days of the leftover bread or a even use to a baguette or a french bread.

Cheese: To get in the authentic taste and flavor, I would definitely recommend using to a Gruyere cheese (vegetarian). If you do not have a Gruyere cheese, then use a Swiss cheese instead.

Herbs: The herbs that I add are bay leaf, rosemary and parsley. I prefer using to a fresh herbs but dried herbs can be a subbed.
Vegan options

Butter: Replace with a neutral-flavored oil or a olive oil or a vegan butter.

Cheese: Substitute with a vegan cheese.

Stock: Use to a stock made completely with a vegetables.

How to make French Onion Soup

Preparation

1. Peel, rinse and the thinly slice 4 medium-sized onions (300 grams). You will be need 3 cups of the thinly sliced onions. Sometimes there are some black spots or a marks on the onions and these need to be a completely rinsed before slicing in the onions. Finely chop or a mince two small to the medium-sized garlic cloves and keep aside.

Cooking onions

2. Take to a heavy pan or pot. Place on the stove-top. Add to a 3 tablespoons butter and let in the butter melt.
3. When in the butter starts melting, add in the sliced onions.
4. Mix in the onions with the butter really well.
5. Add to a pinch of the salt and stir.
6. Stirring often continue to saute in the onions on a low or a medium-low flame.
7. First, in the onions will become translucent. Continue to the stir at the intervals of the 2 to 3 minutes.
8. After some minutes in the onions will be start to become a light golden.
9. The onions need to be a cooked more till they reach in the caramelized state. So stirring often saute them till they become a golden. After in the onions reach a light golden stage, they have to be a stirred continuously so that they are evenly cooked and browned.

Deg-lazing

10. When the onions have a caramelized and have to a nice golden color to them, add to a 2 tablespoons dry white wine. If you do not have a white wine, then add to a ½ to 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar or red wine vinegar or a sherry.
11. Deg-laze and scrape, remove all the stuck bits of the browned onions from the bottom. Saute for a 1 to 2 minutes on a low to the medium-low flame.

Adding flour

12. Add to a 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour.
13. Mix a very well and saute for a 2 minutes on a low to the medium-low flame.
14. Add to a ½ teaspoon finely chopped garlic and 1 bay leaf. Stir and saute for a minute. If the onions start sticking to the pan, then sprinkle some water or stock.
15. Add to a 3.5 cups of the vegetable stock.
16. Place 1 sprig of the rosemary on the stock.

Cooking french onion soup

17. Season with a salt as a per taste. If the stock has a salt in it, then you can be a skip adding to a salt or a add less salt. The homemade vegetable stock which I had used did not have to a any salt.
18. Add to a ¼ to ½ teaspoon freshly crushed black pepper. Mix again.
19. Cover in the pan. Simmer onion soup for a 30 minutes on a low flame. You can be check in the soup while it is a simmering after an a interval of the 10 to 15 minutes.
20. In this below photo, in the french onion soup is done and ready to be a served.

Toasting Bread

21. When the soup is a simmering, toast in the slices of the bread or a baguette or french bread. Slice a french bread
22. Place in the bread slices on a baking tray. Brush with a some melted butter or a olive oil.
23. In a preheated oven toast in the slices at the 230 degrees Celsius or 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Preheat the oven for a 15 minutes at the same temperature of the 230 degrees Celsius. Halfway through remove in the tray and turn each slice.
24. Remove and keep aside when the slices become light golden or a lightly toasted.

Broiling (Grilling)

25. Now you can be use a baking safe soup bowls for a individual servings or use a baking safe pot or pan. Pour in the soup in these bowls. If you have used to a dutch oven for a making in the soup, then you can place in the croutons or a toasted bread slices directly in it.
26. Place toasted bread slices on the onion soup.
27. Sprinkle grated Gruyere cheese (vegetarian) all over in the toasted bread slices.
28. Place in the bowls on a baking tray. Then keep in a preheated oven and broil at the 230 degrees Celsius till in the cheese melts. Broiling means keeping in the pan or a tray beneath the top heating element of the oven. The top heating element should be used when baking. The heat emanating from the top heating element melts in the cheese. You can be a preheat in the oven for a 15 minutes.
29. Let cheese melt or a become golden.
    Remove and serve hot. You can be a garnish with some chives or parsley while serving.

Baking Cheese toasts separately

30. For a baking in the cheese toasts separately
    , sprinkle grated Gruyere cheese (vegetarian) on the toasted bread slices.
31. Bake at the 230 degrees Celsius in a preheated oven till in the cheese melts. Keep in the tray near in the top heating element so that the cheese melts quickly.
32. Bake till in the cheese melts.
33. Pour steaming hot french onion soup in a soup bowls. Place in the cheese toasts on the onion soup. Garnish with a some parsley or a chives while serving.

Serving Suggestions
Serve french onion soup as a starter to your meal. You can be even have in this soup as a light dinner meal.

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Tips

Herbs: You can be skip a adding herbs like a rosemary or a parsley in the recipe completely. Fresh thyme can also be a added instead of the rosemary.

Vegetable stock: Avoid using a packaged stock having to a high sodium content. It is a better to make vegetable stock and use it in the recipe.

Flour: You can be either whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour.

On caramelizing onions: For in the soup to have a truly authentic and great flavor, it is a important to caramelize in the onions really well. So use to a heavy pan or a pot. Stir often when sauteing in the onions. Toward in the end stage when in the onions become light golden, you have to the stir often so that the onions get an a even golden color and do not burn or a darken. So stirring and cooking onions on a low to the medium-low flame is the key. Even to a slight burning of the onions will be ruin in the entire soup.

Wine: You can be use a sherry wine or a dry white wine. You can be even use a red wine. If you do not plan to the add wine, then use a vinegar. I suggest a ½ to 1 tablespoon of the white wine vinegar, red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar.

Gluten-free option: For in the bread, use to a gluten-free bread like a rice flour bread.
Cheese: Apart from a Gruyere cheese, you can be also add to a vegetarian Parmesan cheese.

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