Crockpot French Onion Soup

When I used to chop onions, my eyes never burned.

They didn’t tear, and I certainly never cried. I heard that people cried while chopping this bulb, and I kind of felt a little superior.  I may have felt a little more genetically evolved, to be honest. Tears while chopping onions?  Please.  I’m tougher than that!

You see, I used to wear contacts.  Since I was a teenager, and for the entirety of my adult life, I wore contacts.  And let’s face it, I never liked onions (or cooking) until I was an adult.

Then I had the wonderful gift of LASIK surgery.  I will get a little side-tracked here and tell you how incredible, wonderful, amazing, and unbelievable LASIK surgery is.  It took less than 60 seconds an eye, and I was given 20/20 vision.  Immediately after the surgery, I could see things in detail for the first time in over 10 years, without the aide of glasses or contacts.  If you haven’t ever had the need for glasses or contacts, then you can’t appreciate how truly wonderful this gift is. It was life changing.

However, there was one teeny, tiny drawback to LASIK.  My superpower of not tearing up at onion chopping went away.  I think my contacts shielded my eyes from the onions, because the first time I chopped one post-LASIK, I cried like a baby.   My eyes burned, and I was in pain. I guess that was a lesson in humility. Since then, I have often worn goggles or sunglasses while chopping onions.

French Onion Soup.  Rich, decadent, savory and 100% satisfying.

The slow-cooked onions melt in your mouth, while the cheese adds a creamy contrasting texture.

There are a several ways to vary this recipe and make it your own.

• You could slice the onions, or dice them.  I prefer to dice them, because while I love the flavor of onions, I don’t want giant pieces in my soup.
• The bread: if you like it soggy, a la chicken-and-dumpling style, then top the ramekin with a slice of bread, then with Gruyere cheese, and broil in the oven for 3-5 minutes, until golden brown.  If you’re not a huge fan of soggy bread, just toast up a piece and put it on the side to dip in the delectable soup.
• Mix up the cheese: not a fan of Gruyere?  Try Swiss, Asiago, or mozzarella.  I am a huge lover of Gruyere, but all melted cheese is delicious in my book.
• Type of onion: Yellow onions have a stronger flavor, red onions have a more mild flavor, Vidalia onions are sweet, and white onions are more pungent.
• Make the chicken broth yourself! It’s easy, healthier, and delicious.

However you make it, put some love into it and enjoy your time in the kitchen!

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Crockpot French Onion Soup

Servings 6

Author Andrea

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp butter
• 3 onions chopped (or sliced)
• 3 cloves of garlic minced
• 1 cup of white wine
• 6 cups broth
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground thyme
• toasted sour dough bread
• Gruyere cheese

Instructions

1. Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes or until onions are soft and translucent. Add minced garlic and cook another 60 seconds. Stir in wine, remove from heat and add to crock-pot.
2. Add chicken broth, salt and thyme to crock-pot and turn on low for 4-5 hours.
3. Ladle soup into bowls or ramekin and top with bread slice and cheese.