Bistro French Onion Soup (Panera Copycat)
User Reviews
4.9
Bistro French Onion Soup (Panera Copycat)
Description
This Panera-style French Onion Soup starts with slowly cooking yellow onions in butter and olive oil over low heat until they become deeply caramelized, developing a sweet, rich flavor. Seasonings including salt, pepper, thyme, and bay leaves provide depth. A splash of brandy or dry white wine deglazes the pan, enhancing complexity.
After adding flour to form a roux and cooking out raw flour taste, beef broth is incorporated to make the soup base. The mixture simmers to meld flavors. French bread is sliced into chunks and drizzled with olive oil, then toasted to provide a crisp topping. Just before serving, the soup is ladled into oven-safe bowls, topped with bread and shredded Gruyère, then broiled until the cheese is bubbly, golden, and slightly charred.
This soup offers a combination of silky broth with sweet onion richness and a crispy, cheesy crust from the melted cheese bread. It's a satisfying starter or light meal during cooler months.
French onion soup can be frozen for up to 3 months; thaw overnight and reheat gently on the stove. Add toppings and broil just before serving for best texture and flavor.
Ingredients
- 6 onion sliced thinly into half moons, yellow
- 6 tbsp butter unsalted
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper freshly ground
- ¼ cup brandy or dry white wine
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp thyme leaves
- 2 bay leaf
- 8 cups beef broth low sodium
- 3 cups French bread sliced or cubed into 2 inch pieces
- 1 tbsp olive oil to drizzle onto bread
- 2 cups gruyere cheese shredded
Instructions
- Melt the butter and oil together in a large dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add in the onions, then stir to coat the onions in the butter and oil. Cook for fifteen minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure none of the onions burn.
- After fifteen minutes, season the onions with the salt and a generous helping of fresh black pepper. Stir to cover the onions in all the seasoning. Let the onions cook for about 40-50 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so until the onions are a deep brown-amber color. If the onions are sticking to the pan, turn the heat down a bit and splash in a bit of the alcohol or broth and stir. The caramelization happens slowly, it will not happen quickly; if you turn up the heat, the onions will burn.
- After onions are caramelized, add the minced garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes, then toss in the all-purpose flour and stir well to coat the onions and garlic. Stir for one minute to cook out the raw flour taste.
- Add thyme and bay leaves to the pot. Then splash in broth, a little at a time, stirring well to ensure there are no lumps of flour. After adding about two cups of broth, add the rest in one cup at a time and stir the broth to ensure no lumps. Bring to a boil.
- Turn down heat to medium-low and partially cover your pot with a lid. Simmer for 3 hours, stir occasionally to make sure no onions are sitting at the bottom burning.
- Taste soup and season with kosher salt and pepper to taste. Remove the bay leaves.
To serve:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
- Drizzle the olive oil onto the baguette cubes and let crisp up in the oven for 10-15 minutes.
- Divide the French onion soup into oven-safe soup bowls that are on top of a baking sheet. Top each bowl with cubes of toasted baguette and grate a generous amount of Gruyere cheese on top of the bread in a thick layer.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the cheese is melted, then turn oven to broil and broil the soup for 1-2 minutes. The cheese should be bubbly and browned. Remove carefully from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes.
- Serve hot.
Notes
- Allow onions to caramelize slowly over 40-50 minutes without rushing to avoid burning and ensure deep flavor.
- Freeze cooled soup in individual portions in flat freezer bags for up to 3 months for convenient storage.
- Thaw frozen soup overnight in the refrigerator before reheating on medium-low heat on the stove.
- For classic presentation, top re-heated soup with toasted French bread and shredded Gruyère cheese, then broil until cheese is golden and bubbly.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 6servings
Amount Per Serving
Calories 730 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 1g | |
| Calories | 730kcal | 37% |
| Carbohydrates | 75g | 25% |
| Protein | 31g | 62% |
| Fat | 32g | 49% |
| Saturated Fat | 17g | 85% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 3g | 18% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 10g | 50% |
| Trans Fat | 0.5g | 25% |
| Cholesterol | 79mg | 26% |
| Sodium | 2998mg | 125% |
| Potassium | 525mg | 11% |
| Fiber | 5g | 20% |
| Sugar | 10g | 20% |
| Vitamin A | 781IU | 16% |
| Vitamin C | 9mg | 10% |
| Calcium | 559mg | 56% |
| Iron | 6mg | 33% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.9
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