**Calling all Minnesota bloggers! Katie from Running4Cupcakes and I are planning a fun Minnesota blogger gathering for April in Minneapolis! Contact either Katie or myself and follow us on Twitter for updates! Melanie, Diana and Azia have already decided to join in on the fun!**
It is that time of year when the cold and the snow and the dark mornings and dark afternoons start to get to me. Yes, I can tell that the days are slowly getting longer but it is still too cold and the ground is still too covered in snow to enjoy the outdoors.
Hellllooooo spring fever.
I know I need to only be patient for a few more weeks before spring officially hits but patience has never been my number one virtue.
In order to keep my sanity, I have decided to take post in my kitchen! I will bake and boil and sauté and cook every last winter dish that I love and that I know I will not want to make once spring hits.
I’m starting with one of Kyle’s favorite soups.
French Onion Soup!
To be honest, I really wanted an excuse to use my new Le Creuset mini-cocottes that Kyle gave me for my birthday ;) It is a good thing he really DOES love French onion soup!
Rich Parmesan cheese, crispy French bread, flavorful broth and succulent onions are the stars of this recipe.
And the key, the MOST important factor in getting this soup right, is mushy onions. Yes, I said it, MUSHY onions. You must cook these tear-makin’ veggies until they are super soft and brown. Trust me… although I am not patient, I am trustworthy :)
French Onion Soup
Makes 4 Servings
Ingredients
- 3 onions, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup butter, separated
- 3 cups broth (beef or veggie)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 TBSP thyme
- 2 TBP white wine vinegar
- 4 slices of French bread
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
Directions
Heat 1/4 cup in a non-stick pan over medium/low heat. Once melted, add in onions and cook until slightly browned and translucent (read: mushy!), approximately 40 minutes. Add broth, bay leaf, remaining 1/4 cup butter and white wine vinegar and allow to simmer for 15 minutes. While broth is simmering, set your broiler to high. Remove the bay leaf and divide the onion broth between 4 mini cocottes. Place one slice of French bread into each mini cocotte and cover with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Place mini cocottes onto baking sheet and place in oven for 3-5 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and slightly browned. Serve with extra bread for dipping. Enjoy!
*If you do not own mini cocottes, do not fear! You can divide the broth into any type of oven-safe bowls in order to broil or just top with cheese and bread prior to serving, without broiling.*
I am SO ready for spring, but with recipes like this, I think I can handle winter for a few more weeks ;)
What is your favorite winter recipe? How are you passing the time until spring arrives?
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That is so fun that y’all are doing a blogging gathering up there-I wish I was closer and could make the trip!! This soup looks amazing, and I think that even I, who am not quite equipped with the best kitchen skills, could figure it out :)
You could SO figure this out. I think the hardest part is cutting the onions :)
I love French onion soup, that recipe looks so easy too. I’m from Just outside of Minneapolis. If grad school wasn’t still in session in April that would have been a fun time to visit my family and meet some bloggers.
Oh, shoot! We’ll have to plan another one for this summer when you are back!
We totally had french onion soup for dinner on Tuesday night – YUM! And what a perfect thing to make in your new gift. :) Yeah for blogging get together – so excited!!!
I think it must be a MN thang ;)
Whenever I eat French onion soup, I just want to pic the cheesy, crouton-y layer off of the top. I love how you left the bread sticking out of the top so it doesn’t get super soggy. Genius!
And I’m jealous of your Minnesota blogger meet-up! I want to come!
Carly! You’re more than welcome to come to the MN blogger meet-up although it might be a long drive for you ;) And I’m with you about picking off the cheesy, bready topping. That is why I always have extra bread on hand!
I love that blog-gathering idea! It kind of inspires me to do a Boston/New England one…..
That soup looks awesome. I love soups in winter- some of my favorites are butternut squash, black bean, and minestrone. Mm.
I am so excited for the blog gathering in April!! I hope we get a good turnout!
Those cocottes are the cutest things ever! This looks delish!
Aren’t they??!
Thank you so much for sharing a french onion soup recipe that can be made vegetarian-friendly. I can rarely ever eat french onion soup because it always contains beef broth at restaurants :(.
I actually like it BETTER with veggie broth. Beef is so not my thing.
Yum,the picture caught me right off my reading feed! And what a fun birthday gift he gave you :) I don’t blame you for looking for an excuse to use them!
They do make for cute, little photos :)
yum, i love french onion soup. it always reminds me of this restaurant we used to go to as kids…it was the only thing I’d order there and I was always so excited when my meal came
You were a pretty brave kid to order a soup with the term onion in it! I’m impressed :)
This is actually one of the dishes on my cooking bucket list! I feel like I am making a new soup every week lately…..sometimes even MORE than one soup per week! Yours looks delicious, and those cocottes are so cute!
My favorite thing this winter is definitely roasted veggies (whether they’re pureed into a soup or not!). I steer clear of the oven when it starts getting hot outside, so the roasting ends in the Spring/Summer!
I love that you have a cooking bucket list! This is the easiest French onion soup recipe, you’ll have to make it :)
I can definitely deal with cold weather when I have a big bowl of soup. This one looks delicious!
Soup is my saving grace this time of year.
Looks divine my dear!
It is SO good!
Looks so yummy!!!! Perfect on chilly days and simple to make…haven’t eaten it for a long time.
We’ve had LOTS of chilly days lately :/ Thank goodness for soup!
I love French onion soup, this looks awesome! Did you see the Healthy Living Summit is in Minneapolis this year? I think…that’s a twin city, right? Your lucky to be so close!
Yes! It is in Minneapolis, right where I live! I’m so excited!!
I love French Onion soup and yours look so good! They are perfect for a cold day. Hope you’ll be getting more sunlight soon! Stay warm!
It is SO good and easy too – my favorite kind of recipe :)
Such a good looking soup! It would warm me right up!
the soup looks perfect in your Le Creuset mini-cocottes.
I am obsessed with Le Creuset! Your photos are amazing Becky. What camera do you use?
Thanks :) I’m sloooowly getting better. I have found that with food, it is all about natural light! I use a Nikon D3100. I need to take some time to better understand the settings because I haven’t changed any of them since getting it!