Classic French Onion Soup with Melted Gruyère

Introduction

French onion soup is what you make when you want your kitchen to smell like heaven for an hour. The whole thing hinges on one thing: patiently caramelizing the onions until they're the color of mahogany. Rush this step and you have onion broth. Do it right and you have something transcendent. This is a slow Sunday recipe, not a weeknight one — but it makes enough for four, freezes well, and turns any winter meal into an occasion. Pair with a crisp Caesar salad or serve with our roasted broccoli on the side.

Cooking your way through our archive? Don't miss our Roasted Tomato Basil Soup or our Hearty Lentil Soup with Vegetables and Lemon, and browse every soup recipe for more ideas.

Ingredients

• •1.5 kg yellow onions (about 5 large), thinly sliced
• •4 tbsp unsalted butter
• •2 tbsp olive oil
• •1 tsp salt, plus more to taste
• •1 tsp sugar
• •3 garlic cloves, minced
• •2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• •1/2 cup dry white wine or dry sherry
• •1.5 L good beef stock, warmed
• •2 sprigs fresh thyme
• •1 bay leaf
• •1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• •For the topping:
• •1 small baguette, sliced into 1 cm rounds
• •300 g Gruyère cheese, grated

Instructions

1. 1

   Melt the butter with the olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onions, salt, and sugar. Stir to coat.

2. 2

   Cook, stirring every 5 minutes, for 45–55 minutes. The onions should slowly turn deep, dark caramel brown — this is not a step to rush. Lower the heat if they start to burn on the bottom.

3. 3

   Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.

4. 4

   Sprinkle in the flour and stir for 1 minute to cook off the raw taste.

5. 5

   Pour in the wine and scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Simmer until nearly evaporated.

6. 6

   Add the warm beef stock, thyme, bay leaf, and Worcestershire. Simmer gently for 20 minutes. Taste and adjust the salt.

7. 7

   Meanwhile, toast the baguette slices under the broiler until golden on both sides.

8. 8

   Preheat the broiler. Ladle the soup into 4 oven-safe crocks. Top each with 2–3 baguette slices and a generous pile of Gruyère.

9. 9

   Set the crocks on a sheet pan and broil for 3–5 minutes, watching closely, until the cheese is melted, bubbling, and browned in spots. Let cool for 2 minutes before serving.

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

Nutrition is an approximation generated from ingredient databases and may vary based on brands and exact measurements.

Calories

550 kcal

Protein

24 g

Carbs

48 g

Fat

28 g