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Easy French Onion Soup is a warm, hearty soup with French bread and melty Provolone, Swiss and grated Parmesan cheese on top. It's cheesy, flavorful and absolutely delicious.
Easy French Onion Soup Recipe
French onion soup originated in France and is a worldwide recipe that everyone loves. It’s actually effortless to make at home and calls for only a few everyday ingredients from your kitchen pantry. This soup is cozy, comforting, and perfect for any occasion and all seasons.
This homemade easy French onion soup is utterly delicious and bursting with a deep flavor from caramelized sweet onions and beef broth. Finish the soup with rich soup-soaked bread and three kinds of melted cheeses on top. It tastes incredible and rivals the best French restaurants.
Why This Recipe Works
This is a fail-proof soup recipe that yields a restaurant-quality dish with basic ingredients and a simplified process.
This recipe may be an appetizer, a light dinner, or a delicious side to complete the meal.
It’s also a freezer-friendly recipe that stores perfectly for future meals. You may make a large batch ahead of time and freeze for up to 3 months. Broil the soup with crusty bread and cheese on top just before serving.
Recipe Ingredients
Gather these simple ingredients:
- Unsalted butter
- Olive oil
- Yellow onion
- Beef broth
- Dry sherry
- Dried thyme
- Salt
- Ground black pepper
- French bread
- Provolone cheese
- Swiss cheese
- Grated parmesan cheese
Beef broth brings a decent, rich, flavor to the soup, it shouldn’t be omitted or substituted with water. You may either get the store-bought or make it from scratch at home.
Dry sherry adds a light sweetness to the taste. If you don’t have dry sherry, you may also use a dry white wine instead.
A choice of three kinds of cheese that have a mild taste and melt well. I recommend Provolone, Swiss, Parmesan, and Mozzarella as options.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients.
How To Make French Onion Soup
Cook this easy French onion soup needs only three steps.
First, melt the butter in a dutch oven over medium heat and stir well with olive oil. Add onion slices and saute until soft and translucent.
Next, add beef broth, dry sherry, and dried thyme. Season the soup with salt and ground black pepper and stir well. Simmer the soup for 30 minutes over medium heat.
Finally, ladle soup into safe oven ramekins and top each with one slice of french bread, a slice of provolone cheese, a handful of swiss cheese and finish with grated parmesan cheese. Broil for 2 to 3 minutes until golden brown and crusty on the edges. Serve immediately.
Cooking Tips
For the best result, please follow my tips below.
- This recipe doesn’t require extra time for caramelizing the onion, but take at least 30 minutes of simmering. Let the soup simmer a little longer if you have enough time which makes the soup tastes even better and richer.
- Choose a good quality beef broth or cook beef stock from scratch at home for this recipe. It’s the base ingredient to make the French onion soup successful.
- To ensure the soup turns out sweet and bursting with a rich and deep flavor, adding dry sherry is a must.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store the cooled French onion soup without croutons in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 to 4 days.
To reheat, boil the soup on the stove. Ladle the soup to each oven-safe ramekin and broil with French bread and cheese on top just before serving.
Pack the cooled French onion soup into freezer-safe airtight bags or containers in portions and freeze for up to 3 months.
To reheat, defrost the soup in the refrigerator overnight and microwave for 1 to 2 minutes until steaming hot.
Sweet onions are the best for French onion soup, such as Vidalia. You may use a mixture of white and yellow onions.
This recipe has 472 calories per serving.
What To Serve With French Onion Soup
For an easy and wholesome weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes:
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Other Recipes You Might Like
Easy French Onion Soup
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cups yellow onion, sliced
- 5 cups beef broth
- 2 tablespoons dry sherry
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- Salt, to taste
- Ground black pepper, to taste
- 6 slices French bread
- 6 slices Provolone cheese
- 4 slices Swiss cheese, diced
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Heat the Dutch oven or a large pot over medium heat. Add the butter and olive oil, and stir until the butter melts. Add the onion slices and occasionally stir until they are soft and translucent, about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Add the beef broth, dry sherry, and dried thyme. Season the soup with salt and ground black pepper, then stir well. Simmer the soup for 30 minutes over medium heat.
- Preheat the broiler to high. Ladle the soup into oven-safe ramekins and top each with a slice of French bread, a slice of provolone cheese, a few pieces of diced Swiss cheese, and finish with more grated Parmesan cheese on top.
- Broil for 2 to 3 minutes, until golden brown on the edges. Serve immediately, topped with freshly chopped parsley.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Is cooking sherry okay to use.
Yes!
Gotta caramelize those onions for authentic French Onion Soup. It takes about 45 minutes, but adds so much more flavor.
Yes definitely. Please caramelize the onions if have time.
I love your recipes. I don’t eat beef, can I use chicken stock? I realize it will be different, but still good?
Yes, you can, but it tastes different from the original recipe.
Hi Bee,
You mention minced garlic under the heading ‘How to make …’.
However, it doesnt come up anywhere else. So, should I assume there is no requirement for garlic?
Hi Roger,
Adding minced garlic helps to jazz up the flavor of the soup.
You may omit the garlic if desired.
Best French onion soup