French Onion Soup Recipe (2024)

Took Jacques Pepin's suggestion and added 1/8 cup of both Worcestershire and Balsamic vinegar to onions as they started to cook. Added considerable depth and complexity vs recipe as written.

As expected, not exactly authentic french onion soup, but it yields uncanny favor from emmental and lightly caramelized onion. I've followed the recipe pretty much faithfully, and the result lacked liquid. It was moist but need more water to be called a genuine soup.

I saved this recipe when it ran in NYT Magazine several years ago. It is easy and delicious. Not traditional onion soup, but very, very good.

This combination of onions, bread and Gruyere is called a panade. Richard Olney has a wonderful recipe in Simple French Food.

This is known as an "onion panade". Check out Richard Olney's excellent but longer recipe in Simple French Food. It is a meal in a bowl and a party in your mouth.

Next time, I would halve the amount of tomato purée, it was too strong a flavor for me and overwhelmed the rest of the ingredients. And, maybe less layering in a shallower dish so more people get more of the crust.

This was indescribably delicious. I added some Worschestchire and balsamic to the onions while they sauteed. Instead of tomato puree, I sprinkled 1 tsp of tomato powder over each layer and used homemade beef broth instead of water.

I had no idea how this one would really come together. A "strange recipe" for a soup indeed! (Found it needed a bit more than an hour in my oven to develop a crust.)

Right after graduating from college, I saved the July 25, 1975 NY Times clipping with this recipe, from an article about Elizabeth Benson's translation of Henri Babinski's Gastronomie Pratique, https://www.nytimes.com/1974/07/25/archives/finally-monumental-cookbook-is-translated-respectful-silence-during.html. I've made this many, many times since, with only slight variations. It is unctuous, and not at all liquidy. Truly delicious. Don't use sweet onions, though - the flavor will be weak.

nothing good, takes less than a few hours to prepare.

I love this dish. I have substituted chicken broth for salted water. Now I'm going to try the suggestion below to add worcestershire and balasamic to the onions!

I have made this many times exactly as the recipe states and it never disappoints. Here in the New Haven area we are lucky to have really delicious ciabatta bread which is perfect. My only time-saver is that I butter and layer the bread as I go, grating the gruyere atop each layer as I go.

Delicious winter dish. I substituted dense brown bread - quelle horreur! - which made it a different dish but deeply satisfying. Incredibly rich flavor despite the absence of beef broth you find in typical French onion soup recipes.

I use a small 14.5 oz. can of diced, pureed or whole/chopped tomatoes with the liquid. Paste (diluted with some water or wine), canned unflavored sauce, or fresh tomatoes work, too. This is a flexible recipe - I usually use more cheese and less butter on the bread, and lightly salt the onions but not the water. It is baking right now while I type...

Gross. Breast, buttery, tomatoey mess. Not a soup at all but more like a dense cake. Threw most of it (including pricey emmental) away. Stick with a traditional onion soup recipe.

What sort of casserole dish does one use that can go on the stove for 30 minutes, then into the oven? Mine are Pyrex and can’t do stovetop. I have one cast iron casserole, but I think it is too deep (more like a soup/stew dish).

Aweful. It lacks depth .French use beef stock instead of water as liquid base.

Read the notes before prepping.

I forget when this was printed in the Times; I was getting the paper subscription so perhaps it was last century. I have it taped into my recipe folder and have made it many times. It is utterly delicious and I'm glad to see it here.

Maybe no need to butter the bread. A way to reduce the fat content. I'd add more water and use a bigger pan/pot next time to give it less of a lasagna, and more of a soup feel.

Some assembly required — but totally worth it! Can second the advice to season the onions with Worcestershire and Balsamic, and to thin the tomato paste with a little water. If you have 30 minutes’ extra time and a suitably large Dutch oven, the onions can be cooked down in the Dutch oven with occasional stirring, and then transferred out to a big bowl while the “soup” is assembled in the same Dutch oven. Less dishwashing, more flavor!

This did not turn out as a *soup*, but it definitely turned out delicious.

I love this dish. I have substituted chicken broth for salted water. Now I'm going to try the suggestion below to add worcestershire and balasamic to the onions!

This was indescribably delicious. I added some Worschestchire and balsamic to the onions while they sauteed. Instead of tomato puree, I sprinkled 1 tsp of tomato powder over each layer and used homemade beef broth instead of water.

Can someone tell me if I did 1 1/2 times this recipe in an 8 Qt casserole if the cooking time would be the same?

Right after graduating from college, I saved the July 25, 1975 NY Times clipping with this recipe, from an article about Elizabeth Benson's translation of Henri Babinski's Gastronomie Pratique, https://www.nytimes.com/1974/07/25/archives/finally-monumental-cookbook-is-translated-respectful-silence-during.html. I've made this many, many times since, with only slight variations. It is unctuous, and not at all liquidy. Truly delicious. Don't use sweet onions, though - the flavor will be weak.

not for nothin' but another comment said this was a panade; respectfully,a panade is translated loosely as a "paste" made with a starchy item and a liquid (think pesto) used to tenderize meatballs... create quenelles... etc. It would be unfortunate if something thought this was a recipe for a paste and not an onion stew.

Is that canned tomato sauce or paste?Or fresh onions purées in the blender?

Next time, I would halve the amount of tomato purée, it was too strong a flavor for me and overwhelmed the rest of the ingredients. And, maybe less layering in a shallower dish so more people get more of the crust.