I don’t know about you guys, but If I see French Onion Soup on the menu at ANY restaurant, I am more than likely going to order it. French Onion Soup was my first real love as a kid. You laugh, but I was that weird kid that asked Santa for French Onion Soup crocks instead of clothes or make-up. I loved my onion soup so much, I had to learn how to make it on my own!
Well low and behold, I must have been put on the nice list that year because when I woke up on Christmas morning and opened up my gifts, I had French Onion Soup crocks all to myself! Laugh as you may, but these babies were about to get put to use!
I can’t remember exactly, but I am pretty sure the morning after Christmas I made my Dad take me to the grocery store to get my supplies and I was going to cook French Onion Soup for the whole damn family! And I couldn’t have been more excited!
That day my dad taught me how to carmelize the onions and let things simmer to marinate all the flavors. He also taught me a lesson in patience because, hell those onions take a long time to cook! But I did it. I (with the help of my dad) made french onion soup for the whole family and was so proud of myself.
And then from that day forward, I was the only one in the family that made my favorite comfort food. On holidays my parents would ask me if I would make my “Special” Onion Soup for everyone. And they also would make sure that every single person at the table knew that this was “Shannon’s Special Onion Soup.” And thus my love for this dish just grew.
Over the years I have made French Onion Soup a ton of different ways, but this recipe is super simple and you probably have most of the ingredients on hand already.
First, I always get all of my ingredients together:
6 onions
1 stick of butter
2-3 cloves of garlic
8 cups of beef broth
1/4 cup cognac or red wine
French loaf
Gruyere cheese sliced
rosemary (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
After I have everything together, I start with the onions. I like to use a medallion to get my onions really thin. I cut all six onions and place them in a large stockpot with a stick of butter on low. These onions will need to caramelize and can take some time. I usually start this a couple of hours before I plan on serving, to get the onions just right. I keep them on low and stir them every few minutes until they start to brown.
Once my onions are ready to go, I add the garlic, salt, pepper, rosemary off the stem and cognac. I let those all simmer together for about 10 min before adding the beef broth. After the beef broth is added, cover and allow to simmer for a minimum of 30 minutes.
While the soup is simmering, preheat the oven to 400*. Then cut the french loaf into 2-3 inch slices. Place the slices of bread on a cookie sheet and toast in the oven for about 10 min, flipping halfway through. Once toasted pull out of the oven and set aside until the soup is done simmering. Leave the oven on and at 400*.
When the soup is good and simmered and the flavors are to your liking, you are ready to bake! Take each of the crocks and place a piece of the toasted french bread in the middle of the crock. Then Fill each crock with the soup, making sure to have a good broth to onion ratio. Once all of the crocks are full, place a slice of gruyere cheese on top and over the edges of the crock.
After all the crocks are full and covered with cheese, place the crocks on a baking sheet and place in the oven for 10-12 minutes, turning to boil for the last 2-3 to make sure the cheese is melted and browned on top.
Pull the crocks out of the oven and top each one with some rosemary and serve!
This is my super simple French Onion Soup recipe. This is a go-to in my house and a crowd favorite! And to this day, I still use the same French Onion Soup crocks that I received 25+ years ago. The recipe varies a little bit each time I make it, but there is nothing like the smell of the onions and the crispy cheese on top that doesn’t scream comfort food.
What’s your go-to comfort food recipe? Let me know in the comments! And let me know what you think of the french onion soup!
Much Love,
Shan
I also went ahead and linked everything you need to make french onion soup for your family below. Including nearly the same exact crocks, along with a few others.
A mandoline makes cutting the onions so much easier!!!
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