French Onion Soup  Green_icon

Serves 2 • Cooking Time 8 to 9 hours on Low or 5 to 6 hours on High • Slow Cooker Size 4 to 7 Quarts

Slug Icon WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: This soup is so rich and flavorful and so packed with sweet caramelized onions, no one would ever guess that it was made in a slow cooker. The secret? For the deeply browned flavor that usually comes only with fussy stovetop browning, we microwaved the onions to soften them before adding them to the slow cooker. Given the moist heat of the slow cooker, we had to be inventive in order to infuse the soup with as much concentrated flavor as possible. A small amount of apple butter contributed to the soup’s rich, silken texture and complemented the browned sweetness of the onions. For meaty flavor without adding any beef bones or broth, we turned to soy sauce and dried porcini mushrooms, which delivered plenty of umami while keeping the soup vegetarian. We stirred boiling water into the well-browned onions at the end to fill out our soup. Just a few small slices of baguette topped with melted Gruyère were enough to provide the quintessential topping for our soup without going overboard on fat and calories. Check the onions at the beginning of the time range and continue to monitor until they are properly browned; the onions can go from caramelized to burnt very quickly if left too long in a slow cooker. For an accurate measurement of boiling water, bring a full kettle of water to a boil and then measure out the desired amount. See the sidebar that follows the recipe.

2

onions, halved and sliced ¼ inch thick

⅛

ounce dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed and minced

1

tablespoon unsalted butter

1

teaspoon minced fresh thyme or ¼ teaspoon dried

1½

tablespoons all-purpose flour

3

tablespoons apple butter

2

tablespoons dry sherry

1

tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce

1½

cups boiling water

Salt and pepper

4

(½-inch-thick) slices baguette

1

ounce Gruyère cheese, shredded (¼ cup)

1. Lightly spray inside of slow cooker with vegetable oil spray. Microwave onions, mushrooms, butter, and thyme in bowl, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened, about 5 minutes; transfer to slow cooker. Whisk flour, apple butter, sherry, and soy sauce together in bowl until smooth, then stir into slow cooker. Cover and cook until onions are softened and deep golden brown, 8 to 9 hours on low or 5 to 6 hours on high.

2. Stir boiling water into slow cooker. Let soup sit until heated through, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

3. Just before serving, adjust oven rack 6 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Place baguette slices on baking sheet and broil until golden brown and crisp on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Sprinkle Gruyère on toasted bread and continue to broil until cheese is melted, about 2 minutes. Portion soup into individual bowls and top with toasted bread.

Per serving:
Cal 440
Fat 13g
Sat Fat 7g
Chol 30mg
Carb 65g
Protein 14g
Fiber 6g
Sodium 800mg