When I think of French Onion Soup I always assumed it was an unhealthy soup but it’s onions! Are onions that unhealthy? With a whole wheat low carb bread and a limited amount of cheese it can be worth caramelizing all of those onions! I’ve made a few different kinds of French Onion Soup over the years. I loved the Slow Cooker version I made a few years ago. I love setting anything and forgetting it. However, slowly cooking the onions in butter is where all of the taste comes from in my eyes. I despise cutting onions. Hate it. So badly that I actually looked into what I can do to prevent my eyes from feeling like they are about to fall out of my head. Here are some crazy ideas I found that I thought was worth sharing.
Tips for cutting onions without tears:
Chill them in the freezer for 10-15 minutes before slicing. (sounds reasonable)
Cut the onion underneath water. (isn’t chopping an onion difficult enough this would surly make me chop a finger off)
While cutting the onion, breath through your mouth while sticking your tongue out. (I kid you not)
Whistle while you work. (again, I kid you not. Whistling makes a significant airflow, specifically away from your face, which keeps the onion mist away from your eyes.)
Stick a piece of bread in your mouth. Many people report that chewing, especially bread, helps avoid tears when cutting onions. (this one made me laugh even more than the stick your tongue out)
Wear gas-tight goggles or a mask. (this is the only one I’ve actually tried. I used my daughters water goggles. It helped.)
- 2 tbsp of olive oil
- 4 medium yellow onions, sliced
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 fresh thyme sprigs
- Dash of himalayan salt
- ¼ tsp of white pepper
- ⅓ cup of red wine
- 6 cups of low sodium organic beef broth
- 4 slices of whole grain low carb bread
- 4 slices of swiss cheese
- Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat.
- Add onions, cook, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes or until translucent.
- Add garlic and combine for 1-2 minutes.
- Add thyme, bay leaves, salt and pepper and cook for 25-30 minutes stirring occasionally.
- Add wine. Bring to a boil on medium-high heat. Reduce heat and gently boil for a few minutes or until almost all of the liquid is absorbed. Remove bay leaves and Thyme.
- Add broth. Bring to a boil on medium-high heat. Reduce heat; gently boil for 15 minutes.
- Preheat oven to broil. Place the bread on a baking sheet topped with cheese.
- Broil until the cheese is bubbly and brown.
- Ladle soup into four serving bowls. Top each bowl with bread.
I’m not sure what I did differently with this recipe but it was the best tasting french onion soup I’ve ever made.
