Like many people, I am a fan of the French onion soup from Panera Bread. The sandwich choices always change,
but the French onion soup always remains a constant.

The more I ordered it, the more my mind started to dissect the flavors until I felt I could attempt to make my own version.
I did some ingredient research and tried to make some myself. The results were better than the original I was trying to replicate. 

And because I made it myself, there was no questioning the quality of ingredients that went in it.

Here’s how I did it.

Disclosure: Adam’s Garden of Eatin’ participates in affiliate marketing programs. There are some affiliate links below and I may receive commissions for purchases made through links in this post, but these are all products I highly recommend. I won’t put anything on this page that I haven’t verified and/or personally used.

There were two issues I discovered when making French onion soup. Both had to do with technique.

The slicing and onion aroma can be the most annoying aspects of preparing this soup. 

French Onion Soup’s main ingredient is, well, onions. A lot of onions. Usually at least a full bags worth. And those onions need to be sliced. I found the slicing blade attachment on my food processor made this chore a breeze. I sliced a whole bag of onions in a few minutes with perfect slices and no tears.

If you don’t have a food processor, no worries. A mandolin slicer works well too. Yet there is nothing wrong with a kitchen knife and cutting board. Just get ready to cry a little bit. I try to slice my onions at around 1/4 thick. I find that’s a good thickness for soup making. They’re not so small that they disintegrate when cooking but not so thick that you bite into a huge chunk of onion when eating.

I always save my onion scraps to add to my freezer stock bag. They add great flavor and it allows me to use 100% of the onion. No waste.

You should be making stock too. Here’s how.

Once you have all your onions sliced, it’s now time to caramelize them. This is where planning can ease some of the burdens.
French onion soup can be time-consuming to make all at once. Especially for a weekday dinner.  

I find caramelizing my onions, the night before, in my slow cooker is the way to go.

I fill my 6qt slow cooker with my onions, add a stick of butter, salt/pepper, and cook on low overnight. Usually 8-10 hrs.
When I get up in the morning, my house smells strong of ode d’vidalia. But It’s worth the aroma because all my onions are beautifully soft and caramelized. No burnt bitter pieces at all. You can get the same results from low heat in a skillet, but my method doesn’t require as much attention.

It’s really hard to burn something in a crockpot.

Just plan ahead.

Now time to add the other ingredients. I do this in the morning before work, so when I come home, I only have one small step before I eat.

To my slow-cooker caramelized onions, I add the following:

2 cups of chicken broth

2 cups of beef broth

Smoked paprika

Black pepper

Salt

3-4 Squirts of ketchup

1/2 tsp of ground thyme

Few drops of hot sauce. I like Texas Pete

6-7 cloves of fresh chopped garlic

I mix everything together in the slow cooker and cook on low for 8-9 hours. The soup is fully done and there’s nothing stopping you from scooping some into a bow and devouring it. But I suggest finishing out the rest of the additions. 

Before serving, I take a french loaf of bread and slice it into 1″ slices. You can use any bread, but I prefer the crustiness and thickness of a french loaf.

I lay my slices on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and toast both sides until golden brown. Be sure to mind your oven while toasting.

I’ve burned plenty of bread by just stepping away for a moment.

While my bread toasts, I combine my cheese mixture for the topping. I mix together Gruyere, mozzarella & asiago cheese.
I like the stringiness of the mozzarella and the slight twang of the asiago, but you mix whatever cheese you like.

You do you.

Now it’s time to assemble. I place a pinch of cheese on the bottom of my soup bowls and then ladle in my soup.
These bowls are deceptive and hold quite a bit of soup. 

I add a slice of the crusty bread on top of the soup and then cover the top with my cheese mixture. The gooey, melting cheese that runs down the side of the bowls is what most people think of when talking about French Onion Soup.

I assemble my soup bowls on a baking sheet and place them under the broiler for 2-3 minutes. Just long enough to melt the cheese and develop those little brown tasty bits. Remove from the oven, marvel at the melty cheese, snap a picture for your social feeds, tag Adam’s Garden of Eatin, let cool, and devour.

It’s one of my favorite soups for the cooler weather and it could possibly turn into one of yours.