Easy French Onion Soup Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between onion soup and French onion soup? ›

What is the Difference Between Onion Soup and French Onion Soup? French onion soup is always made with beef stock. Other onion soups can be made with chicken, vegetable, or beef stock. Additionally, French onion soup typically contains wine or sherry, which isn't typical or necessary in other onion soups.

What Is French Onion Soup? French onion soup, or soupe à l'oignon gratinée, is a classic French dish made with caramelized onions and beef stock or broth. The soup is topped with bread and cheese, then gratinéed to rich, gooey perfection.

A few sprigs of thyme and a bay leaf elevate the soup even more, but I take it a step further, adding a splash of fish sauce for complexity and depth—don't worry, it won't taste fishy—and a hit of cider vinegar to balance some of that oniony sweetness.

Well, you'll be pleased to know that french onion soup is, in fact, a highly nutritious choice.

Made slightly thicker than most watered down soups because every mouthful NEEDS a slightly thickened texture to compliment the caramelized onions.

French onion soup is the ultimate comfort food. Onions get slowly cooked until sweet and caramelized, then simmered in rich broth until they're practically falling apart. To finish it off, toasted bread is added to give it that lovable crisp-gone-soggy texture and a generous amount of Gruyère cheese is melted on top.

What is the best way to thicken French onion soup? The easiest way to thicken your French onion soup is with flour.

Other Swiss types of cheese like Raclette cheese or Appenzeller Cheese or Dutch cheeses like Edam cheese or Gouda or Jarlsberg cheese from Norway or American Swiss cheese can all be substituted.

For French onion soup, it is best to slice the onions into thin, even slices. This will allow them to cook evenly and caramelize properly. You can achieve this by cutting the onion in half, placing the flat side down, and slicing it widthwise into thin slices.

The caramelized onions for this soup cook more quickly due to a pinch of baking soda but still have that deep, slow-cooked flavor. Topping the soup with hot, cheesy toasts prepared while the soup simmers, eliminates the need to bake the soup in specialty French onion soup bowls.

Why do you add flour to French onion soup? ›

Caramelizing the onions brings out sugars, and makes a more luxurious silky and sweet soup, adding flour gently thickens and provides body.

The underlying flavor of this soup is the deep umami flavor of the caramelized onions. If you rush this process, the result will be a bitter charred flavor, and if you underestimate and skip this process the flavor will be nowhere near as deep or complex.

Onions contain antioxidants and compounds that may reduce your risk of heart disease by fighting inflammation and lowering triglyceride and cholesterol levels. They contain a large amount of quercetin, a flavonoid antioxidant and anti-inflammatory that may help lower high blood pressure .

With such a soup, a knife is your friend, not your enemy. Using both the soup spoon and the knife, push the baked cheese against the rim of the cup or bowl and cut it gently with the knife. Once you've broken the cheese barrier, you can use the knife again to nudge bits of cheese onto the spoon.

The natural way to overcome the problem is to eat foods which have a naturally laxative effect - such as onion soup, pears, plums, bran, linseed oil, green vegetables and minerals - and avoid starchy foods and white flour products. The colon can quite easily be restored to normal functioning within 21-28 days.

Why Is It Called French Onion Soup? The classic French onion soup gets its name from its country of origin: France. After making its debut in the 18th century, it has become a national treasure. During ancient times (and still today), onions were cheap and easy to grow, and hence, readily available.

I'm told that French Onion Soup is called just “onion soup” in France, but to more accurately describe what we have come to know is called Soupe à l'Oignon Gratinée. Gratin is a culinary technique in which an ingredient is topped with a browned crust, often using breadcrumbs, grated cheese, egg or butter.

Traditionally, french soups are classified into two groups: clear soups and thick soups. The established French classifications of clear soups are bouillon and consommé.

First, French onion soup calls for a ton of onions. While onions aren't expensive, there's a lot of labor involved in halving, peeling, and slicing 10, 12, 50, or one billion onions (I don't know how much soup you make).