Classic French Onion Soup Recipe

classic french onion soup in a bowl with bread slices

This savory, classic French Onion Soup recipe is a comforting treat your family will love! Complete with crusty bread, and topped with ooey, gooey cheese.

Course Main Course

Cuisine French

Keyword classic french onion soup, classic french onion soup recipe, french onion soup classic recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 1 15

Total Time 1 25

Servings bowls

Calories 683kcal

Author Isabel Laessig

Equipment

1 Large pot

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon garlic minced
2 loaves artisan bread
½ pound Fontina cheese shredded
4 large yellow onions sliced
¼ cup olive oil
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
8 cups beef broth
½ teaspoon black pepper to taste
2 teaspoon salt to taste

Instructions

Begin by slicing an onion in half lengthwise, and cutting it into ¼” thick slices.
With a large pot over high heat, add butter and allow to melt.
Add sliced onion, minced garlic, thyme, and bay leaves and sauté until onions are translucent and soften, about 5 minutes. Season with a few pinches of salt.
Reduce heat to medium-high and continue to cook the onion until soft and caramelized, stirring frequently.
As the onion gets closer to being caramelized, the bottom of the pan may start to burn, add a little bit of the beef broth to deglaze it as the onion continues to cook.
When the onions are a deep golden caramel color, about 25 minutes, add the rest of the beef broth to the pot.
Bring to a boil and simmer for another 10 minutes, season with salt and pepper to taste.
Shred or grate cheese, and slice bread into ¼” - ½” round slices that will fit inside an oven-safe bowl.
Remove thyme and bay leaves from the soup, and divide into oven-safe serving bowls.
When ready to eat, place a slice of bread on top of your soup and top generously with grated Fontina cheese.
Broil for 4 minutes until cheese is melted and golden.
Remove from oven and serve immediately. Enjoy!

Notes

Deglaze the pan with white wine or red wine before adding the rest of the beef broth and letting the soup simmer for additional flavor.
You can make this a vegetarian French onion soup by using vegetable stock or broth instead of beef. You could even substitute the cheese for a vegan option, if preferred.
If you don't have oven-safe bowls, you can toast the bread slices separately and add a slice to each bowl of soup before serving.
You can make this French onion soup recipe in the slow cooker by adding the ingredients to a crockpot and cooking on low for 8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours, after caramelizing the onions.
Use a sweet onion for this recipe - only use white onions if they're all you have on hand.
Want to make this dish in the Instant Pot? You can! See: Instant Pot French Onion Soup

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