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Easy Crockpot French Onion Soup with Deeply Caramelized Onions

Close-up of rich crockpot french onion soup topped with a thick, cheesy, broiled crouton.
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Make classic, comforting French Onion Soup with minimal effort using your slow cooker. This recipe focuses on achieving rich, deeply caramelized onions that develop flavor while you complete other tasks, resulting in a savory beef broth soup perfect for cozy dinners.

Ingredients

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  • 3 pounds yellow onions, thinly sliced
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine or dry sherry
  • 6 cups high-quality beef broth
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 baguette, sliced 1/2 inch thick
  • 8 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated

Instructions

  1. Place the thinly sliced onions, butter, olive oil, sugar, salt, and pepper into the basin of your slow cooker.
  2. Cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours, or on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours, until the onions are very soft and deeply caramelized to a dark brown color. Stir halfway through the cooking time.
  3. Add the minced garlic to the slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 15 minutes more.
  4. Pour in the white wine or sherry, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the slow cooker. Let this cook for 10 minutes.
  5. Stir in the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaf, and thyme.
  6. Cover and cook on LOW for 1 hour to allow the flavors to combine. Remove the bay leaf before serving.
  7. Preheat your oven broiler. Arrange the baguette slices on a baking sheet and toast them under the broiler until light golden brown on both sides. Set aside.
  8. Ladle the hot soup into oven-safe bowls. Top each bowl with one or two toasted baguette slices.
  9. Generously cover the bread with grated Gruyère cheese.
  10. Place the bowls on a baking sheet and broil for 2 to 4 minutes, watching closely, until the cheese is melted, bubbly, and golden brown. Serve immediately.

Notes

  • For the deepest flavor, do not rush the onion caramelization step; the long, slow cook time is key to authentic French Onion Soup.
  • If you do not have oven-safe bowls, you can melt the cheese on the bread slices separately and float them on top of the soup just before serving.
  • This recipe is excellent for make-ahead meal prep; the soup base freezes well for up to three months.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://cheffinity.com/crockpot-french-onion-soup-recipe/