Red Wine French Onion Soup

4.78 from 57 votes

Red Wine French Onion Soup

This traditional French Onion Soup is made by simmering thyme-seasoned caramelized onions in a rich red wine and beef broth. Serve topped with crusty bread and melted gruyere cheese for a decadent better-than-restaurant french onion soup.

Prep Time5

Cook Time40

Total Time45

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: French

Diet: Vegetarian

Keyword: authentic french onion soup, classic french onion soup, french onion soup with red wine

Servings:

Calories: 916kcal

Author: Kristina Tipps

Equipment

2 soup crocks

Ingredients

¼ cup unsalted butter
2 large sweet onions sliced
1 clove garlic minced
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried thyme
½ cup red wine Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot
1 ½ tablespoon flour
4 cups beef broth
1 large crusty baguette loaf
8 slices gruyere cheese
paprika to taste
salt to taste
black pepper to taste

Instructions

In a large skillet or pan, melt the butter over medium-high heat until it's foamy. Add the sweet onions, minced garlic, dried thyme and bay leaf. Cook for 25 minutes, until the onions are caramelized. Stir occasionally.
Add the red wine and simmer over low heat until the liquid is mostly evaporated, about 5 minutes.
Discard the bay leaf. Sprinkle the onions with flour and cook on low heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring often so the flour doesn't burn.
Add the beef broth and simmer for 10 minutes uncovered. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
While the broth simmers cut the crusty bread into six ½ inch slices. Toast until golden brown. Transfer the cooked onion soup to the soup crocks. Top with the sliced bread and gruyere cheese, layering the cheese slices over the bread. Sprinkle with a dash of paprika. Broil under high heat for 2-3 minutes, until the cheese melts and begins to turn golden. Remove from the broiler and let cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Notes

Tip 1: Sweet onions will give the soup the best flavor, but yellow onions are fine in pinch.

Tip 2: Using real red wine and not cooking wine is what makes this soup better than any restaurant. A dry red wine creates a truly rich and decadent broth that will make you never want to stop eating it. Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir are my favorites. They give it stunning flavor.

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