Description
This rich French onion soup with tender short ribs and Gruyère bread is the ultimate comfort food, blending caramelized onions, fall-apart short ribs, and cheesy broiled toast into a savory masterpiece. Perfect for cold weather meals or elegant dinner starters, this hearty soup recipe is a flavorful twist on the French classic. Keywords: French onion soup, short ribs soup, Gruyère cheese soup, hearty soup recipe, beef onion soup.
Ingredients
2 pounds bone-in short ribs
6 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
6 cups beef stock
1 cup dry red wine
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 baguette, sliced
2 cups shredded Gruyère cheese
Instructions
1. Pat short ribs dry, season with salt and pepper, and sear in a Dutch oven with olive oil and butter until browned. Remove and set aside.
2. Add sliced onions with a pinch of salt and more butter. Cook over medium-low heat for 45 minutes, stirring often, until caramelized.
3. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Deglaze the pot with red wine, scraping up the browned bits. Simmer until reduced by half.
4. Return short ribs to the pot. Add beef stock, thyme, and bay leaf. Cover and simmer for 2 to 2.5 hours, until ribs are tender.
5. Remove ribs, discard bones, and shred the meat. Return the shredded meat to the pot. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
6. While soup simmers, toast baguette slices on a baking sheet. Top with Gruyère and broil until melted and golden.
7. Ladle soup into oven-safe bowls, top with cheese toast, and broil briefly until bubbly. Serve hot.
Notes
Use a mandoline slicer for evenly thin onion slices to ensure uniform caramelization.
Don’t rush the onion caramelization step—this is where most of the soup’s flavor develops.
For a deeper broth flavor, use a combination of beef stock and a small amount of veal or bone broth.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop and Broiler
- Cuisine: French-American Fusion
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 520
- Sugar: 7g
- Sodium: 890mg
- Fat: 30g
- Saturated Fat: 15g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 34g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 28g
- Cholesterol: 95mg