Simple and traditional French onion soup

It's the time of year where I'm consuming an intense amount of soup every week. We had our annual neighborhood almost Chanukah party last week and I signed up to make soup. Which is cute in theory, but every try transporting 36 servings of soup? Not so cute. Thankfully, It turned out alright and the soup was a big hit. I ate this simple and traditional French onion soup every day for lunch after that. If a recipe is a favorite, I know it needs a permanent home on the blog so that you can enjoy it as well! Stay warm and cozy friends!

What do I need?

• Butter- unsalted
• Onions - I like to use yellow onions for all my cooking. I find that they have a more robust and savory flavor and more prone to caramelization.
• All-purpose flour
• Onion soup mix- I generally try to avoid onion soup mix but I always keep 1 box on hand for onion soup or to roast baby red potatoes. Somethings are just too good to do without.
• Red wine- I prefer the flavor of red wine, it adds that special touch! Make sure to use a good quality wine, meaning one that you would actually drink if you were poured a glass.
• Water
• Salt- I prefer kosher salt in all of my cooking and baking.

How to make simple and traditional French onion soup:

1. Start by melting the butter and sautéing the onions. This is the most crucial part for building flavor. Generally, this takes about 2 hours over a medium-low flame. Stir the onions occasionally to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
2. Add in the flour and mix well. Next, pour in the onion soup mix and mix well.
3. Add in the red wine and water.
4. Bring the soup to a boil and add in the salt. Simmer for 20-30 minutes to deepen the flavor.
5. While the soup is simmering, preheat the oven to 450F. Place baguette slices on a sheet pan and spray with olive oil. Bake for 3-5 minutes until slightly toasted. Remove the tray from the oven and sprinkle the slices with shredded cheese. Bake for 2-3 minutes until melted.
6. Serve on top of the onion soup.

Storing and reheating soup:

Let the soup cool, then transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate for 3–4 days.

Transfer the soup to an airtight freezer-safe container and freeze for 3–4 months. When you're ready to eat it, thaw the soup overnight in the fridge.

To reheat, bring the soup to a boil on the stove. 

More comforting cheesy foods that you might enjoy with simple and traditional French onion soup:

How to make Georgian Cheese Bread with Pizza dough

Lasagna roll ups made with vodka sauce

Print

Simple and traditional French onion soup

Course Soup

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings 8 servings

Ingredients

• 1 stick of butter
• 8 yellow onions thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoon onion soup mix
• ¼ Cup red wine
• 8 Cups water
• 1 ½ Tbsp kosher salt or more to taste
• 1 baguette sliced
• shredded cheese for topping the baguette

Instructions

• Start by melting the butter and sautéing the onions. This is the most crucial part for building flavor. Generally, this takes about 2 hours over a medium-low flame. Stir the onions occasionally to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
• Add in the flour and mix well. Next, pour in the onion soup mix and mix well.
• Add in the red wine and water.
• Bring the soup to a boil and add in the salt. Simmer for 20-30 minutes to deepen the flavor.
• While the soup is simmering, preheat the oven to 450F. Place baguette slices on a sheet pan and spray with olive oil. Bake for 3-5 minutes until slightly toasted. Remove the tray from the oven and sprinkle the slices with shredded cheese. Bake for 2-3 minutes until melted.
• Serve on top of the onion soup.