Lunch / Dinner
Gratinéed French Onion Soup with Bacon
When it comes to French soups, the one that is likely the most well-known is French onion, especially gratinéed onion — which in this case just means “broiled with cheese.”
The key to making good onion soup is caramelizing. To do this, once the onions have released most of their moisture, cook them slowly until the natural sugars turn a deep, rich brown color. For bold flavor, using a mix of yellow, white, and red onions is best.
Ingredients
COOK:
MELT:
DEGLAZE:
ADD:
COMBINE:
Instructions
Cook bacon in a pot until crisp. Transfer bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate; pour off all but 2 Tbsp. drippings.
Melt butter with drippings over medium-high heat; add onions, shallots, and 1 tsp. salt. Cook onions and shallots, stirring often, until soft and just beginning to brown, about 45 minutes.
Reduce heat to medium and add garlic, sugar, and nutmeg. Cook onion mixture until caramelized, stirring frequently, 1–1¼ hours (adding water, 1–2 Tbsp. at a time, as needed if pot gets too dark, scraping up any brown bits.)
Deglaze pot with wine; increase heat to high and cook, stirring often, until liquid nearly evaporates, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle in flour and cook 1 minute.
Add broth, sherry, 4 sprigs thyme, and bay leaves. Bring soup to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low; simmer soup, partially covered, 30 minutes. Discard thyme sprigs and bay leaves and season soup with salt and pepper.
Preheat broiler to high. Line a baking sheet with foil; arrange six ovenproof bowls on top.
Combine Gruyère, Parmesan, and reserved bacon.
Ladle soup into bowls; arrange 2 baguette slices on top of each bowl, then sprinkle each with ½ cup cheese mixture.
Broil soup until cheese is bubbly and melted, about 3 minutes. Garnish servings with thyme sprig.
To prevent the pot from getting too dark while caramelizing the onions, add a little water as needed.
Nutritional Facts
Nutritional Facts
Per serving
Calories: 528
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 20g 30%
Saturated Fat 7g 35%
Cholesterol 56mg 18%
Sodium 1041mg 43%
Carbs 59g 19%
Fiber 11g 44%
Protein 30g
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.