French Onion Soup

overhead soup bowl with melted cheese covered bread

5 from 198

This homemade French Onion Soup recipe will knock your socks off! Made with the richest broth, perfect caramelized onions, and topped with three different types of melted cheese!

Step-by-step photos can be seen below the recipe card.

Prep Time15

Cook Time1 10

Total Time1 25

Course: Soup

Cuisine: French

Keyword: French Onion Soup, French Onion Soup Recipe

Servings:

Equipment

5 French onion soup bowls (or similar 20-ounce oven safe soup bowls)

Ingredients

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 large yellow onions thinly sliced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
2 cloves garlic minced
1/2 cup dry red wine (see note)
32 ounces low-sodium beef broth
24 ounces low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
5 1-inch thick slices of French bread
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 & 1/2 cups shredded Gruyere Swiss cheese room temperature
1/4 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese room temperature
2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese room temperature

Instructions

In a large pot over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add in the onions and sauté, stirring often, until softened, about 10 minutes.
Reduce heat to medium, stir in the salt and sugar; cook for another 35 minutes, stirring occasionally (every 5 minutes or so), until onions are caramelized and almost syrupy.
Add in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 20 seconds.
Pour in the red wine to deglaze the pot, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom and sides.
Add in the beef broth, chicken broth, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, and bay leaf.
Gently simmer over medium/medium-low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove and discard the herbs.
Mix in balsamic vinegar and taste. Season with additional salt and pepper, if necessary.
Reduce heat to low, cover to keep hot while you prepare the bread.
Preheat oven broiler, with rack 6 inches from the heat source. Arrange bread slices on a baking sheet and brush both sides with the olive oil. Broil 2-3 minutes total, flipping once, until well toasted on both sides. (NOTE: keep an eye on the bread the entire time to ensure it doesn't burn. Every oven is different.) Remove from heat; leave broiler on.
Arrange oven safe bowls or crocks on a rimmed baking sheet. Fill each bowl 2/3 full with hot soup. Top each bowl with 1 slice toasted bread, and sprinkle with the Swiss, Mozzarella, and Parmesan cheeses.
Broil until bubbly and golden brown. As it softens, the cheese will fall over the sides of the crock and form a wonderful crusty seal.
Serve and enjoy!

Video

Notes

You can make this vegetarian by replacing the beef and chicken stock with all vegetable stock and use vegan Worcestershire sauce, keeping in mind it will affect the overall flavor.

Omitting the wine. I use dry red wine in this recipe, like a Merlot or Pinot Noir. (It doesn't need to be top shelf, but use something you enjoy drinking.) The wine not only deglazes the pan, but adds amazing depth of flavor. Having said that, if you don't drink or cook with alcohol, you can use more broth in its place, but the overall flavor will not be as deep or rich.

If you don't have oven-safe bowls you can skip the broiling part, make cheese toasts on a baking sheet and top the soup with those, or even use croutons.

Nutrition