Green City Garden Girl: Soup Season: French Onion Soup

Reader Contribution by Kylynn Hull
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KyLynn Hull is a stay-at-home mom and dabbles in many things including writing, urban farming and raising backyard chickens. She writes regularly for garden and food blog, Green City Garden Girl – Bound by the Seasons

French Onion Soup

Stop me now, because this is one of my favorite soups. I fall in love when I find a place or person who can nail this soup. I should travel the country tasting French Onion soup and document my findings on who creates the best–but, for now, I’ll just give you my version and let you decide.

The red wine in this recipe delivers the soup to another level. I replaced white wine for the red and couldn’t be happier. I personally don’t enjoy the bread and cheese traditionally placed on top and broiled before serving, but you can add it if you enjoy it–and I included it in this recipe for the sake of tradition. 

Hearty French Onion soup will warm you on chilly nights. Photo By Rick/Courtesy Flickr.

2 tablespoons olive oil (I replaced the butter for heart-healthy olive oil.)
6 onions (about 3 lbs), sliced
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup (or more) dry red wine
3 cups chicken broth
3 cups beef broth
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1-2 pinches of brown sugar
3 dashes of Worcestershire
Salt and pepper
4 sourdough bread slices, toasted
1 cup grated Gruyere cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

1. Melt olive oil in large saucepan over medium heat; use enough oil to fully cover the bottom of the pan. Add onions and garlic and saute until very tender and brown, about 45 minutes to an hour. The key is to let the onions cook until they caramelize.

2. Add wine and simmer until reduced to glaze, about 3 minutes.

3. Stir in chicken broth, beef broth, mustard, brown sugar and Worcestershire. Simmer 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. If adding the bread topping, preheat broiler. Ladle soup into oven-safe bowls. Top each with a slice of toast and grated cheeses. Broil until cheeses melt and bubble.

Discover more inexpensive recipes for homemade soups by reading the original blog, “Green City Garden Girl: Soup Season: Why I Love Soup!”

  • Published on Oct 15, 2010
Tagged with: Reader Contributions
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