This site uses only a few technical cookies necessary for its operation. By continuing to browse, you accept their use.
To find out more...
To find out more...
French onion soup
This warming onion soup is an emblematic French dish, both in bistro cuisine and home cooking.
This is a very classic version. The long, slow cooking is the secret to revealing its full flavour.
This is a very classic version. The long, slow cooking is the secret to revealing its full flavour.
2 hours 30 min.
Easy
4.20 €
8 people
11 IngredientsLast modified on: December 30th 2019
For 8 people, you will need:
- 1
700 g onion - 2
50 g butter - 3
50 g flour - 4
200 ml dry white wine - 5
2 litres water - 6
2 chicken stock cubes - 7
4 slices bread - 8 40 g butter
- 9
80 g grated cheese - 10
salt - 11
pepper - Total weight: 3,340 grams
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 35 min.
Cooking: 1 hour 55 min.
All in all: 2 hours 30 min.
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time
Step by step recipe
Stage 2 - ⌛ 3 min.
In a large saucepan or casserole, melt 50 g butter until it froths.
Stage 3 - ⌛ 1 min.
When the butter is frothing well, add the chopped onions, salt and pepper. Mix well.
Stage 4 - ⌛ 10 min.
Fry the onions on fairly high heat until lightly browned, stirring frequently to stop them burning.
Stage 5 - ⌛ 2 min.
Sieve 50 g flour into the pan.
Stage 6 - ⌛ 5 min.
Mix in and cook until starting to brown, stirring constantly.
Stage 7 - ⌛ 1 min.
Pour in 200 ml dry white wine all at once.
Stage 8 - ⌛ 3 min.
Stir until well mixed.
Leave to cook for 2 or 3 minutes while stirring.
Leave to cook for 2 or 3 minutes while stirring.
Stage 9 - ⌛ 1 min.
Pour in the chicken stock, made by mixing 2 litres water (hot) with 2 chicken stock cubes.
Bring to the boil.
Bring to the boil.
Stage 10 - ⌛ 1 hour 30 min.
When boiling, turn the heat down to its lowest, cover and leave to cook for 1 ½ to 2 hours.
Stage 11 - ⌛ 5 min.
Meanwhile, butter 4 slices bread and top with grated cheese.
Press the cheese down gently to help it stick to the buttered bread.
Press the cheese down gently to help it stick to the buttered bread.
Stage 12 - ⌛ 4 min.
Cut the bread into small squares and arrange these on a baking sheet. Brown under the grill (keep an eye on the colour).
Stage 13 - ⌛ 1 min.
When the onion soup is cooked, check the seasoning.
Stage 14 - ⌛ 3 min.
Serve piping hot in large bowls, topped with with the cheese croutons.
Remarks
Use either white or yellow onions, but preferably not red ones, as they are less suitable for the long slow cooking.
At stage 4 of the recipe, there are 2 conflicting schools of thought: some prefer the more traditional method of cooking the onions until they are dark brown, others (like me) only brown them lightly - it's a matter of taste, of course. I remember as a child staying with my grandmother Jeanne. She used to cook her onions until they were really dark and, back then, I loved that.
For the grated cheese, choose whatever you prefer that browns well, such as Comté, Gruyère or even Emmental.
At stage 4 of the recipe, there are 2 conflicting schools of thought: some prefer the more traditional method of cooking the onions until they are dark brown, others (like me) only brown them lightly - it's a matter of taste, of course. I remember as a child staying with my grandmother Jeanne. She used to cook her onions until they were really dark and, back then, I loved that.
For the grated cheese, choose whatever you prefer that browns well, such as Comté, Gruyère or even Emmental.
Keeping: Several days in the fridge, covered with plastic film.
Source: Based on a recipe by Gaston Lenôtre.
Nutritional information
| Proteins (gr) | Carbohydrates (gr) | Fats (gr) | Energy value (in k-calories) | Energy value (in k-joules) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole recipe | 320 RDI=120 % | 2,410 RDI=230 % | 140 RDI=20 % | 1,890 RDI=100 % | 7,920 RDI: 100 % |
| Per 100 g | 9 RDI=4 % | 70 RDI=7 % | 4 RDI=1 % | 60 RDI=3 % | 240 RDI: 3 % |
| Per person | 40 RDI=20 % | 300 RDI=30 % | 20 RDI=3 % | 240 RDI=10 % | 990 RDI: 10 % |
How much will it cost?
- For 8 people : 4.20 €
- Per person : 0.55 €
Change currency:
Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
This recipe uses (among others)
Water
Like these other recipes: Du Barry soup, Chorba, Nachos, Chocolate Chantilly , Confit of carrots with bacon, ... See them all 141
Onion
Like these other recipes: African style chicken, Celery risotto, Crab Cakes, Mornay onion tart, Confit of carrots with bacon, ... See them all 153
Dry white wine
Like these other recipes: Cheese tart, Montbenoit's canapés, Potatoes with prawns, Express sauerkraut, Spaghetti with mushrooms, ... See them all 70
Grated cheese
Like these other recipes: Soufflée omelette with cheese, Stuffed tomatoes and courgettes, Spicy mustard cauliflower cheese, Salmon and Spinach Gratin, Spinach Croque-monsieur , ... See them all 75
Other recipes you may also like
Toasted almond cake
A layer cake, with toasted almonds in the chocolate part. July 5th 2016257 K4.4 2 hours 2 min.
Macarons (the original French macaroons)
This recipe really is "of the moment": the success of these small, highly-coloured cakes, in an infinite variety of flavours, is impressive. It's a recipe which needs some care, in order to produce a result worthy of a professional pastrychef. No problem, I will guide you through the recipe, particularly the tricky parts. This variety of flavours means that I test many alternatives, so don't be surprised if in the pictures the colour of the macarons changes, I used the best photograph available... October 3rd 20191.62 M 714.6 2 hours 40 min.
Pumpkin (or potimarron) soup
A smooth and fragrant soup, it's much better with potimarron (Japanese chestnut pumpkin) than ordinary pumpkin. October 13th 2010353 K4.1 1 hour 10 min.
Green parsley sauce
This sauce, with a great parsley taste, is perfect with steamed vegetables or fish. At the bottom you will find the coulis version of this recipe. February 21th 2011556 K 44.3 25 min.
How to beat egg whites
Beat egg whites is very common in cooking and pastry, here are some tips to get there easily. February 21th 2011579 K5 5 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2026-03-01)
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Follow this recipe
If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.
The 2 comments already posted on this recipe