Easy Bone Broth French Onion Soup: A Deeply Flavorful & Cozy Comfort Meal
Warm your soul with our Easy Bone Broth French Onion Soup! This recipe transforms classic French onion soup into a nutrient-packed, incredibly flavorful experience by incorporating bone broth beef protein powder. It’s generously loaded with deeply caramelized onions, fragrant garlic, and a medley of herbs, then crowned with delightful Everything Bagel seasoned croutons and rich, bubbly Gruyère cheese. Prepare to be amazed by this cozy, comforting bowl.
*This post features gifted product from Organika. All opinions expressed are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Crumb Top Baking possible!
Happy first week of Fall! As the crisp air settles in and leaves begin to change, my cravings instantly shift towards warm, hearty, and utterly comforting meals. Today, I’m thrilled to share a recipe that perfectly embodies that cozy autumnal spirit: a cheesy, garlicky, and deeply satisfying French Onion Soup. While I had initially planned to share a recipe for grain-free pumpkin waffles, the sudden drop in temperature (we’re talking hat and mitts for an evening stroll!) made me pivot. Pumpkin treats will just have to wait a little longer while we dive headfirst into soup season!
This French Onion Soup recipe actually came from a brilliant suggestion by my husband. Recently, I had the pleasure of winning some fantastic collagen powders and bone broths from Organika. My husband, ever the creative culinary consultant, immediately proposed using the bone broth to create a French onion soup. And to my delightful surprise, he’s been enjoying it too! Okay, full disclosure: he carefully avoids the onions (a work in progress!), but he absolutely devours the rich broth, crunchy croutons, and melted cheese. I consider that a significant victory!
For this particular recipe, I’m utilizing Organika’s beef bone broth protein powder, which adds a wonderful depth of flavor and a boost of nutrients. It’s incredibly convenient and dissolves beautifully into hot water to create a robust broth. Beyond the beef flavor, Organika also offers a ginger beef option and several chicken bone broth powders. I’m genuinely excited to experiment with these other varieties in various upcoming recipes – stay tuned!
What is Bone Broth and Why Use It?
Bone broth is a nourishing liquid made by slow-simmering animal bones – such as beef, chicken, turkey, or fish – along with vegetables, herbs, and spices for an extended period, often 12-24 hours or even longer. This slow cooking process allows the bones and connective tissues to release valuable compounds like collagen, gelatin, amino acids, and essential minerals into the broth. These elements are highly regarded for their potential health benefits, including supporting joint health, promoting gut wellness, and contributing to healthy skin, hair, and nails. Many people find bone broth to be a comforting and restorative addition to their diet.
Traditionally, making bone broth from scratch can be a time-consuming endeavor. That’s where bone broth protein powder becomes an incredibly convenient and accessible alternative. Instead of hours of simmering, you simply dissolve the powder in hot water, instantly creating a flavorful and nutrient-rich broth. It’s a fantastic way to enjoy the benefits of bone broth without the extensive prep time. Organika’s beef bone broth, for instance, is sourced from grass-fed cows and simmered for an impressive 24-48 hours before being dehydrated into a powder, ensuring maximum nutrient extraction and robust flavor.
Mastering Your French Onion Soup: Key Recipe Tips
While this recipe is designed to be “easy” in terms of steps, it’s not a quick meal, and for good reason! The magic of truly exceptional French Onion Soup lies in developing deep, rich flavors, which takes a bit of time and patience. Here are my top tips to ensure your soup is absolutely perfect:
- Caramelize Those Onions: Believe me when I tell you that you absolutely need to sauté the onions for a full hour to reach their maximum flavor potential. This long, slow cooking process is crucial for transforming the pungent raw onions into sweet, golden-brown, and intensely flavorful caramelized gems. It’s the backbone of French Onion Soup, so no shortcuts here!
- Simmer for Flavor Fusion: Once you’ve added the broth and herbs, resist the urge to rush. The soup needs to simmer gently for at least 40 minutes. This extended simmer allows all the wonderful flavors – the sweet onions, savory broth, aromatic garlic, and fragrant herbs – to meld and deepen, creating a harmonious and complex taste.
- Broth Choices: If you don’t have bone broth protein powder on hand, don’t fret! You can certainly use store-bought beef broth as a substitute. For a vegetarian option, a good quality vegetable broth works well too. When choosing a packaged broth, I always recommend opting for a “no-salt added” variety. This gives you complete control over the seasoning, allowing you to adjust the saltiness to your personal preference.
- The Crouton Factor: I highly recommend making your own Everything Bagel seasoned croutons for this soup. The unique blend of poppy seeds, sesame seeds, garlic, onion, and salt in the Everything Bagel seasoning adds an incredible textural contrast and a burst of savory flavor that elevates the entire dish. However, if time is of the essence, quality store-bought croutons or thick slices of toasted bread are good alternatives.
- The Art of Gruyère: To achieve that iconic, bubbly, and uniformly melted cheese topping, be sure to use finely grated Gruyère cheese. Finely grating the cheese ensures that it melts smoothly and evenly, creating a luxurious blanket over your croutons and allowing some of that delicious cheesiness to seep into the rich broth below, adding a delightful creaminess.
Serving Your Perfect Bowl of Soup
Serving French Onion Soup is an experience in itself! After baking, the bowls will be piping hot, so be sure to use oven mitts when removing them from the oven. Carefully place each bowl onto a sturdy plate or a wooden trivet. The rich aroma of caramelized onions and melted Gruyère will fill your kitchen, instantly signaling that a truly special meal awaits. Encourage your diners to enjoy the crispy, cheese-laden croutons first, breaking through the gooey topping to reach the savory broth below. A crusty piece of bread on the side is also wonderful for soaking up any remaining broth. This soup makes a fantastic starter for a larger meal or a satisfying, standalone lunch or dinner.
Storage and Reheating Tips
Leftover French Onion Soup can be stored, though it’s best to store the broth and toppings separately if possible. If the croutons and cheese have already been added and baked, the croutons will soften over time. You can still store the soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for ups to 3-4 days. When reheating, gently warm the soup on the stovetop over medium-low heat until heated through. If you stored the toppings separately, you can add fresh croutons and cheese, then broil briefly to melt the cheese for that fresh-baked experience.
If you try this delightful Bone Broth French Onion Soup recipe, I would absolutely love to hear about your experience! Please share your thoughts in the comments section below, or post a picture to Instagram and tag @crumbtopbaking. Your feedback and beautiful food photos always make my day!
And if you’re on the hunt for more comforting and cozy food ideas, explore these other delicious recipes from Crumb Top Baking:
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Roasted Red Pepper and Butternut Squash Soup
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Instant Pot Spicy Vegan Chili
-
Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers
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Easy Bone Broth French Onion Soup
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5 from 6 reviews
Author: Leanne
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 100 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours
Yield: 4-6 bowls
Category: Dinner; Lunch
Description
Easy Bone Broth French Onion Soup is made with bone broth beef protein powder, lots of onions, garlic and herbs, and topped with everything bagel seasoned croutons and gruyère cheese.
Ingredients
For the everything bagel seasoned croutons:
- 3 thick slices multi-grain bread, stale and cut into large cubes
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp everything bagel spice
For the French onion soup:
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 6 medium-sized onions, peeled and sliced lengthwise
- 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and pressed
- 2 tbsp coconut sugar
- 1/2 cup bone broth beef protein powder (see note)
- 6 cups hot water
- 8 sprigs of thyme, fresh
- 5 bay leaves, fresh
- 2 tsp parsley, dried
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- Toppings:
- Everything bagel seasoned croutons
- Finely grated gruyère cheese
Instructions
To make the croutons:
- Pre-heat the oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium-sized bowl, add the cubed bread and drizzle with oil. Sprinkle on the nutritional yeast and everything bagel spice. Mix with your hands until the cubes are well coated. Don’t over-mix as the bread may start to crumble.
- Spread the croutons out in a single layer on the baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, flipping the croutons after 10 minutes. They should be browned and crispy.
- Remove from the oven and let cool on baking sheet. Store in an airtight container on the counter.
To make the soup:
- Add the oil to a large pot (I like to use my cast iron pot) and heat on low for a few minutes. Add the onions and garlic. Cover and let cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure the onions and garlic cook evenly and do not burn.
- After 30 minutes, stir in the coconut sugar and let cook for another 30 minutes. Stir more frequently to prevent burning. You will know the onions are ready when they have softened, browned and caramelized.
- In a large bowl, combine the bone broth powder with the hot water and whisk together until the powder is dissolved. Add the broth to the pot of onions. Add in the thyme, bay leaves, parsley and salt. Stir and let simmer for 40 minutes. Once cooked, carefully remove the sprigs of thyme and bay leaves.
- Pre-heat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange 4-6 oven safe bowls on the sheet. Spoon the soup into the bowls, top with croutons or toasted bread, and grated gruyère cheese. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the soup is bubbling.
Notes
- If you don’t have powdered bone broth, just use 6 cups of no-salt added beef broth instead of the 1/2 cup of bone broth powder and 6 cups of hot water. You can also use veggie broth for a vegetarian option.
- Instead of the homemade everything bagel seasoned croutons, you can use store-bought croutons or toasted bread, just make sure they are large croutons or thick cut toast.