This Easy French Onion Soup is rich, comforting and so good with toasted cheesy bread for dipping!
About French Onion Soup:
Onion soups have been popular since the Roman times– often as an inexpensive way to make a meal as onions were easy to grow. The modern version of this soup originated in Paris. It’s a beef broth soup with plenty of sauteed (or caramelized) onions, and it’s usually topped with a melted cheese slice of baguette. Sherry or brandy are often added to the soup before serving. In the United States, French Onion Soup surged in popularity in the 60’s- when French cuisine was becoming popular.
Lately I’ve been craving soup on a weekly (sometimes daily) basis. It makes the perfect lunch. I can make a big pot of soup on Sunday and then portion it out to take to work with me over the next few days. Lunches made and ready to go for days? Yes, please!
Recently I made a big pot of this French Onion Soup, and it was delicious for Sunday dinner on a cold, rainy day. There’s something magical about toasted cheesy bread on top of a hot bowl of soup! When I make this soup, I like to make extra slices of cheesy bread for dipping. You can add them to the baking sheet when you put your soup bowls into the oven under the broiler.
Do you order French Onion Soup often when you eat out? I rarely do, but I really enjoyed this homemade version. As you expect from French Onion Soup, this soup is rich and comforting. Slowly caramelizing the onions on the stove brings out their sweetness and adds so much flavor to this soup. Really, you won’t believe how easy it is to make!
The leftovers of this soup make a delicious lunch that you will look forward to eating! If you do have leftover soup, don’t add the cheesy bread until right before serving. With my leftovers, I served bread on the side since I didn’t have time to worry about putting my soup under the broiler at lunchtime.
Recipes for French Onion Soup will vary in their ingredients and cooking methods. I tried to keep this one as simple as possible. I think you’re going to love it!
Here are a few more soup recipes you might enjoy:
- Easy Cheeseburger Soup
- Italian Vegetable Soup
- Slow Cooker Wild Rice Vegetable Soup
- Roasted Chicken Noodle Soup
- Easy Lentil Soup
- Slow Cooker Greek Lemon Chicken Soup
Easy French Onion Soup
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 pounds (about 3) yellow onions, thinly sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated white sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 6 cups beef broth
- 1 whole bay leaf
- 8 slices baguette
- 4 ounces (1 cup) grated Gruyere cheese
- 1 ounce (1/4 cup) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- fresh thyme for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the olive oil, onions and sugar. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft, lightly browned and caramelized, about 30 minutes.
- Add the salt, pepper and flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in the beef broth and add the bay leaf to the pot. Increase heat to bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Taste the soup and season with more salt and pepper as needed.
- Place baguette slices on a baking sheet and toast under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes, until lightly browned.
- Spoon soup into 4 oven-safe bowls. Place 2 baguette slices on top of each bowl of soup. Sprinkle on grated Gruyere and Parmesan.
- Place bowls on a rimmed baking sheet and transfer to the oven. Heat under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes, until cheese is melted and lightly browned. Serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made this soup the other day. I didn’t have the bread you used but I used croutons and alpine brand cheese which is a mixture of swiss and guyere cheese. Really good.
Absolutely delicious! I even forgot the flour and it was amazing! It’s my new go to!
This exceeded my expectations! Simple recipe, yet so delectable!
Loved this. So easy
Yes, this is good! I used an extra onion because I had one and deglazed with red wine. Really lovely it’s summer but a bit rainy and grey. This cheered us up a lot.
Can I use chicken or vegetable broth instead of beef broth?
Yes.
This is the best French Onion Soup I have ever had! It was also super easy. I used garden fresh candy onions instead of yellow onions. I will never buy from a restaurant again!
Great to hear, thanks!
Why can’t I just save a copy of the recipe and instructions? I have gathered hundreds of recipes from dozens of sites. It so much easier to use my own file than try to remember which site has what recipe and then try to look it up. Not worth the hassle to follow sites like this.
Did you print out the recipe? There is a printable copy of the recipe at the bottom of the post.
Making this soup was so easy. I had never made a French onion soup before. I followed the directions, but added butter along with the oil before I added the onions. While I caramelized the onions I added in more sugar and butter and stirred. I was not able to find Gruyere cheese but used Kerrygold brand Dubliner cheese. SO DELICIOUS! Thanks for posting the recipe!!
We loved this soup.