OOPSIE DOOPSIE

I’m a NUT when it comes to soup. Not only because I really do love making different kinds of soup but because my family really likes to eat it. Now that it’s getting colder outside, heating up the oven + stove for some comforting goodness seems even more appropriate. That, and nothing really helps fill the soul like a really good home-cooked soup…lots of love + delicious ingredients.

This weekend, I whipped up a favorite for my hubbs – French Onion Soup. It’s such a super simple recipe, but oh-so cheesy and richly divine. I’ll need to make this again very soon…

Pause for the cheesy goodness…

Ingredients:

1 lg yellow onion (or sweet vidalia)
1/2 stick of butter
Thyme
Sage
Parsley
Pepper
Beef stock
Mini baguette, or any kind of crusty bread
Gruyere

Cook Time: About 2 hours
Yields: 3 servings

In a large pot on the stove, start melting the butter.
Chop up the large onion and toss in the butter.
Add in thyme, parsley, sage and pepper (about 1.5 tsp of each).
Continue to cook the onion in the butter and seasonings on low heat for at least an hour. If you can go longer, great! You want the onions to be completely soft, slightly brown in color and sweet to the taste. This process is seriously magical, and it’s what makes the onion soup great.

Once the onions are nice and golden brown (not burnt), put in about 20-30 oz of beef stock. Bring it up to a slow boil and then knock it down to simmer. Simmer for about 30 minutes uncovered.

While the onions and stock are doing their thing, it’s time to get the supporting actors ready for their soup debut. We cut up a mini baguette into 1/2 inch slices (two slices per soup bowl) and placed the slices in the toaster oven on Medium. Watch them closely – we don’t want to burn them but just get them super crunchy. Once one side is toasted, flip and repeat.

Next, slice up the gruyere cheese. It’s a slightly harder cheese and nutty in flavor. Really good with the onions. I sliced up a good thick slice to place on the top of each bowl.

Dish up the soup into their individual soup bowls – oven-safe bowls required! Place two croutons and the cheese on top.
Turn the oven to broil and place the soup in the oven.

Don’t go away – it’s almost ready! Watch the cheese melt and turn into a wonderful bubbly mess over the onion soup and croutons. And that’s it!!

Your soup is served!

What is your favorite fall recipe? Are you a soup-nut like us?