Homemade French Onion Soup is rich and flavorful and I could eat it every day. It's amazing how little time is required for this delicious soup.
I was a picky eater as a child. Just the looks of a recipe made me say 'No, thanks'.
I didn't even have pizza until I was 15 and was shocked after my first bite. How could I have been passing up pizza all those years! Ah, the mind of a child.
The same went with onion soup. I mean, who would like that? Onion soup?!?
I was older than 15 but something made me order it one day. My guess is I liked a guy and he was ordering it. Enough about me 🙂 It was fantastic.
So a little less of this, a little more of that, a tweak here and there and Voila!
One of the best and simplest homemade onion soups you can make. That is - Homemade French Onion Soup!
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The caramelized onion's flavor mellows out just right to make a lovely soup. Just imagine cutting your spoon into a crusty chunk of bread that has soaked up a deep rich flavor of comfort food.
Save yourself at least an hour by making this recipe. Of course, rumor is that King Louis XV added champagne to his but I don't have any champagne and the restaurants figured out that it was an extravagant whim anyway.
I guarantee you that if you try this recipe you will never go back. It's plant-based too!
Homemade French Onion Soup
Ingredients
- 3 pounds onion - large yellow onions
- 3 tablespoons dairy free butter
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 tablespoons dry white wine
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 bay leaf
- French bread, for garnish
- dairy-free mozzarella cheese, sliced for garnish
Instructions
- Thinly slice the onions; you will have 5 to 6 cups.
- In a large soup pot, over medium-low heat, melt the butter.
- Add the onions and cook, stirring often, until limp and soft, about 20 minutes.
- This makes the onions nice and sweet.
- Turn up the heat to medium-high and cook the onions until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Do not burn.
- Lower the heat to medium. Add the flour and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add the vegetable stock, water, salt, wine, mustard, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently.
- Adjust the heat to a high simmer and cook (with the lid off) for 30 more minutes.
- Taste and season with more salt and pepper, if needed.
- At this point you may refrigerate or freeze the soup; otherwise, ladle the soup into individual broiler-proof bowls.
- Bean bowls with handles are great.
- Lightly lay a slice of French bread on the top of the soup. Do not push the bread down into the soup.
- (Alternatively, you can cut up more than one slice of bread and fit it into the bowl to cover the soup.)
- Lay the sliced non dairy mozzarella cheese over the bread completely, to keep the bread from burning.
- Put the bowl or bowls on a cookie sheet (two at a time for safety).
- Turn on the broiler and slide your cookie sheet under the oven broiler, on the top shelf.
- Watch carefully— do not walk away.
- Take out the pan when the cheese has lightly turned to a dark golden shade here and there.
Notes
Nutrition
Can You Freeze Homemade French Onion Soup?
Yes you Can! Not with the topping but the soup - yes!
Storing in the refrigerator:
Will keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Freezing:
Let cool to room temperature. Freeze without the bread and cheese on top—just the basic soup.
Freeze in hard-sided freezer containers for up to 3 months.
To prepare after freezing, defrost in the refrigerator overnight because it is a pretty solid mass and will take longer to thaw.
Reheating:
Follow the directions above for heating through and adding the non dairy cheese.
Ginny McMeans
Thanks so much Deb. Yes, those would work for the stock also.
Debbie
Just made this for dinner, so easy to make and delicious! I followed the recipe exactly, well maybe I put a little more wine in there. Definitely saving this and making again.
Ginny McMeans
I just love that! More wine? oh, yes! So glad you enjoyed it so much. P.S. I do too 🙂
Jennifer
I loved this SO much! I used the Better than Bouillon no beef broth instead of regular veg broth. It took me back to my Applebee's days (I loved their French onion soup). It was probably one of the few things I miss going vegetarian.
Ginny McMeans
Oh, that is wonderful Jennifer. I'm so glad you found this recipe. French Onion Soup is also something I missed. Not anymore! 😀
LaDonna
Can u live dijon out & the white whine?