• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
    • Disclosure Policy
    • Website Terms & Conditions
  • Le Coin De Mel
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
Le Coin De Mel

Le Coin De Mel

Food, Crafts, Days Out & Photography Tips for Busy Parents

  • Ramblings
  • Food
    • Free From Recipes
    • Appetisers
    • Starters
    • Main Courses
    • Food on the Go
    • Side Dishes & Breads
    • Sweet Treats & Snacks
    • Desserts
  • Crafty Corner
    • Cards
    • Homemade Presents
  • Home Sweet Home
    • Makeovers
    • Organisation
  • Kids’ Corner
    • Pregnancy & Birth
    • Fun with the Little Ones
    • Eczema & Allergies
    • Learning
    • Party Time!
Home » Food » Free From Recipes » French Onion Soup Recipe

French Onion Soup Recipe

Food, Free From Recipes, Starters

French Onion Soup

The recipe I am sharing today is by no means a glamorous one, but it is a festive one nonetheless.

When my friend Renée asked me to share my onion soup recipe, I smiled. It is definitely traditional French food, and it is festive, but probably not in the way you would think of.

Whenever we have a big party where I am from, we have onion soup at the end of the night, around 5 or 6 a.m., as a way to wake us up before our drive home. If you are still there for onion soup towards the end of a party or wedding, you know for sure you have had a good time!

The only times I have ever had soupe à l’oignon has always been as described above. I asked my mum whether she had eaten it as part of a meal, and she had not either. Maybe it is just what we do in my family, but to me, onion soup will always be a tummy warming pick-me-up food that ends perfectly a great party. Before yesterday evening, I had never ever eaten onion soup as a starter. It tasted really nice but I have to admit it felt odd to eat it there and then.

French Onion Soup - Ingredients

It is a cheap and easy starter to make. Beanie rubbed the garlic on the slices of bread before I cut it, just to give our croutons a bit more flavour. You would normally serve the soup with grated Gruyère cheese on top, but I did not have any at home.

French Onion Soup - Making the Croutons

Print

French Onion Soup

A nice, warming starter that is quick and cheap to make.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

  • - 25 g butter
  • - 4 large onions
  • - 2 garlic cloves
  • - 10g flour
  • - 750ml beef or vegetable stock
  • - 1 bay leaf
  • - salt and pepper
  • - 8 slices baguette a few days old if possible
  • - 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • - Grated Gruyère

Instructions

  1. Melt the butter in a large pan. Slice the onions and let them caramelise over a medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  2. Sprinkle the flour on top and add a clove of garlic, minced. Mix thoroughly. Add the hot stock and bay leaf. Bring to the boil, reduce and simmer for 20 minutes.
  3. In the meantime, make the croutons. Rub both sides of each slice of bread with the second garlic clove, brush with oil and cut into 6 squares. Place on a baking sheet under the grill for a few minutes, until golden, stirring a couple of times.
  4. Remove the bay leaf, season to taste and serve with croutons and grated cheese.

Recipe Notes

If you have ovenproof bowls, serve the soup, add the croutons and the grated cheese on top. Place under the grill for a minute before serving.

If you have no Gruyère, you can use grated Emmental, Beaufort or Cheddar cheese.

You can make this recipe free from wheat and gluten by using a ‘free from’ flour blend (I use Doves Farm). For a dairy-free alternative, replace the butter with two tablespoons of olive oil or dairy-free spread like Pure.

22/11/2014 · 41 Comments

Previous Post: « The Truth about Mornings with Four Small Children
Next Post: Quick & Easy Mince Pies »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Comments

  1. Julie's Family Kitchen says

    22/11/2014 at 5:04 pm

    Simply stunning Mel, looks so delicious.

    Reply
    • Mel says

      22/11/2014 at 8:21 pm

      Thanks Julie!

      Reply
  2. Eva says

    22/11/2014 at 5:31 pm

    Ta soupe à l’oignon a l’air délicieuse ! En Espagne on la fait pareil, ma mère la fait très bonne !
    C’est une bonne idée, un recette simple mais qui fait un bien fou!
    Je te laisse un lien qui parle sur les allergies, peut-être ça pourra t’intéressé. Il est dans la réponse de mes biscuits à la cannelle 😉
    Happy weekend!

    Reply
    • Mel says

      22/11/2014 at 6:54 pm

      Je regarde de suite! Merci Eva. x

      Reply
  3. adeline says

    22/11/2014 at 6:11 pm

    souvenirs de fins de fêtes à Verzenay et de mariages…..

    Reply
    • Mel says

      22/11/2014 at 6:51 pm

      Je crois que la dernière fois que j’ai mangé de la soupe à l’oignon à un mariage, c’était le vôtre!

      Reply
  4. Mummy Tries says

    22/11/2014 at 7:32 pm

    Thanks so much for this my lovely, I’d have to make it without bread but the soup itself sounds delicious. Simple food is always best! Can’t wait to try it out xxx

    Reply
    • Mel says

      22/11/2014 at 8:02 pm

      It would be quite bland without the croutons but you could use rye any other ‘free from’ bread maybe. x

      Reply
      • Mummy Tries says

        22/11/2014 at 8:07 pm

        I don’t have any grains at all in my diet hon. Maybe I could try making bread from walnuts as i think they would compliment the onions xx

        Reply
        • Mel says

          22/11/2014 at 8:09 pm

          That would work nicely! If you manage to make bread from walnuts, make sure you share your recipe! x

          Reply
          • Mummy Tries says

            22/11/2014 at 8:26 pm

            Will do! Thanks again for this xx

          • Mel says

            22/11/2014 at 8:29 pm

            My pleasure Renée! x

  5. Charlotte says

    22/11/2014 at 7:49 pm

    Sounds delicious

    Reply
    • Mel says

      22/11/2014 at 8:00 pm

      Thanks Charlotte.

      Reply
  6. Laura Evelyn Bee says

    23/11/2014 at 7:48 am

    This looks delicious! I LOVE the fact that you have this in the morning after an amazing night out! Sounds perfect! x

    Reply
    • Mel says

      23/11/2014 at 5:39 pm

      It is!

      Reply
  7. Steph @MisplacedBrit says

    23/11/2014 at 9:01 am

    Those are the best food memories …Not necessarily the meals 🙂

    Reply
    • Mel says

      23/11/2014 at 5:09 pm

      I could not agree more!

      Reply
  8. detoutcoeur Limousin says

    23/11/2014 at 5:00 pm

    A classic – one of my favourite soups.

    Reply
    • Mel says

      23/11/2014 at 5:15 pm

      Do you eat it as part of a meal in Limousin or at the end of parties?

      Reply
  9. Zena's Suitcase says

    23/11/2014 at 7:41 pm

    I love French Onion Soup, it reminds me of a Parisian restaurant I went to on my mini-moon. I will be coming back to try this recipe

    Reply
    • Mel says

      23/11/2014 at 9:22 pm

      I love it when food brings back memories!

      Reply
  10. The Free From Fairy says

    24/11/2014 at 10:51 am

    Wowzers! You guys know how to party! I am not sure I have ever been up still at 5am…apart from when giving birth!! I am not a night owl at all! I love the story of having it at the end of a party so you can drive home!!! Made me laugh. You won’t be drunk still if you eat onion soup!!!

    Reply
    • Mel says

      24/11/2014 at 3:39 pm

      Ha ha, you made me laugh! I have to say the last time I had onion soup at a party was before having the children!

      Reply
  11. Sarah James says

    25/11/2014 at 6:13 pm

    Your soup looks delicious & so economical too. A lovely warming soup for this time of year.

    Reply
    • Mel says

      25/11/2014 at 6:16 pm

      It is really cheap to make and a great way to use stale bread, too!

      Reply
  12. Alison says

    26/11/2014 at 10:48 am

    This is one of my favourite soups, It looks lovely

    Reply
    • Mel says

      26/11/2014 at 11:37 am

      Thanks Alison.

      Reply
  13. tamingtwins says

    27/11/2014 at 3:36 pm

    Oh Mel, I love hearing your stories about how your recipe fits into French life and this is a favourite. You are so glamorous, firstly we’d never make it to 5am, secondly, after a big party, we would be eating chips or some other greasy food from a take-away on the way home!! Thank you for sharing on #festivefoodfriday. xx

    Reply
    • Mel says

      27/11/2014 at 4:15 pm

      I am not sure you would find me glamorous at 5 a.m. my lovely, ha ha! At weddings, if you are still up after onion soup, you tend to walk to the bakery and get fresh croissants to go with (very) strong coffee!

      Reply
  14. HonestMum (@HonestMummy) says

    28/11/2014 at 5:54 pm

    Yummy, my favourite soup-wish we lived closer! Thanks so much for linking up to #tastytuesdays

    Reply
    • Mel says

      28/11/2014 at 11:16 pm

      Me too!

      Reply
  15. Not A Frumpy Mum says

    29/11/2014 at 11:12 pm

    This looks lovely, I tried to make French Onion soul once before and it was a disaster but this looks delicious xx

    Reply
    • Mel says

      10/12/2014 at 12:25 am

      It is just simple, warming food. The croutons and grated cheese really add to it. x

      Reply
  16. wheelie38 says

    02/12/2014 at 11:58 am

    This is a great recipe I found it on #RecipeOfTheWeek, I made French Onioin soup recently but your recipe is so much better than mine. Great job 😀

    Reply
    • Mel says

      10/12/2014 at 12:29 am

      Thanks a lot. It is perfect to warm up!

      Reply
  17. Kirsty Hijacked By Twins says

    05/12/2014 at 3:55 pm

    I love French onion soup but simply do not have it enough! Thanks for reminding me 🙂 it looks delicious x #recipeoftheweek

    Reply
    • Mel says

      11/12/2014 at 8:43 pm

      Thanks Kirsty!

      Reply
  18. Emily Leary says

    06/12/2014 at 10:06 pm

    That looks perfect. Haven’t had French Onion Soup in years and this makes me want some NOW! Pinned. Thanks for joining in with #recipeoftheweek

    Reply
    • Mel says

      07/12/2014 at 1:27 pm

      Thanks Emily! Same here, I had not made it in years and it reminded me of my friend’s wedding!

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. La Galette des Rois - Frangipane Pie - Le Coin De Mel says:
    18/02/2015 at 7:31 pm

    […] for the day! Still confused? We have many quirky traditions in France, quite a few of which are based around food. One of my favourite ones is the Galette des Rois. We share the puff pastry pie with family and […]

    Reply

Primary Sidebar

Bienvenue!

Mel
Hi, I’m Mel, a mum of four writing about family life, food, adventures, allergies & photography. You can read more about us here.
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Disclosure for Affiliate Links

* ’Le Coin de Mel’ uses affiliate links. I always flag those links up with an asterisk. If you click on an affiliate link and then buy a product I recommend, I will get a commission, but you will not be charged any more for it. Thanks in advance!

Mel recommends…

I am a Tropic independent ambassador. If you click on the picture below and buy anything from my shop, I will be paid a commission.

Get the best ‘free from’ flour here:

Le Coin de Mel

AD – I am an Amazon affiliate. If you shop through this link, I will get a small commission:

Best for rubbish clearance:

Le Coin de Mel

I am a member of…

NEVER MISS A POST

Search by Category

Le Coin De Mel

Footer

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

COPYRIGHT · LE COIN DE MEL © 2020 · THYME THEME · WORDPRESS · LOG OUT