| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr 40 min |
| Active: | 1 hr 40 min |
| Yield: | About 8 cups |
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 6 medium yellow onions, sliced thin
- 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 cup dry white wine
- Kosher salt
- 6 cups Homemade Beef Stock, recipe follows
- 4 sourdough boules, each about 1 pound, and 10 inches in diameter
- 2 cups grated Gruyere cheese
- 2- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 5 pounds meaty beef bones, such as shank bones
- 4 carrots, halved
- 4 stalks celery, halved
- 2 large yellow onions, halved
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 head garlic, halved
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Stir in the onions, butter, thyme and bay leaves. Cook, adding some water and scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot occasionally, until the onions are deep golden brown, about 45 minutes.
- Stir the flour into the onions and then add the beef stock, wine and some salt, and simmer for 30 minutes. Discard the bay leaves.
- While the soup cooks, slice a few inches from the tops of the boules and pull out the bread inside, leaving a 1-inch thick crust. Reserve the insides for serving with the soup.
- Preheat the broiler. Put the bread bowls on a baking sheet. Ladle the soup into the bread bowls. Divide the Gruyere among the bowls and broil until the cheese is melted and bubbly, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the soup bowls to plates and serve hot with the reserved bread, for dipping in the soup.
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Put enough olive oil in a heavy-bottomed roasting pan to coat the bottom, then add the beef bones. Roast until browned, turning occasionally, 35 to 40 minutes.
- Put the carrots, celery, onions, bay leaves, garlic and peppercorns in a large stock pot . Add the beef bones, making sure to scrape off and add any brown bits from the roasting pan. Add 8 cups water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, skimming any scum on the surface. Lower the heat and simmer, skimming every hour or so, for 4 1/2 hours.
- Strain the stock through a fine strainer into a metal container. Set the container in an ice bath to cool. If not using right away, refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 1 week, or freeze for 4 months.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 30 servings |
| Calories | 351 |
| Total Fat | 14 g |
| Saturated Fat | 6 g |
| Carbohydrates | 35 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugar | 2 g |
| Protein | 17 g |
| Cholesterol | 38 mg |
| Sodium | 532 mg |
Reviews
The best French onion soup I’ve ever made!
Best I ever made. I’ve tried many ways to get it just right!
After, trying both Alton’s and Tyler’s recipes, I like this one the best. Homemade stock is definately best in this. But low sodium beef broth works too. In the soup, i like a small bouquet garni of just a few more thyme sprigs than listed and & 1/2 bunch fresh parsley tied in. Sometimes I also tie in a few sprigs of fresh chives, since I always have a large pot of it growing on my balcony. It is a GREAT no fuss perennial to have on hand .The easiest herb you can grow..This soup is really good, as written. The only thing, i am never sure of is what kind of white wime to use. I do not drink wine, as i am not much of a fan of most wines. So i am uncertain what kind works best. Suggestions would be appreciated
The person saying she dumped the soup sure didn’t skim or take beef fat off!!!
Nancy’s recipe is awesome! Especially for those of us who like everything from scratch. Thanks sooooo much Nancy.
Very greasy!!!!! I dumped it all. A lot of time for nothing
I’ve never made onion soup “from scratch”. I always fortified it with beef base.Decided to try Nancy’s way. Spent almost $10 bucks for beef shanks. WTH, when I roasted them for my chocolate lab dog several years ago, they were cheap. I started them in a 500 degree oven, and after an hour pulled them out and got lots more fond on top of the stove. Then I put them in the crock pot on low for 12 hours, I’ll let you know how it works. I’m guessing that I’ll have to add beef base for my liking. But at least I’ll have beef stock, that I can freeze. I’ll let you know.
Love the broth! Made it for beef stew! LOVE!!
This is a fabulous recipe and worth every second of time you put into it. The poster below said she used red wine–hmm? That would really alter the taste to me in a big way. Now I finally know how to make a good beef stock—thank you Nancy!
I have made different onion soup and this one is a bit different from what I have allready done. The red wine gives it some accidity, that it is quite different but still interesting. You have the normal ingredients of a tipycal onion soup and the procedure is well explained step by step. The bread and the grated gruyere gives it that special touch. If you want to make something different I recommend this recipe, I promise that you won t regret it.
WONDERFUL TASTING ONION SOUP THANKS GLAD TO SEE CHEF WHO USES A TASTING SPOON AND ANOTHER SPOON FOR STIRRING