French Style Red Onion Soup

thaw out from this deep freeze with a bowl of steamy soup

An all-time favorite soup of mine (and my husband) is French Onion Soup. I make this for us every winter and it always warms us up. As most of the country has been experiencing a deep freeze, this recipe comes at a great time. It's also easy to make and doesn't require many ingredients.

What makes this version of French Onion Soup different is that I'm using red onions instead of the classic sweet yellow onion. Red onions are still sweet, especially when you allow them to caramelize slightly, but they retain more of their texture and shape in this soup. I actually prefer them over a yellow onion after making this both ways. Because this soup contains few ingredients and is a one-pot-wonder it makes for a great week night meal. Warm up! Make this for dinner. Here's how...

Ingredients - Serves 6
4 T Unsalted Butter
4 Large Red Onions, thinly sliced
2 tsp. Fresh Thyme, leaves picked and roughly chopped
1 Bay leaf
1/3 C Sherry Vinegar
1 Box Vegetable Broth
1 Can Beef Broth
6 Thick Slices Crusty Bread
1 1/2 C Shredded Swiss Cheese (can sub Gruyere)
1 1/2 C Shredded Mozzarella
Salt & Pepper

Directions

In a large dutch oven over med-high heat melt the butter. Once the butter is melted, add in the onions and 1 tsp. salt. Stir and cook until the onions reduce by half and begin to caramelize, about 25 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Once the onions have reduced by half, add in the chopped thyme, bay leaf, and sherry vinegar. Allow the sherry to cook out and deglaze the pan, about 5 minutes. Then add both broths and cook for another 10-15 minutes to meld the flavors. Note: you can use all veggie broth to keep this vegetarian, but the beef broth is very traditional and helps to balance all of the flavors. Season with salt and pepper to taste, as needed.

While the soup cooks, move the oven rack to the top third of the oven and preheat the broiler. Toast the bread slices for 1-2 minutes on each side. Also, mix the cheeses together in a bowl; set aside.

Once the soup is done cooking, ladle into 6 bowls, and top each with a slice of the toasted bread and 1/2 cup of the cheese mixture. Arrange the bowls on a baking sheet and broil for 2-3 minutes until the cheese is melted, bubbly, and beginning to brown. Allow the bowls to cool for a few minutes and then serve. Enjoy!