Prep Time::30 mins
Cook Time:: 4 hrs 45 mins
Total Time:: 5 hrs 15 mins
Servings::8
Ingredients
Oops! Something went wrong. Our team is working on it.
6 tablespoons butter
4 large yellow onions, sliced and separated into rings
1 tablespoon white sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup cooking sherry
7 cups reduced-sodium beef broth
1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
8 slices of French bread
½ cup shredded Gruyere cheese
⅓ cup shredded Emmental cheese
¼ cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons shredded mozzarella cheese
Directions
Gather all ingredients.
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
Heat butter in a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add onions; cook and stir until translucent, about 10 minutes.
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
Sprinkle onions with sugar; reduce heat to medium. Cook, stirring constantly, until onions are soft and caramelized, at least 30 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
Stir sherry into onion mixture; scrape the bottom to dissolve the small bits of browned food.
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
Transfer onions into a slow cooker and pour in beef broth. Season with sea salt; stir in thyme and bay leaf.
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
Cover and cook on Low for 8 to 10 hours or on High for 4 to 6 hours.
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
Preheat the oven broiler about 10 minutes before serving. Set an oven rack about 8 inches from the heat source. Arrange bread slices on a baking sheet; broil until toasted, 1 to 2 minutes per side.
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
Lightly toss Gruyere, Emmental, Parmesan, and mozzarella cheeses in a bowl.
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
Fill oven-safe soup crocks 3/4 full with onion soup and float a bread slice in each bowl.
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
Top each with about 2 tablespoons cheese mixture.
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
Place filled bowls onto a baking sheet and broil until cheese topping is lightly browned and bubbling, about 2 minutes.
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
Cook’s Note
You do not have to caramelize the onions; you can melt the butter in your crockpot, stir in the onions to coat, add the remaining ingredients, and cook. However, caramelizing the onions makes for a much, much better soup!
If you like, put all the soup components — soup, toasted bread, and cheese mixture — out on the table and let people make their soup! This seems to be the favored method when I host a craft night. People can make their own decisions about what they want in or on their soup!