French Onion Soup with Swiss-Topped Toast

  Lunch

In my opinion, the key to a delicious French onion soup is a dark, savory broth, which you get from beef broth. If you want a vegetarian version, it can be hard to do with vegetable broth. To achieve the earthy tones I'm looking for, I've used a few nontraditional ingredients for this soup. I think it is a winner.

French Onion Soup with Swiss-Topped Toast

Average Rating: 0

TOTAL TIME: Prep: 30 min. Cook: 1 hour 20 minutes
YIELD: 6 servings.

Ingredients

  • 3 pounds yellow onions
  • 1 pound sweet onions, thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) vegetable broth
  • 1 can (12 ounces) beer or 12 ounces vegetable broth
  • 1/4 cup white wine or additional vegetable broth
  • 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 teaspoons brandy
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 6 slices French bread (1 inch thick)
  • 6 slices Swiss cheese

Instructions

  • 1. In a Dutch oven, saute onions in butter and oil until tender. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook for 1 hour or until golden brown, stirring occasionally. Stir in the thyme, brown sugar and vinegar.
  • 2. Combine the flour and broth until blended. Gradually stir into onion mixture. Stir in the beer, wine, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, brandy, pepper, salt and cayenne. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
  • 3. Meanwhile, place bread on a baking sheet. Broil 4 in. from the heat for 2 minutes on each side or until toasted. Top each with a cheese slice; broil for 2-3 minutes or until cheese is melted and lightly browned. Ladle soup into bowls; garnish with cheese-topped toast.

Nutrition Facts

1 cup with 1 bread slice with cheese: 377 calories, 14g fat (8g saturated fat), 35mg cholesterol, 875mg sodium, 45g carbohydrate (21g sugars, 6g fiber), 12g protein.

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