French Onion Soup Made Easy

Don’t tell me that you skip over the crock of french onion soup whenever it is on the menu. I have a hard time not getting it! The cheese that oozes over the top of the crock, the delicious piece of bread in the middle, does it really matter what the broth tastes like at that point? But still, even the broth of french onion soup beats out most soups. Then there are the strategies in eating it. Some people mix the cheese in and eat throughout, others save the cheese for last, even others dive right into the bread. No matter what way you eat it – it is indeed tasty.

So one of those cold winter days (feels literally like yesterday), my wife took out the dutch oven and asked “what do you think of french onion soup tonight?” To which my response was, “well, do we have enough cheese?” Hells yes we did. Hours later, we had nice hot bowls (sorry, we don’t have crocks yet) of french onion soup oozing with cheese over the top. This was a success that went straight into the recipe book. Here you go.

Ingredients
4 tbsp butter
8 medium onions sliced thin
5 minced garlic cloves (what typically makes onions so delicious)
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp parsley
2 tbsp flour
2/3 cup dry vermouth
32 ounces of beef broth
2 bay leaves
1 sprig fresh thyme
French bread sliced thick and toasted with butter
Sliced Provolone Cheese
Sliced Swiss Cheese
1/4 cup red wine
Salt & Pepper

 

Recipe

Melt butter in dutch oven, adding onions and garlic.

Sautee on med-low for 20 minutes until the onions are carmelized. For darker broth, let them brown a bit, being careful not to burn them.

Add flour and stir.

Add dried herbs, salt & pepper, and vermouth and bring to a boil. Cook until thickened.

Add beef broth, stirring and bringing to a boil.

Add wine if desired, bay leaves, and thyme. Stir and return to a boil.

Cover and let simmer for 1.5 to 2 hours.

Ladle into oven safe bowls, top with bread and a slice of provolone and swiss. Broil on high in the oven until the cheese is browned.