Before I get people saying “French onion soup has to have cheese” I’m doing this because my family is lactose intolerant. If you want to add cheese, go ahead.

Anyways, since Family day is coming up, I thought it is time to show you a dish that my family always loves when I make it – and you guessed it, French onion soup! It is about a year ago that my mom said that my onion soup is better than hers. Which I think it’s true (I don’t mean to be cocky or anything). Whenever she tries to make her version, it’s always so bland and the onions doesn’t have enough flavor. Plus, she doesn’t season her soup properly (I’m really roasting her onion soup. Please don’t kill me mom). With her mistakes of attempting a good French onion soup, I tried to make my own and oh boy it’s so much better than my mom’s.

When making French onion soup, always get low-sodium broth (or if you’re making your own broth, that is the best choice). Low-sodium broth is better for onion soup because it doesn’t need too much salt. Using herbs such as thyme and bay leaf will give it so much flavor than salt alone (I can’t believe my mom doesn’t know how to properly use herbs). Traditional French onion soup uses beef broth but I like it better when it has a mixture of beef and chicken broths so the color looks a bit lighter. And don’t worry for all you vegetarians out there. Using vegetable broth will work brilliantly. This is a soup that I will guarantee will leave you breathless.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons, butter

4 tablespoons, olive oil

5 large white onions, peeled, thinly sliced

1/2 cup red wine

6 cups of low-sodium beef, chicken or vegetable broth

2 bay leaves

3 thyme sprigs or 1 tablespoon of dried thyme

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 tablespoon salt

Directions:

Melt butter in a large, deep soup pot over medium heat. Add olive oil and onions. Cook the onions until they are lightly brown and soften, about 15-20 minutes. Make sure they are coated with butter. Deglaze the pot with red wine (Deglaze is a chef’s term of removing and dissolving all the residue at the bottom of the pot. Making the soup even more flavorful). Cook out the wine for another 2-3 minutes then add the broth, bay leaves and thyme. Bring it up to a gentle boil and then turn it down to a quiet simmer. Cook it for another 20-25 minutes, stir constantly. Serve hot with cheese and baguette (optional).

This recipe can be stored in the fridge for 3 days in an air-tight container or in a freezer in an air-tight container for up to 3 months.