My Favorite French Onion Soup Recipe Doesn't Require Babysitting

The idea of eating a pile of onions seems absolutely absurd—until you caramelize them and make them into soup. Suddenly, and your entire family is talking about an onion dinner with great reverence.

You might think it’s the cheesy raft of bread floating on top that wins hearts, but students of umami know to credit the sweet, hearty, caramelized flavor from a mountain of slowly cooked sliced onions. Caramelizing onions is an annoying business, which is why I’d like to present you with a version that doesn’t demand helicopter babysitting. 

If you’ve ever successfully caramelized onions before, you know it takes at least 45 minutes to do it properly. In order to get silky-soft, deeply browned strands of onion in your average pot, you’ve got to cook them over low heat and stir them frequently to prevent burning. Knowing that you’re already signing up for a bit of a process regardless, why not make the technique less precarious with the mighty Dutch oven?

French onion soup was made for the Dutch oven

This method does take plenty of time to cook, but the weighty material of a Dutch oven allows for evenly distributed heat, allowing you to cook the onions slowly, without the dreaded hot spots that threaten scorched alliums. This method essentially braises them in their own buttery onion broth until they're extremely soft. The lid keeps the moisture in, so the flavors can fully blossom and the onions won't start browning too fast.

Eight to 10 cups of sliced onions will cook down to less than half of this volume. Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann

Dutch ovens have the added benefit of being enamel glazed. When fond (the bits of food that stick to the bottom of the pot and brown) occurs in a regular pot, you have to scrape it up pretty quickly so it doesn’t scorch. The glass finish of a Dutch oven doesn’t seem to burn fond as quickly, and the slick surface easily releases it whenever you get around to stirring. 

With this low-maintenance method, you can basically chill for the first 45 minutes. You'll then face roughly 15 minutes of intermittent action in the middle, before letting the soup simmer away for another 20 minutes. (All the while, you’ll be enjoying the most intoxicating aroma of caramelized onions and butter.)

Caramelized onions before adding any beef broth. Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann

This soup is broth-y but full of soft, velvety onions, and rich in umami. Plus a slab of cheesy bread never hurt anyone. (Though they seem like small additions, I must insist on the herbs—they elevate the dish, and once you let them simmer for 15 minutes you’ll smell the difference.)

Low and Slow French Onion Soup Recipe

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 8 to 10 cups sliced onions (use a variety or one type)

• 1 teaspoon salt

• A splash of sherry vinegar (about a tablespoon or so)

• A splash of dry red wine (about a tablespoon or so)

• 3 ½ cups of beef broth

• 6 sprigs of thyme

• 2 small bay leaves

• Slices of stale hearty bread for topping

• Semi-firm cheese for topping

1. Melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add the onions and salt, and give it all a thorough toss. Cover the pot with its lid and let it simmer and cook the onions for about 15 minutes. 

2. Remove the lid and stir the onions. They should be very soft and they’ll have released a lot of water. If it’s bubbling viciously, reduce the heat for a steady simmer. Let them continue to cook, uncovered, for another 30 to 45 minutes, but come around and give them a stir every 10 minutes or so to check on things. The buttery onion water will reduce during this time. 

3. At the end of this cooking time you’ll notice a few brown bits develop and the onions will become more golden. This is when you need to be more present. Continue cooking the onions, but scrape and stir them every three to five minutes. They’ll begin to darken. Do this until you’re happy with the color of your onions. If they ever become too dry, you can add a splash of water to help deglaze the fond on the bottom of the pot.

3. Stir in the sherry vinegar and wine, then add the broth and herbs. Let this simmer together for 20 minutes on low heat. You can cover the pot, but crack the lid.

4. Meanwhile, top the bread slices with cheese. (Classically a gruyère is used but you can use Swiss, pecorino, provolone, or anything with a little bite.) Broil the sliced bread to melt the cheese.

5. Remove the herbs from the soup. If you have extra stale bread, chop it up and drop some into the bottom of each soup bowl. Spoon the soup into the bowls and shave some cheese over it. Then top each serving with a slab of cheesy bread.