French Onion Soup

It’s a rainy day so let’s make some French Onion soup! I had a very indulgent weekend- pumpkin mac and cheese, chicken pot pie, and cornbread were just a few of the recipes I was working on. Here we are, a rainy Monday, and I really wanted something comforting but at least semi-nutritious. This recipe for onion soup, made vegan, did the trick! It’s super rich in flavor from deeply caramelizing the onions in the oven (not to mention this process makes your entire kitchen smell amazing). And quite frankly, it is super easy to make! If you need me, I’ll be snuggled up enjoying this soup while watching Hocus Pocus for the 10th time this month.

French Onion soup adapted from Cooks Illustrated

3 tablespoons olive oil

6 onions cut into strips

kosher salt

2 cups water

1/2 cup white wine

6 cups bone broth (for vegan version use a homemade/store bought vegetable stock)

6 sprigs fresh thyme

1 bay leaf

ground black pepper

1 whole wheat baguette

8 ounces shredded gruyere cheese (I used Daiya’s new Cutting Board Shreds and HOLY COW they are so so good.)

Parsley to garnish

Heat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Add your olive oil then sliced onions and a teaspoon of salt into a dutch oven. With the cover on, cook the onions for one hour in the oven. After one hour, the onions will begin to sweat. Stir the onions then place back in the oven for another hour, this time with the lid ajar. Stir the onions, scraping the bottom of the pot, and continue cooking until the onions are very soft and golden brown- about 30 minutes longer. Remove the pot from the oven and place over medium heat. Stir frequently until there is no more liquid and the onions are very brown. This should be another 15 minutes or so. Once a dark crust has formed on the bottom of the pot, pour just enough water to loosen the brown bits from the side and bottom of the pot. Let another crust form and repeat process with the water. Once that has evaporated for the second time, add in your wine. Allow the wine to completely evaporate then add in your broth, the remaining water, thyme, bay leaf, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Scrape the bottom of the pan one last time and increase the heat to bring the soup to a simmer. Lower heat to low and cover the soup for 30 minutes. While the soup is simmering, slice your baguette and bake in the oven until crisp and golden- about ten minutes, flipping half way. When the soup has simmered for 30 minutes, discard the bay leaf and thyme and season with salt and pepper. I use a ton of black pepper but thats just me :). Take some heat proof ramekins and fill 3/4 the way with soup. Place baguette slices on top of the soup (without overlapping them), cover with cheese and place under the broiler until the cheese is melty and delicious. Carefully remove, top with fresh parsley and enjoy!