Easy onion soup recipe produces a wonderfully rich and flavorful soup. Perfect for cold winter days, and one of the few foods you can actually taste even when you have a cold!
I suppose you won’t be shocked to learn that soup is my favorite lunch to have during the winter. It’s one of life’s little pleasures – eating a bowl of steaming hot soup on a truly cold day, one of those days where no matter how many layers you wear, you can’t seem to get warm.
This soup is especially wonderful. It’s rich, nutritious, flavorful and comforting. It’s one of my favorite things to eat when I have a cold because its deep flavor penetrates even through the stuffiest of noses!
No cheese in this soup
I love French onion soup, but I actually dislike the thick slab of melted cheese that often lays on top of it. So I make mine without it.
When my husband and I were dating, years ago, he had this old, worn-out cookbook. In that first winter together, he made me French onion soup out of that cookbook. It was the simplest recipe – he used a bouillon cube to make the broth! But I remember it as one of the best soups I have ever tasted. 🙂
My husband used to serve his soup with grated gruyere cheese on the side so that if you did like cheese in your soup, you could simply stir it in. So that’s an option too.
The ingredients needed for this recipe
You’ll only need a few ingredients to make this tasty soup. Scroll down to the recipe card for exact amounts.
Unsalted butter: I love using creamy European butter, but any butter will be great.
Fresh onions: I don’t recommend using frozen onions in this recipe. Fresh is definitely the way to go.
All-purpose flour: Yes, I use a little of it to thicken the soup. So this is obviously NOT a gluten-free recipe.
Dry white wine: I like to use sauvignon blanc. This is not a mandatory ingredient – you can omit it. But it does enhance the soup’s flavor.
Beef broth: Homemade is great, but store-bought is fine too.
Black pepper: Freshly ground has the best flavor.
How to make onion soup
It’s so easy! Scroll down to the recipe card for the detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps:
1. Start by patiently cooking the onions in butter until caramelized. This should take about 20 minutes.
2. Mix in the flour and brown it.
3. Next, add the wine and cook to reduce it.
4. Add the beef broth and the black pepper and simmer until the soup is thickened, about 20 minutes.
How to serve this soup
It’s excellent just as it is! As I said above, you can serve it with grated gruyere cheese on the side, allowing each diner to decide if they want cheese in their soup.
For those who do eat cheese, this soup is also good with almond flour cheese muffins or with almond flour cheese biscuits.
Not a gluten-free recipe
I should note that this is not a gluten-free recipe. I use a small amount of white flour in this onion soup to thicken it. It’s still a fairly low-carb soup. However, if you must avoid gluten (or if you’re more of a purist than I am), this is obviously not a good recipe for you.
You might find success with gluten-free flour. Other gluten-free options include using organic cornstarch or simply omitting the thickener. I haven’t tried any of these options, though.
What about leftovers?
Leftovers of this soup keep well in the fridge, in a sealed container, for 3-4 days. I reheat them in the microwave, covered, on 50% power.
More tasty soup recipes
If you’re looking for more easy and delicious soup recipes, check out my collection of soup recipes! One of my favorites is this flavorful egg drop soup.
Never miss a recipe!
I typically publish a new recipe once or twice per week. Want the new recipes in your inbox? Subscribe!
Onion Soup
INGREDIENTS
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 medium onions, 6 oz each, sliced into thin rounds
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 quart beef broth, not low-sodium
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat, about 4 minutes. Add the onions and patiently cook, stirring often, until caramelized, 15-20 minutes.
- Add the flour and mix with a wooden spoon about 1 minute, until it starts to brown.
- Add the wine. Mix well. Cook about 2 minutes, until most of the wine evaporates.
- Add the beef broth and the black pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, stirring often, until soup is noticeably thicker, about 20 minutes. Serve immediately.
More Recipes to Try:
Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, Reader's Digest, and Better Homes and Gardens.