Sweet French Onion Soup

Homemade Onion Soup

I make a lot of bone broth. I sip it through the day and enjoy it, but my husband won't go near it. Since he loves French onion soup, I mixed my bone broth with onions and some spices. I created this recipe to taste better than what he had in restaurants.

I started testing onion soup recipes. One batch wasn't sweet enough. Another fell flat. Nothing tasted the way I imagined, but at least he was getting the bone broth.

Then I remembered a chef I worked for years ago who always added a spoon of Better Than Bouillon (Amazon link) to his soups. I tried it in mine and the flavor got the lift I was looking for.

For the wine, I use Harvey's Bristol Cream. It's a sweet sherry from the UK, usually served after dinner, but it adds the perfect taste to this soup.

Ingredients

• Yellow onions
• Unsalted butter
• Kosher salt and pepper
• Sugar
• Beef bone broth, beef broth, or bottled water 
• Better Than Bouillon, beef flavor (the organic version doesn't taste as good)
• Harvey's Bristol Cream sherry
• Swiss cheese or Gruyere (French Swiss cheese)
• French bread

The Soup

The secret to my onion soup is the bone broth. It gives the soup a deep flavor and silky mouthfeel you can't get from boxed stock or water.

Making the broth takes some effort. It cooks for three to 12 hours, then chills so you can skim off the fat. Once that's done, you're ready to make the soup.

If you don't have homemade broth, you can use filtered water.

Here's my bone broth recipe if you want the best onion soup ever!

The Onions

I use yellow onions. You can use vidalia, yellow, red, or white onions. You can mix several varieties together.

The Cheese

Don't you love picking off the crusty cheese that melts down the sides of the bowl? It's the best part.

You can use freshly shredded cheese, but try to skip pre-grated cheese if you can. The anti-caking powders keep it from melting correctly.

Gruyère, traditionally used in French onion soup is a Swiss cheese, has a richer flavor and melts really well. However, I've made this soup with expensive Gruyère, and it didn't make a big difference. The real flavor comes from the broth.

I use packaged thinly sliced Swiss cheese. By using sliced cheese, i get the perfect drip over the edge of the bowl.

Place a few toasted croutons inside the bowl and another two resting on top. Lay the cheese slices over the bread and let them hang over the sides. As the soup bakes, the cheese melts and drips down the bowl.

Broiling vs. Baking the Cheese

To get that brown crust on top, the soup needs the broiler. But you can only broil it if your soup crocks are broiler-safe. I don't own any, but if I did, I'd place the crocks on a foil-lined sheet pan and broil them for about 2 minutes.

Since my soup bowls can't go under the broiler, I bake the soup at 400°F. I bake it for 10 to 15 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Ingredient Notes

• Onions: Use plenty of onions, yellow, white, red, or a mixture.
• Beef Broth: Homemade beef bone broth gives the soup its rich flavor. If you don't have time to make it, use water.
• Umami flavor: Better Than Bouillon (beef flavor) is a concentrated paste made from roasted beef and seasonings. I buy this one on Amazon.
• Sherry: Harveys Bristol Cream Sherry is the only
• Crouton: Use French bread or baguette slices.
• Cheese: Swiss cheese , Gruyere, or freshly grated mozzarella.

How to Make French Onion Soup

• Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat.
• Add the onions and stir. 
• Cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. Add a big pinch of salt and a tablespoon of sugar and cook another 15-25 minutes until golden brown.

• Heat the bone broth or water in a large pot over medium-high heat.
• Add the Better Than Bouillon and whisk until dissolved. Lower the heat to medium, cover, and keep warm while the onions finish cooking.
• Transfer the caramelized onions to the soup pot with the broth.

• Raise the heat of the now-empty skillet to medium-high.
• Add a cup of sherry and boil, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wire whisk.
• Let the sherry reduce until thick and syrupy enough to coat the back of a spoon.
• Pour the sherry mixture into the soup pot, scraping out as much as possible with a rubber spatula.
• Raise the heat of the soup pot to medium-high and bring the soup to a boil.
• Lower the heat to a simmer (just below boiling) with the pot partially covered.
• Cook 20 minutes.

For the Croutons

While the soup is cooking, preheat the oven to 400°F.

Scatter the bread slices on a pizza screen or parchment lined sheet pan. Toast 4-5 minutes.

Serving

• Carefully remove the crocks from the oven and place each on a dinner plate.
• If your crocks have handles, tie a cloth napkin around each handle for easier handling.
• Serve hot.

Storage and Reheating

• Let the soup cool all the way down, then move it to an airtight container. It keeps in the fridge for about four days. Warm it in a saucepan before adding the bread and cheese.
• For longer storage, freeze the soup on its own in freezer-safe containers for up to three months.
• It freezes well. I thaw it, heat it on the stove, toast fresh bread, add the cheese, and bake or broil it until it's bubbling.

Sides For Onion Soup

Onion soup can be a starter or a full meal. Serve it with a simple green salad with roasted chicken, steak, or a sliced turkey or chicken sandwich.

Here are a few recipes that would be great with your onion soup.

• Seared NY Strip Steak or Prime Rib
• Roasted Chicken
• NY Strip Steak
• Mixed Roasted Vegetables
• Pan-Seared Fish Fillets
• Tuna Salad or Sonoma Chicken Salad sandwich

The Best French Onion Soup

French onion soup is a classic. Sweet caramelized onions, rich broth, and cheese bubbling over toasted bread make it hard to beat.

Making the bone broth takes time, but it's worth it. I usually get a few meals out of it.

After a few tries, I found that Harvey's Bristol Cream and a spoonful of Better Than Bouillon add a rich, restaurant-style flavor.