French onion soup with Gruyère toasts

French Onion Soup with Gruyère Toasts

6
Points®
Total Time
1 hr 55 min
Prep
10 min
Cook
1 hr 45 min
Serves
6
Difficulty
Easy
Few dishes are as comforting as a bowl of French onion soup. The key for getting lots of oniony flavor is to cook them low and slow to develop their deep sweet onion flavor. We combine rich aged gruyere with lower-in-PersonalPoints mozzarella (it has about half the PP of gruyere) for the toasts that top the soup. The mozzarella helps create that gooey cheese-pull indulgence while letting the flavor of the gruyere shine. If you don’t have oven proof crocks, just broil the cheese toasts on a sheet pan and set on top of the soup just before serving.

Ingredients

Olive oil

1½ Tbsp

Uncooked onion

4 large, yellow, 3 1/2 to 4 lb, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise

Sherry wine (dry)

¼ cup(s), dry Marsala, or dry vermouth

Fresh thyme

1 Tbsp, leaves

Unsalted beef stock

6 cup(s)

Kosher salt

1 tsp

Black pepper

¾ tsp

Gruyère cheese

2 oz, shredded (1/2 cup)

Shredded part skim mozzarella cheese

2 oz, (1/2 cup)

Whole wheat French bread

3 oz, to 4 oz, cut into 12 even slices and toasted

Instructions

  1. In large Dutch oven, heat oil over medium. Stir in onions. Cover and cook until onions start to soften, about 10 minutes. Uncover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are completely tender and golden brown, 1 hour to 1 hour, 15 minutes.
  2. Increase heat to medium-high. Stir in sherry and thyme and cook for 1 minute. Add broth, salt, and black pepper and bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover partially, and simmer for 30 minutes.
  3. Set broiler rack 5 to 6 inches below heat source and preheat broiler to high. Divide soup among 6 ovenproof bowls. Arrange bowls on baking sheet.
  4. In medium bowl, toss cheeses. Arrange 2 toasts over soup in each bowl and sprinkle with cheese. Transfer bowls on pan to broiler. Broil until cheese melts, about 2 minutes.
  5. Serving size: 1½ cups soup, 2 pieces toast, and 2½ tbsp cheese