Bistro French Onion Soup

This bistro French onion soup is a French classic that is still so popular in restaurants and at home.

With a few simple ingredients you can make humble onions into a sweet, rich and delicious soup.

Great for get togethers, or just a winter warmer, it's made even better with the addition of baguette made into Gruyère croûtons, that you won't be able to resist.

Easy to make in advance and easy to freeze too, for simple, fuss free entertaining.

Bon appétit!   

Jump to:

• ❤️ Why you will love this dish
• 🥘 Ingredients
• 🍽 Equipment
• 🔪 Instructions
• ⏲️ Cooking Time
• 🥗 Serve with
• 🥙 Substitutions
• 📖 Variations
• 🍣 Storage
• 🍱 Prepare in Advance
• 📋 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

French Onion Soup has to be one of  the most popular soups in the west. For a start it's really a peasant soup; simple, often home grown ingredients, make this a frugal dish that was accessible to everyone.

When you add the combination of Gruyère  croûtons, slathered with melted cheese, then it gets to a decadent level, when the natural sweetness of the onions is brought out by the slow cooking.

Stick your spoon in and you know that you are on your way to foodie heaven, trust me, I know.

This is not a difficult French dish to perfect but you need a little patience. Show the onions some love and they will give you back a soup with a deep delicious taste that is perfect for entertaining.

Better still, this bistro French onion soup loves to be made the day before  as the flavours will deepen and the soup will be extra unctious.

❤️ Why you will love this dish

• Perfect for entertaining.
• Make in advance.
• Easy to make.
• Budget friendly.

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🥘 Ingredients

• Onions - traditionally this soup is made with large sweet onions, such as vidalia, but any onion can be used.
• Oil - vegetable, olive or sunflower oil.
• Butter - salted or unsalted. Reduce the salt if using salted butter.
• Garlic - garlic cloves rather than powder or granules as the taste is very different.
• Sugar - granulated or caster sugar.
• Salt - cooking or kosher salt.
• Dry white wine - this add depth to the flavour and the majority of the alcohol is evapourated in the cooking process. However, feel free to leave it out.
• Stock - vegetable stock.
• Seasoning to taste - salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Baguette - chunky slices, about 2cm or an inch..
• Cheese - Gruyère cheese. This has a nutty flavour and is perfect for melting.

The printable recipe card with full ingredient quantities and instructions can be found at the bottom of the article.

🍽 Equipment

• large saucepan with lid
• bread knife
• sharp knife
• chopping board
• wooden spoon
• 4 heatproof soup bowls
• grater

🔪 Instructions

There's nothing complicated about this dish as it's only simple ingredients and simple techniques. However, you will need some patience. This soup isn't made in 15 minutes.

It takes  a little time for the onions to break down and release their natural sugars and there is nothing worse than rushing the process and ending up with burnt onions. You will just get a bitter taste to the soup.

Slice the  onions  as  thinly as you can and chop the garlic finely. This helps with the cooking and the appearance of the soup.

⏲️ Cooking Time

Melt  the butter and oil in a large saucepan and add the onions. Stir well to cover the onions in the oil.

Put a lid on the saucepan and cook on medium to low for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. The onions should wilt down by about half.

Remove the lid and add  the sugar and salt and cook over a medium heat until they are thoroughly soft and wilted down as the picture below. This will take between 15 and 30 minutes.

Add the stock, wine and herbs and simmer for 30 minutes.  Season to taste.

In the meantime cut 4 slices of baguette, about 2 cm thick and dry out in an oven for 5 minutes at 180 C / 350 F / 160 FAN / Gas 4.

Divide the soup into 4 heatproof bowls and place on an oven tray. Preheat the grill to medium and pile the cheese on the bread slices.

Top the soup with the Gruyère croûton and place under the grill until bubbling.

💭 Top Tip

• As tempting as it is, don't dive into this bistro French onion soup straightaway. It will be very, very hot. Leave it for a few minutes before  serving to your guests.

🥗 Serve with

Serve the soup as a starter before one of these dishes.

• Turkey Ballotine
• Roast Partridge
• Chateaubriand
• Cannon of Lamb
• Côte de Boeuf
• Bavette Steak
• Pork Confit
• Chicken en Croûte
• Duck with Orange Sauce
• Picanha Beef
• Rack of Pork
• Pigeon Breast
• Roast Lamb Shanks
• Poor Man's Lobster with Thermidor Sauce

🥙 Substitutions

• Gruyère - use cheddar, emmental, douda or edam instead.

📖 Variations

• Beef stock - for a really rich flavour use beef stock or add a teaspoon of Bovril to the soup.

🍣 Storage

• Refrigerator - cool, cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
• Freezer - this soup also freezes well. Simply portion and pack in soup containers for up to 3 months without the crouton.
• Reheat - reheat the soup in a saucepan over a medium heat  and assemble the croutons just before serving.

🍱 Prepare in Advance

• Like many things this soup actually tastes better the day after cooking, giving the flavours a chance to develop further. This makes this soup perfect for making ahead for a dinner party. Let the soup cool to room temperature, after simmering, the refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat the soup in a saucepan  and assemble the croutons just before serving.

Let me know what you think in the comments or you can post a picture and tag me on Twitter @chezlereve, Instagram @chezlerevefrancais, or Facebook @chezlerevefrancais

Other soup ideas

• Slow Cooker Oxtail Soup
• Cream of Onion Soup
• Celery and Leek Soup
• Leftover Duck Soup
• French Onion Soup
• Broccoli Stilton Soup
• Tarragon and Mushroom Soup
• Potato and Leek Soup
• Roasted Tomato and garlic Soup
• Tomato and Courgette Soup
• Seafood Bisque

📋 Recipe

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🍲 Food Safety

• Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat.
• Wash hands after touching raw meat.
• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.
• Never leave cooking food unattended.
• Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds.
• Always have good ventilation when using gas.

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