neeeew + improved!
Happy Friday!
I'll keep this short + sweet because this is a recipe I've done before, however I've improved it slightly by making it entirely vegan! French Onion soup is one of those soups you want on a Saturday afternoon, after you've spent the day lounging around because it's rainy and cold out (aka me last weekend). Or, it's the beginning of Fall (!!) and you just want something extra cozy.
I'm happy to have not ruled this dish out when I went vegan, and SO glad I experimented with this homemade vegan cheese recipe! It's goooooey, hot, bubbly, and just like plopping a fresh slice of dairy on top. You won't believe how much it's alike!
Enjoy! xx Sam
I N G R E D I E N T S:
4-6 large sweet onions, diced & sliced (or more!)
6 cups of vegetable broth*
1/2 tsp of organic cane sugar
3 Tbs of All Purpose flour
2 Tbs of Vegan butter
Olive oil
~1/2 cup White cooking wine
Thyme, Rosemary, Red pepper- to taste
Salt & Pepper
Fresh sliced Sourdough bread, sliced & toasted (to top)
Homemade Vegan Mozzarella (or any store bought vegan cheese will work)
Red onion + Vegan parm, to garnish
PREPARE: Dice onions and set aside. In a large pot over medium heat, melt butter and a splash of olive oil. When hot, add the sweet onions and stir/mix well until all coated evenly. Cook for 2-3 minutes, and turn heat down to medium low. Cook and cover for 15 minutes- I like to stir just a few times during this stage! After 15 minutes, you will notice the onions have shrunk down A LOT at this point.
CARAMELIZIN': Next, Add sugar, a generous coating of salt & pepper, and stir well. Increase heat back to medium, and sprinkle in some thyme, rosemary, and red pepper flakes- all to your preference! NOW it is time for the onions to caramelize. This takes patience, and could take about 30 minutes, BUT I promise it is well worth it! You can totally do a million other things during this step because it doesn’t take much attention. Just stir every now and then to prevent onions from sticking/burning, and to make sure they are cooking evenly. I like to splash in a little white wine about 2 times during this process.
STILL COOKIN: After about 20 minutes of cooking/caramelizing, the onions may start to stick and get tougher to stir. If so, lower heat to medium low and stir more frequent. After a total of 30 minutes caramelizing, onions should be totally golden and ready to go! Now, add the flour and mix well until coated. Cook for another 2 minutes.
Add veggie broth & small splash of wine to onions, and MIX WELL. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer on medium low for about 20 minutes. Taste + adjust with Salt and Pepper.
BAKING: Preheat oven to 350° degrees Fahrenheit. In a small oven-safe bowl, ladle in soup and top with a slice of toasted sour dough bread. Carefully shmear some of your homemade “cheese” on top. Cook for 25-3o minutes until your cheese-less sauce has turned slightly golden, and the soup is bubbling away. Then, broil for just about a minute or two at the end for complete crisp perfection. Top with finely diced red onion, fresh pepper, grated “parm”, and VOILA! Your own perfect serving of French Onion soup.
*Quick Note: I never buy the cartons of broth, and instead I add either “Better Than Bouillon” paste to my boiling water, or chuck in some bouillon cubes. In this recipe, you can add 2 veggie cubes to the boiling 6 cups, or 3 heaping spoonfuls of bullion paste !