BrokeAss Gourmet

BrokeAss Gourmet

Roasted Cippolini Onion Soup with Croutons, Gruyere and Crispy Sage

French onion soup, I’ve found, is an incredibly elaborate, time-consuming thing to make and calls for vermouth, a delicious but expensive ingredient that pretty much no one I know keeps on hand. Here’s my pared-down spin on it.

Oh, and traditionalists, save your breath. I realize this isn’t exactly how you make French onion soup. That’s why I’m not calling it French Onion Soup. :-)

  • ingredients
  • 1/2 lb cippolini onions, peeled, ends removed $1.50
  • extra virgin olive oil Pantry
  • salt and pepper Pantry
  • 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar Pantry
  • 4 cups vegetable, chicken or beef broth $3 for 32 oz.
  • 1/4 cup half-and-half *$1 for
  • 4-6 whole fresh sage leaves $1 for a bunch
  • 1/4 sourdough baguette, sliced on the bias (about 8 slices) $1.50
  • 1/2 cup shredded Gruyere or Swiss cheese $4 for 8 oz.
Total Cost of Ingredients $12

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Place peeled onions on a baking sheet and drizzle liberally with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Roast for 25-30 minutes, or until very soft. Remove from oven (keep the oven on—you’ll be using it again) and let cool until onions can be handled comfortably. Slice roasted onions thinly.

Heat 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat and add the sliced roasted onions. Cook for 1-2 minutes until very fragrant. Add the balsamic vinegar and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.

Slowly add the broth, stirring as you go. Cover, bring to a boil then reduce heat to low to simmer. Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.

While soup cooks, spread the baguette slices onto a baking sheet (the one you used for the onions is fine—no need to clean it first). Drizzle the slices with olive oil and bake for 6-8 minutes or until crisp (check them periodically to make sure they don’t burn).

Remove lid and whisk in half-and-half. Cook uncovered for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally or until soup has thickened slightly. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

While soup cooks, heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a small frying pan over medium-high heat. Add sage leaves and cook just until crisp, 1-2 minutes. Remove from pan using tongs and drain on paper towels until ready to use.

Ladle the soup into oven-proof bowls and top each bowl with 3-4 baguette slices (break them to fit them into the bowl if you need to). Top the baguettes with the Gruyere cheese

Preheat the broiler to high and place soup bowls underneath the flame. Broil for 2-3 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and lightly browned.

Top soup bowls with the crispy sage and serve immediately.

Serves 2.

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What They're Saying

Terry, on Nov 19, 12:09 PM, wrote:

I am looking forward to trying this! And it’s going to be a rainy weekend…. good soup weather!

Ami @ beyondpeasandcarrots, on Nov 19, 12:19 PM, wrote:

thanks for sharing this! I love french onion soup, but have never attempted it at home because I never had the traditional ingredients…. I am going to try this version :)

Joe F., on Nov 20, 04:05 AM, wrote:

Traditional or not it sounded great. I like the idea of the cippolini and balsamic. You can also cheat the original in almost that same amount of time. The onions take about 45 minutes to caramelize and then add some hot stock , the croutons, cheese and a couple minutes later it is done. A liter of French Noilly Prat Vermouth is only 10 bucks , a great broke ass cheap ingredient. I don’t use it in this soup, I use red wine and Cognac instead. Great recipe thanks.

Lisa Brisch, on Nov 22, 07:57 AM, wrote:

Awesome looking recipe. BTW – vermouth IS cheap and pantry stable – perfect substitute for white wine. I like Gallo (yeah, you read that right) – $5 for 750ml.

Janie, on Nov 27, 07:31 AM, wrote:

This is nice..and very easy..another winner Gaby…

Trisuli, on Dec 3, 07:23 AM, wrote:

I have so many onions, this sounds like a great solution. Can I slice the onions before roasting them?

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