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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.
Last modified on: October 28th 2026
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.
When should you start or finish this recipe?
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Step by step recipe
Step 2 - ⌛ 3 min.
In a large saucepan or casserole, melt 50 g butter until it froths.
Step 3 - ⌛ 1 min.
When the butter is frothing well, add the chopped onions, salt and pepper. Mix well.
Step 4 - ⌛ 10 min.
Fry the onions on fairly high heat until lightly browned, stirring frequently to stop them burning.
Step 5 - ⌛ 2 min.
Sieve 50 g flour into the pan.
Step 6 - ⌛ 5 min.
Mix in and cook until starting to brown, stirring constantly.
Step 7 - ⌛ 1 min.
Pour in 200 ml dry white wine all at once.
Step 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.
Step 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.
Step 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.
Step 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.
Step 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).
Step 13 - ⌛ 1 min.
When the onion soup is cooked, check the seasoning.
Step 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.
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Nutritional information
| Proteins | Carbohydrates | Fats | Calories | Energy | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per 100 g | 1 g RDI=2 % | 6 g RDI=2 % | 3 g RDI=4 % | 57 kcal RDI=3 % | 237 kJ RDI=3 % |
| Per person | 6 g RDI=8 % | 26 g RDI=10 % | 12 g RDI=17 % | 236 kcal RDI=12 % | 989 kJ RDI=12 % |
| Whole recipe | 44 g RDI=68 % | 208 g RDI=78 % | 98 g RDI=134 % | 1,890 kcal RDI=95 % | 7,915 kJ RDI=95 % |
How much will it cost?
For 8 people
4.20 €
Per person
0.55 €
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
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