The Best French Onion Soup
- Level: Easy
- Yield: 8 servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 8 servings
- Calories
- 701
- Total Fat
- 46
- Saturated Fat
- 27
- Carbohydrates
- 22
- Dietary Fiber
- 3
- Sugar
- 7
- Protein
- 41
- Cholesterol
- 148
- Sodium
- 1354
- Total: 1 hr 55 min
- Active: 1 hr
Ingredients
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
8 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced (see Cook's Note)
3 bay leaves
3 to 4 sprigs fresh thyme
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups dry white wine
8 cups low-sodium beef broth
8 slices French-style baguette (about the size of the top of the soup crocks)
4 cups coarsely shredded Gruyere (about 2 pounds)
Directions
Special equipment:
Eight 12-ounce, ovenproof soup crocks- Melt the butter in a very large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add the onions, bay leaves, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and a few grinds black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are very soft and light golden-brown, about 1 hour. (The onions will begin to stick to the bottom of the pan and turn brown after about 30 minutes; just keep scraping them up and stirring them into the rest of the onions. If they are browning to quickly, lower the heat.)
- Add the wine to the pot, bring to a simmer and cook until it has almost completely evaporated, about 4 minutes. Add the beef broth and 1 cup of water, bring to a simmer and cook until the flavors come together and the soup is rich, about 45 minutes. Remove the bay leaves. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Keep the soup warm on a low burner or cool completely and refrigerate to reheat later. (The soup can be refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 1 month.)
- Preheat the broiler. Place four soup crocks on a rimmed baking sheet and fill them about 3/4 of the way with hot soup. Float a slice of baguette on top of each and cover with 1/2 cup Gruyere. Broil until the Gruyere is golden brown (don't be alarmed if some soup bubbles out), 2 to 3 minutes.
Cook’s Note
Slice the onions from stem to root. This allows them to retain more of their shape during cooking than when sliced crosswise.