Soup season has begun in my eyes. Yes, it is 80-90 degrees out, but I am always cold in my school building no matter what the season is. I try to meal prep a few things on the weekend so some of my meals for the upcoming week are grab and go. I try to make a soup as one of my prep meals, as it’s an easy lunch to grab with a piece of fruit.
I love french onion soup. It has always been a favorite. What is not to like about it, topped with bread and blanketed with gooey cheese. As I have gotten older I started appreciating the “soup” part of the bowl and got a recipe down pat that slashes the fat and calories and basically cooks itself. This is a long cooking recipe. The good news is that it is essentially hands off cooking. I started it super early in the morning and the soup was done by the evening.
The worst part of this recipe is peeling the onions. There are a lot. 6-7 good sized onions. I always pick up onions as part of my produce share and I figured this was a good way to use them up. They were starting to stockpile in my pantry. You want to peel the onions, cut them in half through the root and then cut them into half moons.
After you are done crying from all those onions add them to your slow cooker. Top with the butter and salt and let them go for a long long time. No need to stir, but every once in a while Ill walk by the pot and give them a stir. In 8-10 hours they go from this:
to this:
It’s amazing how they totally shrink down. You are left with caramelized onions with amazing flavor.
Add the next level of flavor with the sherry and garlic. After 15 minutes or so add the two broths, seasonings and cook again for 2 to 3 hours.
Stir in the soy sauce and pepper and serve or pack in individual servings. Top each serving with little grated parmesan cheese before eating. Makes about 5 servings.
Slow Cooker French Onion Soup
3 lbs. uncooked onion (about 6-7 large
2 tlb. unsalted butter
2 tsps. kosher salt
1/4 cup cooking sherry
2 tsps. minced garlic
3 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 cups reduced-sodium beef broth
5 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. low sodium soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
parmesan cheese for serving
- Combine onions, butter and salt in a slow cooker; cover and cook on high until onions are well-browned, about 8 to 10 hours. Add sherry and garlic; stir to combine. Leave slow cooker set to high and let sit, uncovered, for alcohol to burn off, about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Stir in both broths, thyme, bay leaf and sugar; cook, covered, on high, for flavors to blend, about 2 to 3 more hours. Remove thyme and bay leaf; stir in soy sauce and pepper. Sprinkle each serving with cheese and garnish with thyme just before serving. Makes about 5 servings at 1 and 1/2 cups per serving.
Moscato & Macarons 