Some recipes take time. That’s just the way of it. There is no short cut to creating layers of flavor. While it’s all well and good, some days you just don’t want to put in the effort. I get it. I’m a huge fan of getting dinner on the table quickly too, especially after a busy day. This classic french onion soup recipe however, is not for those days. Start to finish, this soup will take you about 2 hours.
Of course, it starts with slicing a whole lot of onions! I threw in some large shallots for extra flavor too.
This is three pounds of onions and shallots. I just bought the three pound bag of onions from my grocery store to make it easier. If you are lucky enough to have a mandolin or food processor with a cutting blade, the slicing will take much less time. If you’re like me, a sharp knife and several tear-filled Kleenex later, you’ll have your onions done!
This is the part that takes the longest – caramelizing the onions. Plan on spending the next hour over your stove with a wooden spoon, a glass of wine (you’ll be using some of it for the recipe anyway) and your thoughts. Also, please ignore the dirty stove top. Just keeping it real.
Once you have caramelized all those glorious onions down (and don’t have any pictures because your phone battery was dying and you left it charging in the other room) then you can add the wine and broth and continue to cook your soup to it’s glorious perfection.
Also, don’t even think about skipping the cheese toast on top. We can’t be friends if that happens. Friends don’t let friends skip cheese toast.
Please find time to make this for yourself and those you love. It will be worth every bite, to warm your stomach and your hearts during this chilly winter season.
Enjoy!
