French Onion Soup without Wine (2024)

5 from 1 vote

Course: Soup

Cuisine: French

Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

• 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 pounds yellow onions – peeled and thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic – minced
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper – to taste
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme – or use fresh thyme leaves
• 2-3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 4 cups chicken broth – or more
• 4 cups beef broth – or more
• 1-2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
• 2-3 whole bay leaves
• 6-8 slices French Bread or Baguette – sliced and toasted
• 8 oz. gruyere cheese – sliced or freshly grated
• shredded parmesan – optional

• Prep onions. Peel and thinly slice the onions. You'll be surprised at how much onion this is but it will cook down significantly.

• Cook. Use a large stockpot or a large Dutch Oven. Melt the butter over medium heat and add the onions. Add the kosher salt, black pepper, and thyme.

• Caramelize onions. Cook the onions until they get very soft and caramelized. You'll see them get golden brown as they caramelize. This will take between 25-30 minutes or so. Add the garlic and stir for another minute.

• Add flour. Then add the flour to the onions and stir frequently over low heat for about five minutes. You'll want to cook the flour taste out of the onions.

• Add broth. Add chicken and beef broth to the pot and adjust the heat back to medium heat. Add bay leaves and simmer for 10-15 minutes.

• Toast bread. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Add the pieces of bread to a sheet pan and add a drizzle of olive oil to the top. Bake in the oven until golden brown – about 10 minutes.

• Add to serving bowls. Place oven-safe serving bowls on a baking sheet. Ladle soup into bowls and add the toasted bread to the top. (Depending on the size of the slices, you may want to add an extra half slice to each bowl.)

• Add cheese. Add slices of gruyere cheese to the tops of the toasted bread.

• Bake. Add the pan of soup to the oven. You can bake it at a high temperature (like 450-500 degrees) or broil until the tops are golden brown. Watch closely to avoid burning!

• Serve. Serve hot soup immediately.

• Store leftover soup in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
• If you prefer to use wine in your soup, you can use either red wine or white wine. I recommend using 1/2 – 1 cup of wine in place of some of the broth.
• If using dried thyme, use about 1 teaspoon. If using fresh thyme, use 2-3 teaspoons.
• French Onion Soup can be prepared ahead of time. You can cook the caramelized onions and broth in advance and assemble the soup just before serving. Reheat the soup and then add the bread and melty cheese topping just before mealtime.