Light French Onion Soup - Quick & Easy Lunch!

When I said to my husband and daughter that I was going to do French Onion soup for lunch there was a collective rolling of eyes - mainly because it was 1.45pm already, everyone was hungry and they assumed it would take hours. Well, have faith, dear family! I promised them soup in half an hour (no compromise on flavour) and that’s what they got! Here’s how:-

Ingredients

2 small/medium white onions

1 pint (500ml) chicken stock

Butter

Olive oil

Salt & pepper

Sugar 

Baguette

Cheese (I used cheddar because that was all I had, but Emmental or Gruyere or Comte would all work too)

Heat the olive oil and a generous slab of butter (about 25g) gently in a heavy based saucepan. Meanwhile peel and slice the onions as thinly as you can. Add them to the melted butter and oil and give them a good stir to thoroughly coat them in the fat. Add a teaspoon of salt to stop them burning (it draws out the moisture which allows them to ‘sweat’ in the pan) and when they’ve softened add a teaspoon of sugar to help caramelise them gently. Keep an eye on them to make sure they don’t catch, and keep stirring. You can add a good twist of ground black pepper at this point too. Once they’re softening, you can also add a small slug of white wine if you had any opened that needed using up - but it’s not essential.

While the onions are softening, slice the baguette, allowing about 3 pieces per person. Grate the hard cheese that you are using (Emmental is traditional, but cheddar or any of the others I mentioned are great too - even Parmesan will do if that’s all you have) and sprinkle it generously over the slices of bread. Lay them on a baking tray and put them under the grill to cook until the cheese is melted and bubbling. 

I had home-made chicken stock that I used, but you can either buy ready made stock or use stock cubes to make up the quantity you need. I added a teaspoon or two of bouillon powder to mine to bolster the flavour as the stock, being home-made, was quite light and needed just a tad more oomph! Pour the stock into the pan once the onions are nicely softened and then let the whole thing simmer (with a lid on so you don’t lose all the liquid) for about 20 minutes. Taste it from time to time to see how it’s doing and whether the onion flavour is building nicely. 

Once you are happy with it, and the toasts are ready, pour it into warmed bowls and place the cheeesy toasts on top. If you have extra grated cheese you can sprinkle that on top too. A twist of pepper before you dive in with your spoon and there you go! Tasty, nourishing, quick, simple and cheap…what’s not to love?! It certainly got the fam’s approval and that’s all that really matters, isn’t it?