French Onion Soup

This is a great soup to make on a cold rainy day.  It takes a long time to simmer on the stove, but you can easily get a lot done around the house while it cooks.  Carmelized onions take a long time to cook, but the flavor is worth it.  I'm sorry I lost my recipt from the grocery store, so I can't tell you how much this soup cost...but it was affordable and delicious. 

Ingredients:

4 large yellow onions 
4 Tbsp margerine
2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
32 oz of beef broth
32 oz of chicken broth
1 Tbsp Worchestershire (not pictured)
1 tsp dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1 tsp garlic powder (not pictured)

Topping:
1 bag croutons 
grated swiss or Italian blend cheese
       OR
1 box garlic bread with cheese  

Directions:

Put a large sauce pan on the stove on low heat.  Add the margerine and let it start to melt.  Peel and slice the onions into thin rings.  Cut the rings down the middle into two halves. 

Add the onions to the large sauce pan and sprinkle with 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper.  Stir well.  Keep heating the onions for one hour stirring every ten minutes. 

The onions are carmelized when they turn a nice golden brown and tasty syrupy sweet.

Add the beef broth, chicken broth, Worchestershire, thyme, garlic powder and bay leaf.  Turn the heat up to medium high heat and simmer for one hour. 

Once the soup has had an hour to reduce give it a taste.  Add 1 tsp of salt and 1 tsp of pepper if you feel like it needs more flavor. 

Turn off the heat and let soup cool.  Fill two quart containers and set aside to freeze.

 For dinner tonight fill two soup bowls with the onion soup. 

Now you have two freezer friendly soup topping options.  The first is to top the bowls with 3/4 cup croutons and 1/2 cup shredded cheese.  Then place the bowls in the oven at 450 degrees for 7 mintues to melt and brown the cheese.

The second option is to toast two slices of cheesy garlic bread in the oven according to the package directions.  Then place one slice of garlic toast in each bowl. 

We liked the crouton topping best because it is easier to spoon up than a slice of bread.  Put the leftover cheese in the freezer and the leftover croutons in the cubbord. 

We hope you like this one.  It is very filling and comforting on a cold rainy day.  You can serve with a salad or veggie sticks.

Enjoy!

Christie aka Keeza