Name: French Onion Soup
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 75 min
Total time: 90 min
Ingredients: 60 g butter; 1 tbsp olive oil; 1.2 kg yellow onions (thinly sliced); 1 tsp sugar; 1 tsp salt; 2 cloves garlic (minced); 1 tbsp plain flour; 150 ml dry white wine; 1.2 l beef stock; 2 sprigs thyme; 1 bay leaf; 8 slices baguette; 200 g Gruyère (grated)

Jump to Recipe Save to Pinterest

Deeply caramelised French onion soup with beef stock and white wine, topped with toasted baguette and melted Gruyère.

About this French recipe

Soupe à l’oignon gratinée was a late-night staple of the old Les Halles market in Paris. Its flavour depends almost entirely on cooking the onions slowly until deep brown.

Ingredients you will need

The main ingredients are butter, olive oil, yellow onions, sugar, salt, garlic. Exact quantities are in the recipe card below.

How long it takes

Allow 1 hr 30 min in total: 15 min of preparation, 1 hr 15 min of cooking. The recipe serves 4.

French Onion Soup

Deeply caramelised French onion soup with beef stock and white wine, topped with toasted baguette and melted Gruyère.

Print Recipe

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 1 15

Total Time 1 30

Servings: 4 servings

Course: Soup

Cuisine: French

Calories: 520

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

60 g butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1.2 kg yellow onions thinly sliced
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 cloves garlic minced
1 tbsp plain flour
150 ml dry white wine
1.2 l beef stock
2 sprigs thyme
1 bay leaf
8 slices baguette
200 g Gruyère grated

Method

Melt the butter with the oil in a large pot. Add the onions and salt and cook over medium-low heat, stirring often.
After 15 minutes add the sugar. Keep cooking for 30–45 minutes more until the onions are deep golden brown.
Add the garlic and flour and stir for 1 minute. Pour in the wine and scrape the base.
Add the stock, thyme and bay and simmer for 20 minutes. Season.
Toast the baguette slices. Heat the grill.
Ladle the soup into ovenproof bowls, top with toast and Gruyère and grill until bubbling.

Notes

If the onions start sticking, add a splash of water and scrape. Those brown bits are flavour.