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
24 people
11 IngredientsLast modified on: December 30th 2019
For 24 people, you will need:
- 1
4 lb + 9.9 oz onion - 2
5.5 oz butter - 3
8.2 oz flour - 4
1 lb + 5.1 oz dry white wine - 5
13 lb + 3.3 oz water - 6
6 chicken stock cubes - 7
12 slices bread - 8 4.4 oz butter
- 9
8.5 oz grated cheese - 10
salt - 11
pepper
Change measures:
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 5.5 oz 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 8.2 oz flour into the pan.
Stage 6 - 5 min.
Mix in and cook until starting to brown, stirring constantly.
Stage 7 - 1 min.
Pour in 1 lb + 5.1 oz 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 13 lb + 3.3 oz water (hot) with 6 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 12 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 | 950 RDI=370 % | 7,220 RDI=680 % | 410 RDI=60 % | 5,670 RDI=280 % | 23,740 RDI: 280 % |
| 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 24 people : 12.60 €
- 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: Leek and potato soup, Turban of sole with langoustines, Rum babas, Classic French white bread, Couscous, ... See them all 136
Onion
Like these other recipes: Mushrooms à la grecque, Pumpkin and red-bean tortillas, Split peas "à la française", Vegetable tian, Winemaker's toast, ... See them all 147
Dry white wine
Like these other recipes: Savoury French toast, Mussels marinière, Rabbit terrine, Crispy spinach rolls, Spaghetti with mushrooms, ... See them all 68
Grated cheese
Like these other recipes: Ham pasta bake, Pollack Parmentier, Spinach Mornay, Breton Pie, Spinach parmentier, ... See them all 73
Other recipes you may also like
Chocolate tart
As you can see, there's very little added sugar in this recipe, so it's a very chocolatey and bitter-sweet tart.November 16th 2013298 K 15 2 hours 30 min.
Surprise bread
This recipe is for a large surprise bread so you can make six layers (48 small sandwiches if you divide each layer in 8), with three different flavours: smoked salmon/lime, smoked ham/butter, mayonnaise/chicken.December 27th 2020711 K 84.5 6 hours 25 min.
Little apple turnovers with almonds and raisins
These are small apple turnovers ("chaussons") of puff pastry, filled with a mixture of caramelised almonds, stewed apple and rum-soaked raisins. To be eaten just as they are...September 11th 2018309 K3.8 1 hour 35 min.
Puff or flaky pastry (pâte feuilletée)
Puff pastry is an incredible assembly of thin layers of butter enclosed in thin layers of dough. After cooking this give a succession of thin crisp pastry leaves that produce exceptional desserts or pies. It's a jewel of French patisserie. Making your own puff pastry is not very difficult, it's just...January 19th 2011460 K 63.3 2 hours 45 min.
Spaghetti Bolognese
Spaghetti "bolognese" (after the town of Bologna, Italiy) is a well-known dish, but so often amounts to nothing more than pasta topped with minced meat in a plain tomato sauce. Here is a more traditional version, in which the sauce is made with tomatoes, herbs, red wine and - of course - meat.September 29th 2022116 K3.8 1 hour 20 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2025-08-24)
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