Slow Cooker Best Ever French Onion Soup
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Good Morning! I am bringing the post to you courtesy of some peace and quiet and lots of coffee.
How does one make such a statement? Best. Ever. I try not to. I really do. Sometimes it slips out, but the truth is I’m quite positive there’s probably somewhere in the world that has a better one. Plus, there’s a few times I’ve made others recipes that have said best ever IN the title and I was sorely disappointed. So, I’m going to take quite a risk here, I’m going to use the words ‘best ever’ in the title and I am going to tell you that this is the best ever.
but not without a short little disclaimer: I do not like French Onion Soup. I do not! I want to. I want to really badly. I go to restaurants and while I am taking annoyingly too long to make any decisions on what I would like to eat. (Eric says it’s annoyingly cute. He just doesn’t understand me. Ha!) I see these bowls of French Onion soup with that gob of heavenly melted cheese on top being carried off and served to different tables. I look at the menu in the soup section and there it is, I see it “Best Ever” or “Famous” French Onion Soup and I take the plunge because I don’t listen to my heart. And when it comes to french onion soup, my heart says NO! The server brings me a too good to be true delicious looking little bowl of heaven, but I don’t like it. I take one bite and push it aside. This is the story of Star and French Onion Soup. It’s not a very exciting one, but it’s mine!
Over the holidays my sister, Hope, and her big ol’ family came to visit for about a week. We had loads of laughs, lots of fun, and too much food. (I can’t believe I just said too much food!) I’m working on getting myself back to pre-holiday glory in the weight department. I always take holidays off. It’s totally worth it. Anyway, back to my sister. Yes, this is the same sister I was talking about who paid me to cook for her family when I was younger. (See Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo Stuffed Shells) So, I can’t believe that I am not only sharing her recipe here, but I AM SAYING IT IS THE BEST EVER! (Ha! I love ya, Hope!) She told me the other day it’s not that she doesn’t know how to cook. It’s mostly that she doesn’t like to. Okay, I believe you now.
After I was quite hesitant about having the soup because of all the disappoints French Onion Soup has given me in my life. She served me this French Onion Soup with a toasted baguette and gob of melted swiss cheese on top…. and it was a dream. I ate three bowls.
I had to change just one or two things so that it could be lightened up for y’all to enjoy every day of the week if you wanted to. Last week, I may have eaten it every single day, and I was just fine with that!
I’d also like to add that even though you have to do a couple things on the stove and in a bowl before it goes into the slow cooker for the day. It’s still easy peasy! It takes less than 10 minutes. The hardest part is cutting the onions up, and it’s really not that hard…. except I’ll most definitely never have a cooking show because I can’t seem to hold it together while cutting up onions. It’s like an ugly cry without the crying. I’m rubbing my eyes. I have the sniffles. If I have my make up on, forget about it! Any tricks for cutting onions? I pop a piece of gum in my mouth when I think of it, but I normally don’t and the gum really only takes the edge off. I’m not trying to sway you from this recipe. I promise. Why am I still talking?
Here’s what’s going to happen in the kitchen!
Chop up two sweet yellow onions into thin slices! Make sure they are sweet onions. I don’t know what it tastes like if you don’t use sweet onions. Hope insisted that I remember to use sweet yellow onions. I’m guessing she must have made it without sweet onions once. I’m guessing it wasn’t so good.
Grab a large skillet and over medium-high heat add one tablespoon olive oil and a half a stick of butter. Melt.
Throw the onions in with that skillet! Toss them nicely in the butter and oil. Cover and let them cook until really soft. (About 7-8 minutes)
While the onions are cooking, In a small bowl whisk together three tablespoons of flour with two tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce. (Raise your hand if you hate spelling that word) (Raise your hand if you actually almost raised your hand)
These are how the onions will look when your all done cooking them up. Mmmm…..
Add onions to your slow cooker, followed by 10 cups low sodium beef broth
Whisk in your flour and Worcestershire mix. Add a couple cloves of minced garlic here too! (I’m a ditz. forgot the photos!) Add some salt and pepper! (I like mine a bit salty. So I was pretty generous with the salt grinder. You can wait to do after it has been cooking for awhile too.)
Cook on low for 7-8 hours.
In about 7-8 hours you can open up your slow cooker. You’ll smell it way before you see it. It’s so good! If you haven’t added salt and pepper yet. Add some and adjust to personal taste.
To top this delicious little bowl of soup off you’ll need a baguette and some cheese! I use swiss cheese. You can use mozzarella. You can use gruyere! (swoon!) I also use the real stuff. No reduced fat cheese here. (Feel free to use it to cut back on points & calories though!) Don’t mind me. I promise, it’s still calorie friendly.
Slice the baguette into thin slices, lay on a sheet pan, and bake at 425 for about 5 minutes to crisp them up a bit before putting on the soup.
I also hate swiss cheese! I don’t even trust myself anymore. It’s good with this soup. I promise. IT’S AMAZING WITH THIS SOUP.
Grab some oven safe bowls. I’m using my little ramekins. They just fit one cup of soup inside, which is exactly what I needed. Many bowls are oven safe, but check the bottom of the bowl to be sure. However, my sister used whatever bowl she wanted and put it in the oven. She lives by no rules. Do what you want, but don’t say I didn’t warn you if something ungodly messy happens!
Caution: bowls will be HOT when you take out of the oven! Take care to use oven mitts and to let cool a bit.
Top with a slice of baguette.
Or if you’re me and you want two slices of baguette.
Top the baguette with some cheese. Here’s 1/2 slice of swiss cheese.
Or if you’re livin’ a little on the wild side like me, use the whole dang slice!
Place on a sturdy sheet pan. I just used the same one that I crisped the baguette on.
Bake at 425 for 8-10 minutes until the cheese is nice a melted. If you can (I can’t) You could wait for it to brown up a bit. Again, I can’t, It tastes perfect this way.
And there ya have it! A dreamy little bowl full of French Onion Soup. This will be the only French Onion Soup I eat for the rest of my life.
Caution: The bowls will be HOT! Take care to use a oven mitt and let cool for a few minutes before handling.
Go ahead and dig in!
A little tip from Hope when she doesn’t remember to get a baguette. She has three children, I have no idea how she remembers anything. She uses croutons then tops them with cheese, and says it is AMAZING. I have yet to try it so I don’t know for sure, but I’m pretty sure she’s probably right.
I hope you Enjoy!
With love from my kitchen to yours,
Star
Ingredients
- 2 large yellow sweet onions
- 1/2 stick of butter
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 3 tbs all purpose flour
- 2 tbs Worcestershire sauce
- 3 cloves garlic , minced finely
- 10 cups low sodium beef broth
- salt & pepper
Topping
- Baguette , Sliced thinly
- Cheese , such as swiss, mozzarella, gruyere!
Instructions
- Halve and then cut onions into thin slices. In a large skillet over medium high heat add olive oil and butter. When the butter is melted add the onions. Cover and cook for about 8 minutes until the ovens are very soft. While the onions are cooking whisk together Worcestershire sauce and flour. Set aside. When the onions are done add to the slow cooker followed by minced garlic and the beef broth. Whisk in the flour and Worcestershire sauce. Salt and Pepper to taste. Cook on low for 7-8 hours.
- When the soup is done. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Ladle soup into a oven safe bowl. Top with a slice or two of toasted baguette and your choice of cheese. Place bowls onto a sturdy sheet pan and place in oven for 8-10 minutes until the cheese is melted and slightly golden brown.
- Caution: Bowls will be very hot coming out of the oven. Take care to use a oven mitt and let cool slightly before handling.
All I have to say is that it’s not even 7 hours later, and the soup tastes aaaaaammmmmaaaazzzzing!!! Of course I cheated and tasted some a couple hours after it was poured into the slow cooker. I can’t wait for the bread and cheese part. But based on the broth alone, this is a flavor punch right to my tastebuds. So good!! Btw, tip for onions that works for me – I wear contacts usually. If I cut onions without contacts in, I can’t handle them. With contacts in, I’m fine. If you truly need something to help, they do make onion googles. You have to shield the fumes, which my glasses don’t do. You need fully enclosed googles, and I guess my contacts cover enough surface area to prevent irritation. Weird but works.
Hi, Happy holidays. Would you tell me approximately how many cups of onions? Thank you.
I cannot wait to make it.
All I have to say is that it’s not even 7 hours later, and the soup tastes aaaaaammmmmaaaazzzzing!!! Of course I cheated and tasted some a couple hours after it was poured into the slow cooker. I can’t wait for the bread and cheese part. But based on the broth alone, this is a flavor punch right to my tastebuds. So good!!
Just a heads-up that this is listed under vegetarian recipes, but it’s not vegetarian (use of beef broth).
noted and fixed. thanks a mill for the observation!
Approximately how many cups of raw onions? My onions are smaller so I am going to need more than 2…
I bought a bag of yellow onions, do you have an estimate for about how many (raw) cups to use?
Also, I would like to put this on low before heading to work tomorrow, however… I’ve been working longer than 8 hours and am wondering if 10 hours is far too long? (Otherwise, I’m gonna make it overnight).
I have this in my crockpot now and it smells so good already! Can you cook this on the high setting and cut time in half? I don’t think I can wait that long to try it 🙂
It should be fine. (Sorry, just seeing this!)
I have this in my crockpot now and it smells so good already! Can you cook this on the high setting and cut time in half? I don’t think I can wait that long to try it 🙂
It should be fine. (Sorry, just seeing this!)
I am looking forward to making this recipe this weekend. I love french onion soup. Do you know what the ideal size of ramekin might be for this recipe? I am thinking of either purchasing 10 ounce or 12 ounce ramekins. I have 8 ounce ramekins currently, but I feel like those would be too small.
I think 10 or 12 would work much better! I really hope you enjoy the soup. =)
Thanks! I used a 10 oz ramekin, and it ended up being the perfect size. I really enjoyed the soup, and so did my boyfriend who can sometimes be a hard sell. However, next time, I think I might add another onion. I really love caramelized onions, and I thought that two giant Vidalia onions would be a lot, but they ended up cooking down quite a bit. I thought the recipe was delicious as is though, and I loved how quick and easy it was as well!
I am looking forward to making this recipe this weekend. I love french onion soup. Do you know what the ideal size of ramekin might be for this recipe? I am thinking of either purchasing 10 ounce or 12 ounce ramekins. I have 8 ounce ramekins currently, but I feel like those would be too small.
I think 10 or 12 would work much better! I really hope you enjoy the soup. =)
Thanks! I used a 10 oz ramekin, and it ended up being the perfect size. I really enjoyed the soup, and so did my boyfriend who can sometimes be a hard sell. However, next time, I think I might add another onion. I really love caramelized onions, and I thought that two giant Vidalia onions would be a lot, but they ended up cooking down quite a bit. I thought the recipe was delicious as is though, and I loved how quick and easy it was as well!
Texas Toast garlic croutons would be awesome in this I bet. As for the cutting onions, a mandoline makes quick work of them with minimal crying. I also rinse them in cold water before I slice. Not sure if it really helps, but it seems to for me. I LOVE French Onion soup, so looking forward to trying this.
Texas Toast garlic croutons would be awesome in this I bet. As for the cutting onions, a mandoline makes quick work of them with minimal crying. I also rinse them in cold water before I slice. Not sure if it really helps, but it seems to for me. I LOVE French Onion soup, so looking forward to trying this.
Do you think this will freeze well? I’ve never made french onion soup before, and I know I won’t eat this whole batch in one sitting. Thanks!
Yes I think it’ll freeze just fine! Enjoy!
Do you think this will freeze well? I’ve never made french onion soup before, and I know I won’t eat this whole batch in one sitting. Thanks!
Yes I think it’ll freeze just fine! Enjoy!
Made the soup for dinner last night. It is very yummy! My hubby said he would like it better with Swiss cheese instead of provolone. So for tonight’s leftover bowl I will try Swiss. Definitely super easy and can’t wait for leftovers tonight. Thanks for sharing Star!
You’re welcome. I love this with swiss cheese! I haven’t tried it with provolone, but that’s good to know! Enjoy the leftovers 😉
Made the soup for dinner last night. It is very yummy! My hubby said he would like it better with Swiss cheese instead of provolone. So for tonight’s leftover bowl I will try Swiss. Definitely super easy and can’t wait for leftovers tonight. Thanks for sharing Star!
You’re welcome. I love this with swiss cheese! I haven’t tried it with provolone, but that’s good to know! Enjoy the leftovers 😉
This looks so yummy! I’m 42 and have never had French onion soup. I guess I’m a chicken. I can’t wait to give it a try.
If it weren’t for the gobs of melted cheese on top I doubt I would have ever tried it either. I mean, onion soup? haha! This is so yummy and I’m glad I decided to give French Onion Soup ONE more chance before ditching it forever. If you try it, let me know! I Hope you enjoy!
This looks so yummy! I’m 42 and have never had French onion soup. I guess I’m a chicken. I can’t wait to give it a try.
If it weren’t for the gobs of melted cheese on top I doubt I would have ever tried it either. I mean, onion soup? haha! This is so yummy and I’m glad I decided to give French Onion Soup ONE more chance before ditching it forever. If you try it, let me know! I Hope you enjoy!
We made this yesterday and it is super yummy! And really easy. Another delicious winner! Thanks!!!
We made this yesterday and it is super yummy! And really easy. Another delicious winner! Thanks!!!
Looks amazing, and simple enough!! Can’t wait to try it!
Super easy and so delish! I hope you enjoy. Let me know how you like it!
Looks amazing, and simple enough!! Can’t wait to try it!
Super easy and so delish! I hope you enjoy. Let me know how you like it!
This looks and sounds great! I have not had or made French Onion soup in forever, I even have those cute little mini crock bowls for them, so now I’ll have to try yours out! XOXO thanks for sharing!
Thanks Angie! Oh I love those little crocks! Now I need to get some! I’ve never really had a use for them, but now I do! haha I hope you like it!
This looks and sounds great! I have not had or made French Onion soup in forever, I even have those cute little mini crock bowls for them, so now I’ll have to try yours out! XOXO thanks for sharing!
Thanks Angie! Oh I love those little crocks! Now I need to get some! I’ve never really had a use for them, but now I do! haha I hope you like it!
This looks so amazing..I can not wait to try…Thank You Star!
Thank you! I hope you like it! Let me know how it goes! =)
This looks so amazing..I can not wait to try…Thank You Star!
Thank you! I hope you like it! Let me know how it goes! =)
I also can’t chop up onions without becoming a crying mess. I read somewhere that if you light a candle and place it by where you’re cutting, it kills the onion fumes or whatever that make you tear up. Anyway it totally works. Give it a try! And I can’t wait to try this recipe! It sounds amazing. ..thanks for sharing!
I also can’t chop up onions without becoming a crying mess. I read somewhere that if you light a candle and place it by where you’re cutting, it kills the onion fumes or whatever that make you tear up. Anyway it totally works. Give it a try! And I can’t wait to try this recipe! It sounds amazing. ..thanks for sharing!
Onion goggles – I swear – goofy looking lifesaver to stop you from crying while cutting onions:)!
https://www.amazon.com/RSVP-International-Onion-Goggles-Black/dp/B0014SQU1A
I just sent the link to Eric. I hope these show up on my door step ASAP! haha!
Onion goggles – I swear – goofy looking lifesaver to stop you from crying while cutting onions:)!
https://www.amazon.com/RSVP-International-Onion-Goggles-Black/dp/B0014SQU1A
I just sent the link to Eric. I hope these show up on my door step ASAP! haha!
I am with you on onion soup.
I’ve ordered it too many times and have never finished it.
But I do like the cheese and bread which I now just put over my chili.
I’ve pinned the recipe just incase.
If you ever think you want to try it out again. This is the recipe! I have no idea how restaurants make their soup, so I don’t know why it is so bad. haha! This is good! This stuff is real good!
I am with you on onion soup.
I’ve ordered it too many times and have never finished it.
But I do like the cheese and bread which I now just put over my chili.
I’ve pinned the recipe just incase.
If you ever think you want to try it out again. This is the recipe! I have no idea how restaurants make their soup, so I don’t know why it is so bad. haha! This is good! This stuff is real good!