We absolutely love a Classic French Onion Soup. We’re just coming out of the gates with that statement. This one has been in the queue for quite some time. We always keep a supply of onions on hand since they end up in nearly everything we make. But, the moment had to be right. Every once in awhile you get a few onions from the grocery store and they don’t have quite the shelf life you typically see. So, the moment we were waiting for was exactly that – a bunch of onions starting to turn and an urgent need to use before they went bad. When life (or the market) gives you onions (that turn quickly), make this Classic French Onion Soup. We’re pretty certain that’s how the expression goes 😀
One special note about this version, it’s classic in all the ways you might expect but we did add meat to it instead of just a beef stock. This is completely optional but it definitely takes it up a notch in our opinion. Once upon a time yours truly worked at a restaurant that used short rib meat in their French Onion Soup and since then we’ve never turned back. We encourage you to give it a shot!
How to Make Classic French Onion Soup
Since we’re making Classic French Onion Soup we’ll do what we always do and encourage you to gather up your ingredients out front and prep away – or as the French say, “mise en place”.
First we’ll brown the beef. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. When the pan is hot brown the beef on all sides, 4 – 5 minutes. Remove and set aside in a bowl.
Deglaze the pan with a small amount of broth or red wine, scraping any browned bits from the bottom. Melt the butter and get the onions cooking, stirring occasionally, for 4 – 6 minutes, or until beginning to slightly soften.
Add the sugar and cook, stirring occasionally, for 25 – 30 minutes. This should be enough time for the onions to sufficiently caramelize which gives the soup its character.
Deglaze the pot once again with the remaining wine, scraping any bits from the bottom. When the wine evaporates add the thyme, stock, return the stew beef, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and simmer covered for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until beef is tender. Ladle into soup crocks.
Top the soup crocks with baguette slices and cheese. Place in the oven on broil until cheese is melted. Carefully remove and serve.
You may want to let it cool for a few minutes before diving right in. Burning your tastebuds will really detract from the amazing flavors you’ve been waiting to experience since you started slicing that first onion. The flavors in this Classic French Onion Soup are to die for and we think you’ll be adding this one to your rotation!
Equipment: Classic French Onion Soup
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Basic kitchen essentials are all that are required for this Classic French Onion Soup. Our favorite cooking vessel – our trust Dutch Oven – is used in this one. Our Dutch Oven and this French Onion Soup feel like they were made for one another. If you’re in the market for some new kitchen items here are some recommendations from your friends at Flavor Bible (affiliate links):
If you liked that, try this…
- Cabbage Soup #4 (w/ Stew Beef)
- Split Pea Soup w/ Ham Bone
- Cabbage Soup #3 (w/ Pork Shoulder and Bacon)
- Cajun 16-Bean Soup (w/ Smoked Sausage)
- Kinda Sorta Hungarian Mushroom Soup
- Shiitake Miso Soup
- Ham and White Bean Soup
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Classic French Onion Soup
Equipment
- Dutch Oven
Ingredients
The Beef
- 1 – 2 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 – 1.5 lbs. Stew Beef, cubed We used a beef shank that we trimmed down. We also threw the bone in the soup.
- Salt and Pepper To season the beef
The Main Part of the Soup
- 2 tbsp. Unsalted Butter
- 4 Sweet Onions, sliced Medium to Large. Sliced ⅓" or more thick.
- 2 tsp. White Sugar Not an exact science.
- ¼ cup Dry Red Wine Can use cooking wine
- 6 – 8 cups Beef Stock or Broth We used Better than Bouillon. Adjust liquid to desired broth to onion ratio.
- 1 tsp. Dried Thyme
- 2 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 – 2 Bay Leaves
- Salt and Pepper, to taste We didn't add salt b/c the Better than Bouillon has a lot in it already.
The Topping
- 1 Baguette, sliced ½" thick or so Depending on diameter of baguette you may need more than one slice per bowl.
- 2 cups Gruyere or Gruyere/Swiss Blend, grated or shredded We used a Swiss/Gruyere blend.
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. When the pan is hot brown the beef on all sides, 4 – 5 minutes. Remove and set aside in a bowl.
- Deglaze the pan with a small amount of broth or red wine, scraping any browned bits from the bottom. Melt the butter and get the onions cooking, stirring occasionally, for 4 – 6 minutes, or until beginning to slightly soften.
- Add the sugar and cook, stirring occasionally, for 25 – 30 minutes.
- Deglaze the pot once again with the remaining wine scraping any bits from the bottom. When the wine evaporates add the thyme, stock, return the beef, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and simmer covered for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until beef is tender. Ladle into soup crocks.
- Place in the oven on broil until cheese is melted. Carefully remove and serve.
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