This afternoon my friends and I went out for a very delicious, indulgent and gut-busting brunch. That left me little inclination to make or eat anything for the rest of the evening. However, to keep on schedule, I kept it light with some Easy French Onion Soup. Onion soups have been around for centuries and were typically seen as food for the poor because onions were everywhere and easy to grow. The soup we have all come to know and love originates in France in the 18th century. No matter the version, this is super easy, cheap to make, healthy and very flavorful.. The trick is to allow the onions to caramelize, and that, my friend, makes all the difference.
Sometimes I like to spend hours in the kitchen. Sometimes I don’t, and if there is a way to shortcut the time, I will. Hey, I’m a busy gal! The slow caramelization in my case today was 20 minutes. While some recipes I found suggested a cook time of up to 2 hours, this soup is done in little more than 30 minutes, a trick I learned from the OG girl of 30 Minute Meals, Rachel Ray. Therefore, there’s no excuse for you to not try it.
Yup, it’s that easy.
Without the toppings- check out the golden color
All gussied up
Fun fact: Every day I would come home from class in grad school and “30 Minute Meals” was on and it’s because of that show that I know how to cook today. Mom taught me to bake; Rachel taught me to cook.
Easy French Onion Soup
French onion soup is a soup usually based on meat stock and onions, and often served broiled with a piece of bread covered with cheese floating on top.
Ingredients
- 1 TB olive oil
- 1 TB unsalted butter
- 3 very large yellow onions, sliced thin (about 6-8 cups)
- 3 TB all-purpose flour
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tsp fresh thyme
- 1/2 cup Belgian beer
- 4 cups unsalted beef stock
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 4 large slices crusty french bread, toasted
- 1 cup Gruyere cheese, shredded
Directions
- Step 1 Melt the butter in a deep saucepan. Add the onions and thyme and cook the onions slowly, stirring often for 16-18 minutes until brown and caramelized. Sprinkle the flour and cook for about 3 minutes.
- Step 2 Add the bay leaf and beer, deglazing the pan. Add the stock, cover pot to bring soup up to a quick boil.
- Step 3 Arrange soup in bowls and place on a cookie sheet. Preheat broiler to high. Float toasted bread on soup and cover each bowl with about 1/4 cup cheese. Broil until cheese melts and bubbles.
- Step 4 NOTE – Different recipes suggest using wine, sherry, cognac or beer for the alcohol. I decided to go with beer given its close proximity to Belgium, and I really like the flavor of it. Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child which, in my opinion, is sort of the French cooking Bible for Americans, suggests Swiss or Parmesan cheese for the topping. However,I went with what is typically found in the U.S. version and used Gruyere
