French Onion Soup

I’m French so this always tastes good when I make this soup. You really only need 3 or 4 ingredients to put this together & it’s perfect for a cold day. Top it with toasted croutons and maybe a little melty vegan cheese and it is perfection. The longer you caramelize the onions, the deeper the flavor. I like to take my time and get them super caramelized so it sometimes can take awhile… it’s worth it. If you have nothing in the pantry or fridge for dinner, this is a great solution. ​

Ingredients
2 large yellow onions, sliced 
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 Tbsp oil
​1 tsp brown sugar
4 cups of stock of your choice
1 sprig of dried thyme or other herb of your choice
salt & pepper to taste

Optional: 1 Tbsp all purpose flour

Method of Preparation
1. Add oil to a soup pot with tall sides and turn the burner to medium. 

2. When the oil is hot add the sliced onions and stir to soften- about 10 minutes

3. Add sugar & a sprinkle of salt/pepper and mix well.

4. Cook for another 20-40 minutes, only stirring every 5 minutes or so. This will allow your onions to caramelize slowly, making them sweet but not burnt. You can choose how dark you like them or how much patience & time you have. Add your minced garlic at the very end, along with your thyme. 

5. If you like a thicker soup, add 1 Tbsp of flour and stir together with the onions on low for a few minutes.

6. Warm up your stock and add to the onion mixture, stirring to combine. 

7. Simmer on medium low for 15 minutes. Taste for seasoning, if your stock isn’t salted you may want to add some here. You can also add some soy sauce or coconut aminos for added savory flavor.
8. Enjoy the soup as is, or top with garnishes.

Garnish
This soup can hold its own without any additional add-ons, but French onion soup really is a vessel for lots of crusty bread. You can top with toasted bread croutons that you cut into squares, or you can lay a whole slice of bread on top of your oven-safe bowl and broil for a few minutes. It makes your bread a combo of crispy and soft and it soaks up the onion broth perfectly. I also recommend adding shredded cheese, melting that on top of the bread too!