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French onion soup in a white bowl.
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Homemade French Onion Soup

Craving a bowl of French onion soup from your favorite little bistro? Try making it at home! All you need is a bit of time and some simple ingredients for this delicious French onion soup recipe.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Servings 6

Ingredients

  • 5 large yellow onions
  • 4 large shallots
  • 3-4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons salted butter
  • 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
  • ¼ cup dry marsala or marsala cooking wine
  • 3 quarts beef stock
  • ½ tablespoon beef base low sodium preferred
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 2 fresh bay leaves
  • Salt and pepper to taste

For serving:

  • 6 thick slices rustic bread
  • Salted butter room temperature
  • 2 cups grated gruyere cheese
  • Thinly sliced fresh chives optional
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

To make the soup:

  • Peel and halve the onions and shallots, then cut into slices about ⅛-inch thick.
  • Heat the oil in a large dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the onions and shallots along with a few pinches of salt; stir and let cook until the onions are translucent. Once translucent, add the butter and reduce the heat to low, stirring occasionally until the onions are caramelized. This whole process will take 45 minutes to 1 hour, so be patient. If the onions start to stick, you can add a splash of water to the pot.
  • Once the onions are caramelized, add the flour and the marsala, stirring constantly until the pot is deglazed and the mixture thickens slightly.
  • Add the beef stock, beef base, thyme, and bay leaf to the pot. Increase the heat to medium and bring the soup to a simmer. Simmer for 20-30 minutes, then discard the thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Taste, seasoning with additional salt and pepper as desired.

For serving:

  • Preheat your oven’s broiler and adjust the oven rack to the top position.
  • Butter both sides of the slices of bread, then toast in a skillet or on a griddle over medium-high heat until golden on both sides.
  • Place oven-proof serving bowls on a rimmed baking sheet and fill just over halfway with the soup. Top each bowl with the toast, followed by a generous amount of grated gruyere. Broil until the cheese is melted and browned in spots – this will only take a couple of minutes, depending on your broiler, so don’t walk away!
  • Garnish with fresh chives before serving, if desired.

Notes

You can use a mandoline slicer to make it easier to evenly slice the onions and shallots.
While the soup can be made ahead of time, do not top with the toast and cheese until you are ready to serve.
Exactly how much bread and cheese you need for serving will depend on the bread you buy and on your serving bowls and how wide they are at the top.