Traditional onion soup

Here’s a traditional onion soup—simple, deeply flavorful, and rooted in classic French technique. This is the old-school version where patience with the onions is everything 🧅

Traditional French Onion Soup

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2½–3 lbs (1.2–1.4 kg) yellow onions, thinly sliced

• 3 tbsp butter

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tsp sugar (optional, helps caramelization)

• 1 tsp salt

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 6 cups beef stock (traditional) or rich vegetable stock

• ½ cup dry white wine or dry sherry

• 1 bay leaf

• 2–3 sprigs fresh thyme (or ½ tsp dried)

• Black pepper, to taste

For Serving (classic):

• Baguette slices, toasted

• Gruyère or Emmental cheese, grated

Instructions

1. Caramelize the Onions (30–40 minutes)
   In a heavy pot or Dutch oven, melt butter with olive oil over medium heat.
   Add onions and salt. Cook, stirring often, until soft and golden.
   Lower heat and continue cooking until deep brown and caramelized.
   (Add sugar only if onions are slow to brown.)

2. Build Flavor
   Stir in garlic and cook 30 seconds.
   Deglaze with wine or sherry, scraping up browned bits from the bottom.

3. Simmer the Soup
   Add stock, bay leaf, thyme, and black pepper.
   Bring to a gentle simmer and cook uncovered for 20–30 minutes.

4. Finish & Adjust
   Remove bay and thyme. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.

Classic Cheese Topping

1. Preheat broiler.

2. Ladle soup into oven-safe bowls.

3. Float toasted baguette slices on top.

4. Cover generously with grated Gruyère.

5. Broil until bubbly and deeply golden.

Traditional Tips

• Yellow onions are classic; avoid sweet onions—they brown too fast.

• Beef stock gives the most authentic flavor.

• Low and slow caramelization is the soul of the soup—don’t rush it.

If you’d like, I can also share:

• Old tavern-style onion soup (no cheese)

• Rustic country version with brandy

• Vegetarian French-style onion soup