The only time I get to enjoy French Onion Soup is when I make it myself because I make it with a vegetable broth (no beef broth here) and red wine base. I’ve been craving it and so I had to make it. This rich onion soup is easy to make, so comforting and it hit the spot. 

Mine is topped with a thick cheesy crouton and my hubby’s is the vegan version with no cheese. 

the ingredients you need to make this soup

• Onions – lots of them 
• Vegetable broth – to keep it vegetarian, I use low sodium vegetable broth 
• Red wine – this is an important ingredient to add extra flavour and the darker colour
• Herbs – bay leaves and thyme bring the flavour. Use fresh or dried herbs 
• Peppercorns – I like to use black, red and white peppercorns
• French bread – thick cut slices are an integral part of this classic soup
• Gruyere cheese – swiss or old cheddar work well. Cheese is optional if you want to keep it vegan 

This soup starts off with a huge pile of sliced onions that are cooked very slowly until they transform into a sweet golden tangle of caramelized onions. Once the soup is made it’s served in oven proof bowls and topped with a crisp crouton and cheese, before broiling in the oven to get the cheese melted. Or you can melt the cheese on the toast before placing it on top of your bowl of soup and skip the broiling step. 

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Vegetarian French Onion Soup

Course Soup

Ingredients

• 5 large yellow onions, peeled and sliced
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp coconut sugar
• 1 ½ tsp salt
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ½ cup red wine
• 8 cups vegetable broth, low sodium
• 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp thyme, fresh or dried
• ½ tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp peppercorns
• 4 slices french bread, thick cut slices
• 1 cup gruyere cheese, grated

Instructions

• Heat olive in a large dutch oven over medium heat.
• Add sliced onions and cook stirring often, until the onions start to soften, about 20 minutes.
• Stir in the sugar and salt and continue cooking for 15-20 minutes until the onions become golden. Watch that the onions don’t burn. They really need to cook slowly.
• Add the garlic towards the end of cooking the onions.
• Stir in the red wine and scrape any bits on the bottom of the pot.
• Stir in the vegetable broth, worcestershire sauce, bay leaves, thyme, black pepper and peppercorns.
• Turn up the heat and bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes, stirring often.
• Heat oven to 400°F.
• Brush bread slices with olive oil and place on a baking sheet and toast lightly.
• Check soup for seasoning and adjust.
• Ladle the soup into oven proof bowls, top with toasted bread, and sprinkle cheese over. Place the bowls on a baking sheet and broil until the cheese is melted and bubbling. Inspired by FoodWithFeeling.