vegrecipesofindia.com
French Onion Soup Recipe
Our favorite and classic French Onion Soup recipe made vegetarian. Rich, sweet, and savory, this French Onion Soup is a revelation in a bowl. I've unlocked the secret to making the absolute best bowl of onion soup using healthy, homemade veggie stock and the traditional crunchy, cheesy crouton topping.
Prep
5 min
Cook
1h 15m
Total
1h 20m
Serves
3
Instructions
- 01
Peel, rinse and slice the onions thinly and evenly. Finely chop or mince two garlic cloves and set them aside.
- 02
Place a heavy pan on the stovetop. Add butter.
- 03
When butter states melting, add the sliced onions with a pinch of salt.
- 04
Mix the onions with the butter really well.
- 05
Stirring often continue to sauté the onions on a low or medium-low heat until the onions caramelize.
- 06
Initially stir the onions after an interval of 2 to 3 minutes till they become light golden. When the onions turn light golden, then stir the onions continuously for even cooking and browning.
- 07
Once the onions have caramelized and have a nice golden color to them, add 2 tablespoons dry white wine.
- 08
Deglaze and remove all the stuck bits of caramelized onions from the bottom of the pan. Sauté for 1 to 2 minutes.
- 09
Now add the flour. Mix thoroughly and sauté for 2 minutes.
- 10
Next add the garlic and bay leaf. Mix again and sauté for a minute. If the onions start sticking to the pan, then sprinkle some water or stock.
- 11
Add vegetable stock and the rosemary sprig. Additionally, season with salt and freshly crushed black pepper. Stir and mix.
- 12
I have added salt, as the homemade vegetable stock I had made, did not have any salt in it. But if use stock with salt in it, then you can skip adding salt or add less of it.
- 13
Cover the pan with its lid. Simmer for 30 minutes on a low heat.
- 14
You can check the soup while it is simmering after an interval of 10 to 15 minutes.
- 15
When the soup is simmering, toast the slices of french bread or baguette or regular wheat bread or white bread.
- 16
Slice the french bread or your preferred bread into slices with ½ inch thickness.
- 17
Place the baguette slices on a baking tray. Brush with some melted butter or olive oil.
- 18
In a preheated oven toast bread slices at 230 degrees Celsius (450 degrees Fahrenheit) until light golden.
- 19
Place the empty bowls (baking safe and oven heat proof) in a baking tray for individual servings. You can also opt to use a baking safe pot or pan like the Dutch oven.
- 20
Pour the prepared onion soup in the soup bowls.
- 21
Place toasted bread slices on the onion soup.
- 22
Sprinkle grated gruyere cheese all over the toasted bread slices.
- 23
Keep the tray with the soup bowls in a preheated oven and broil at 230 degrees Celsius (450 degrees Fahrenheit) until the cheese melts. Broiling means keeping the pan or tray beneath the top heating element of the oven.
- 24
Let cheese melt or become golden. Remove the tray using oven mitts. Carefully remove the soup bowls using oven mitts or oven gloves from the tray.
- 25
Serve French Onion Soup, hot garnished with some parsley or chives.
- 26
For baking the cheese toasts separately, top grated gruyere cheese on the toasted baguette slices.
- 27
Bake at 230 degrees Celsius (450 degrees Fahrenheit) in a preheated oven until the cheese melts.
- 28
Pour the steaming hot soup in soup mugs or bowls.
- 29
Place the cheese toasts on the soup and serve straightaway.
- 30
Garnish with some parsley or chives while serving.
Nutrition
per serving · 1 serving
- Calories
- 519
- Protein
- 19g
- Carbs
- 60g
- Fat
- 22g
- Fiber
- 5g
- Sugar
- 11g
- Sat. fat
- 13g
- Sodium
- 1645mg
- Cholesterol
- 63mg
Variations & swaps
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Perhaps surprisingly, this complexly flavored soup has just 10 simple ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Onions – Any variety of onions can be added like red, yellow, white onions, vidalia onions, shallots or even leeks. Depending on the type of onions used, the flavors will vary. I prefer this soup with red onions. Just make sure to slice the onions evenly so that they get cooked uniformly.
- Butter – Add either salted or unsalted butter. Make sure to adjust the seasoning as you go. Vegan butter can also be added, if needed.
- Dry White Wine – Wine gives a lovely depth of flavor here, but you can sub in apple cider vinegar, white wine vinegar, red wine vinegar, or sherry if needed.
- Flour – Either whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour can be used. A cup-for-cup all-purpose gluten-free flour blend can also be used, if needed.
- Bay Leaf – Tej Patta (Indian bay leaf) can also be used.
- Garlic – Fresh cloves are preferred for a more potent flavor, but you can use ¼ teaspoon of ground garlic powder for each clove if necessary.
- Vegetable Stock – If possible, I recommend using a flavorful homemade stock. If not, opt for a low-sodium, high-quality store-bought brand.
- Salt & Freshly Crushed Black Pepper – Simple seasonings yield delicious results.
- Fresh Rosemary or Thyme – Optional, but recommended for depth of flavor. 1 teaspoon of dried herbs can also be used as an alternative to fresh herbs.
- Crusty Bread – French bread, baguette, sourdough, or sandwich bread will all work.
- Gruyere Cheese – Opt for a vegetarian (rennet-free) version of melty cheese. While Gruyere is the classic choice for this French soup, you can swap in Swiss cheese, provolone, fontina, gouda, mozzarella or parmesan as needed. Feel free to use plant-based cheese for a vegan option.
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