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  1. Food & Recipes
  2. French Onion Soup

French Onion Soup

By The Good Housekeeping Test KitchenUpdated: Dec 23, 2019
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french onion soup
Mike Garten
Yields:
4 serving(s)
Total Time:
1 hr 50 mins
Cal/Serv:
440

Onions, slowly cooked until deep brown and caramelized, give this classic its distinctive flavor. Great for a party, this recipe is easily doubled; simply cook the onions in two skillets.

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Ingredients

  • 3 Tbsp. olive oil 
  • 4 pounds yellow onions (about 5 large onions), thinly sliced
  • Kosher salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp. all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup cognac or dry white wine
  • 2 32-oz containers low-sodium beef broth 
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 6 large sprigs thyme, plus more for sprinkling
  • 1 Tbsp. sherry vinegar
  • 8 thin slices country bread
  • 3 oz. Gruyère cheese, finely grated

Directions

    1. Step 1Heat oil in large, heavy stockpot on medium. Add onions and 11/2 teaspoons salt, reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are tender and have released their liquid, 10 minutes. 
    2. Step 2Increase heat to medium-high and continue cooking, stirring often and scraping bottom of pot, until onions are deep brown and caramelized, 40 to 50 minutes. If bottom of pot starts to get too dark, add 4 to 5 tablespoons water. 
    3. Step 3Sprinkle onions with flour and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Stir in cognac and cook 1 minute. Add broth and herbs and simmer until reduced to about 8 cups, 18 to 20 minutes. Discard herbs and stir in vinegar.
    4. Step 4When ready to serve, heat broiler. Arrange bread on rimmed baking sheet and sprinkle with cheese and some fresh thyme leaves. Broil in top third of oven until golden brown and bubbling, about 1 minute. Serve on top of soup. 

Nutritional Information (per serving): About 440 calories, 20 g fat (5.5 g saturated), 15 g protein, 1,255 mg sodium, 53 g carbohydrate, 8 g fiber


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