French Onion Soup Recipe
This French Onion Soup Recipe is based on the classic French version by the infamous Julia Child. It consists of a rich, savory beef broth accented with caramelized onions, a hint of sage and a decadent layer of melted Gruyere.
Easy to make, this classic French onion soup requires a bit of patience when cooking the onions, after all, the sweet, caramelized onions are the star of this fabulous and impressive soup!
What Kind of Onions Should I Use for French Onion Soup?
Julia Child’s original recipe calls for yellow onions, and I couldn’t agree more! Note, these are not sweet yellow onions, but plain yellow onions! I once made the mistake of using sweet onions and the flavor of the soup was definitely “off” a bit. 
How Do I Make This Classic French Soup?
The soup itself cooks pretty quickly, however, the onions require a bit of time–about 30 minutes of cooking on low heat in order to caramelize.
- In a large stockpot, melt oil and butter on medium heat
- Add sliced onions; coat onions well; cover and cook for 15-20 minutes; stir onions frequently to prevent burning
- Add salt and sugar to onions; coat well; continue to cook until onions are caramelized (brown in color)
- Reduce heat to medium low; sprinkle in flour and coat onions;
- Add beef stock, wine, sage, bay leaf; allow to simmer for 30 minutes
- Taste for seasonings; add salt and pepper to your preference
What Kind of Cheese Should I Use?
Traditional, classic or authentic recipes generally use Gruyere cheese because of it’s nutty flavor and melting capabilities. Unfortunately, Gruyere is expensive and in this case, use a high-quality Swiss cheese.
How to Serve French Onion Soup
You’ll want to serve this delicious soup in an oven-safe ramekin. Once the soup is seasoned to your liking, it’s time to finish it off with bread and cheese!
- Preheat oven to the broil setting
- Place ramekins on a baking sheet
- Ladle soup into ramekins 2/3 of the way
- Place a thin slice of bread on the soup
- Top the bread with a generous amount of cheese
- Place under broiler until cheese begins to brown and bubble
- Remove baking sheet from oven
- Carefully place each ramekin on a saucer (the ramekins get very very hot in the oven-use an oven mitt)
- Garnish with fresh sage; serve
What Entree Goes Well with French Onion Soup?
This full-bodied soup can stand on it’s own or serve as a first course to a delicious entree of pasta, steak, baked chicken or fish. Since the soup uses beef broth, it pairs nicely with beef and a glass of red or white wine.
Can I Make this In Advance?
French onion soup can be made in advance; make the soup and store in an air-tight container. Prior to serving, reheat the soup on the stove or microwave, ladle into ramekins, add bread, cheese and broil!
Need something to go with your soup? Make a beautiful Cheeseboard or Shrimp and Crab meat Beggar’s Purse!
Easy, delicious, comforting French Onion Soup based on Julia Child's famous recipe!
- 5-6 large yellow onions sliced very thin
- 1 stick butter
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 64 oz. beef broth
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1/2 teaspoon sage , ground
- 1 whole bay leaf
- 12 oz. Swiss, Gruyere, or Comte cheese shredded
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 loaf French bread sliced
- salt & pepper to taste
Melt 1 stick of butter and oil in a large stock pot on medium heat
Add sliced onions and sugar to melted butter and allow to cook on medium low until onions are brown.
Once onions are browned, add flour and beef stock; combine well
Add wine, sage and bay leaf; bring to boil for 5 minutes, then reduce heat to medium low and cover; Note: ( if using Cognac or brandy, add it here, after you've reduced the heat)
Slice French Bread into 1/4 inch pieces
Lightly coat bread slices with olive oil and place on oiled baking sheet
Preheat oven to 350ºF
Place baking sheet in oven and bake for 15 minutes; then turn bread slices and bake another 15 minutes, or until golden brown
Remove from oven and set aside
Turn oven temperature to broil; remove bay leaf from soup
Ladle onion soup 2/3 of the way into oven-safe ramekins; ; add toasted French bread; top with shredded cheese
Place ramekins on baking sheet and place under broiler until cheese is nicely browned
Remove baking sheet from oven; using a paper towel, dip the ends of the paper towel onto the residual oil from the baked cheese
Ramekins will be extremely hot; allow to sit for about 8 minutes prior to serving
How Do I Make This Classic French Soup?
The soup itself cooks pretty quickly, however, the onions require a bit of time--about 30 minutes of cooking on low heat in order to caramelize.
- In a large stockpot, melt oil and butter on medium heat
- Add sliced onions; coat onions well; cover and cook for 15-20 minutes; stir onions frequently to prevent burning
- Add salt and sugar to onions; coat well; continue to cook until onions are caramelized (brown in color)
- Reduce heat to medium low; sprinkle in flour and coat onions;
- Add beef stock, wine, sage, bay leaf; allow to simmer for 30 minutes
- Taste for seasonings; add salt and pepper to your preference
What Kind of Cheese Should I Use?
Traditional, classic or authentic recipes generally use Gruyere cheese because of it's nutty flavor and melting capabilities. Unfortunately, Gruyere is expensive and in this case, use a high-quality Swiss cheese.
How to Serve French Onion Soup
You'll want to serve this delicious soup in an oven-safe ramekin. Once the soup is seasoned to your liking, it's time to finish it off with bread and cheese!
- Preheat oven to the broil setting
- Place ramekins on a baking sheet
- Ladle soup into ramekins 2/3 of the way
- Place a thin slice of bread on the soup
- Top the bread with a generous amount of cheese
- Place under broiler until cheese begins to brown and bubble
- Remove baking sheet from oven
- Carefully place each ramekin on a saucer (the ramekins get very very hot in the oven-use an oven mitt)
- Garnish with fresh sage; serve
What Entree Goes Well with French Onion Soup?
This full-bodied soup can stand on it's own or serve as a first course to a delicious entree of pasta, steak, baked chicken or fish. Since the soup uses beef broth, it pairs nicely with beef and a glass of red or white wine.
Can I Make this In Advance?
French onion soup can be made in advance; make the soup and store in an air-tight container. Prior to serving, reheat the soup on the stove or microwave, ladle into ramekins, add bread, cheese and broil!
Need something to go with your soup? Make a beautiful Cheeseboard or Shrimp and Crab meat Beggar's Purse!
