Easy French onion soup with cheesy croutons recipe

French onion soup

When I think of French  onion soup, I get an image of soup topped with lots of cheese and soggy bread. In reality, and fortunately, it is not like that. My mental image of the soup is incorrect. The croutons are crispy, it is not loaded with cheese and the soup is really delicious. It is really creamy, but without any cream.

And for some strange reason I always thought French onion soup was tedious to make, hence I have been avoiding it. I just discovered, on the contrary, it is quite easy to make and requires just a few basic ingredients. However it is time consuming with total cooking time of about an hour and 15 minutes. It is well worth the wait and I certainly will be making this again.

The recipe comes from Wholesome Cook who in turn got it from  Little Kitchen, Around the World by Sabrina Parrini. The book is aimed at 8-12 year olds (and some adults!).

Ingredients

For the soup:

1kg brown onions, peeled, halved and thinly sliced

50g butter, oil or a mixture of both

2 thyme sprigs, leaves only

2 tablespoons plain flour

1 litre stock (I used chicken stock)

1 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

For the croutons:

8 slices of baguette

¾ cup grated cheese (cheddar or any other cheese that you prefer)

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, add butter and sauté onions and thyme over medium heat until onions soften, stirring frequently

2. Cover the saucepan and cook until the onions have caramelized, about 45 minutes. Stir frequently. Do not let the onions burn

3. Add flour, stir well and cook for a further 2 minutes

4. Add stock, sugar and mustard and stir to combine. Bring to a boil then lower heat, cover partially and cook for a further 30 minutes.

5. To make the cheesy croutons, heat broiler to 180 degrees calcium. Place cheese on top of baguette slices, place on baking tray and broil until cheese has melted.

French onion soup

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