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4.9 from 93 votes

Bistro French Onion Soup (Panera Copycat)

Make this gourmet Bistro French Onion Soup recipe like Panera Bread with caramelized onions, rich beefy broth, and crisp baguette covered in Gruyere cheese.

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
3 hrs 15 mins
Total Time
3 hrs 45 mins
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 730 kcal
Course: Soup
Cuisine: French

Ingredients

  • 6 yellow onions sliced thinly into half moons
  • 6 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 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 leaves
  • 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

    Cup of Yum
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. Taste soup and season with kosher salt and pepper to taste. Remove the bay leaves.
To serve:
  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
  2. Drizzle the olive oil onto the baguette cubes and let crisp up in the oven for 10-15 minutes.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. Serve hot.

Notes

  • If you want to freeze your French onion soup, first let it cool completely to room temperature. Then spoon the soup into freezer-safe containers, even better if you freeze them in individual-sized potions by putting them into freezer-safe zip-top bags and freezing them flat so they thaw quickly.
  • Seal the containers and freeze the soup for up to 3 months.
  • To thaw, leave the containers in the fridge overnight. When you're ready to eat, warm the soup up in a saucepan over medium-low heat, pour into oven-safe French onion soup bowls and top with crisp French bread and healthy gratings of cheese then put under the broiler for 2-3 minutes, or until the cheese is melted, golden brown, and bubbly.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1g Calories 730kcal (37%) Carbohydrates 75g (25%) Protein 31g (62%) Fat 32g (49%) Saturated Fat 17g (85%) Polyunsaturated Fat 3g Monounsaturated Fat 10g Trans Fat 0.5g Cholesterol 79mg (26%) Sodium 2998mg (125%) Potassium 525mg (15%) Fiber 5g (20%) Sugar 10g (20%) Vitamin A 781IU (16%) Vitamin C 9mg (10%) Calcium 559mg (56%) Iron 6mg (33%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 730

% 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.