I have to thank my friend, Jessica, for my reintroduction to French onion soup. She is a fanatic, and I think she orders it about 90% of the time we go out to eat. I found an amazing Crock Pot version in one of my many cookbooks, and I decided to take it up a notch by making a Guinness French onion soup. This may be an even better recipe for French onion soup. It’s also a festive dinner option for St. Patrick’s Day if you don’t like corned beef and cabbage.
I’m all about shortcuts for my Guinness French onion soup (and my regular French onion soup). The food processor’s slicing blade slices the onions to a perfect size. Large enough to retain their shape and texture, but small enough to fit on a soup spoon. I also use my Crock Pot. I put the onions and the butter in the Crock Pot and leave it for the better part of eight hours. Having tried cooking on low for eight hours and on high for four hours, I have to recommend the low and slow method. The onions are more tender and caramelized after eight hours.
If you’re worried about an overwhelming beer flavor, rest assured that the Guinness flavor isn’t strong. I do not like beer. Any beer, at all. And I love this soup. The Guinness gives a nice depth without tasting like hops. If you don’t have Guinness on hand, you could swap another dark beer. I wouldn’t do anything lighter than a lager. But if you want to skip the alcohol, add in a can of beef consomme. It has a richer flavor than broth.
And be sure to top your Guinness French onion soup with the crouton and cheese. I like to use frozen demi-baguettes. They’re bake up quite nicely, and the size works well for the top of a soup bowl. Traditional French onion soup uses Gruyere or Swiss cheese. I like to mix things up with an Irish cheddar (walking on the wild side over here). I really like Kerrygold’s several Irish cheddars, but you can use regular cheddar. Be sure to grab a sharp white cheddar. Once your soup is ready, serve it up in an oven-safe bowl. Finally, top it your crouton and cheese and slide it under the broil for 4-5 minutes until your cheese is gooey and perfect.
Guinness French onion soup
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
- 6 yellow onions, sliced thinly
- 1 stick of butter
- 1 32-ounce carton of beef broth
- 1 10-ounce can of beef broth or consomme
- 1 can of Guinness
- 1 tsp. of salt
- 2 tsp. of salt, divided
- 2 tsp. of thyme
- 1 demi-baguette
- 1 cup of shredded Irish cheddar
Instructions
- Coat a Crock Pot with non-stick cooking spray.
- Place the onions and the stick of butter in the Crock Pot. Stir in the salt and the pepper. Cook on low for 8 hours.
- After the onions are cooked, stir in the 32-ounce carton of beef broth, and the can of Guinness, and the thyme. Taste the broth. You may need to add more salt and pepper to taste.
- Optional: Taste the soup to see if you like the flavor. If you want a beefier broth, you can add the 10-ounce can of broth or consomme. If you like the soup the way it is, you don’t have to add the can.
- Heat the soup in the Crock Pot for 15 – 30 minutes until warmed through.
- Place four oven-safe bowls or ramekins on a baking sheet. Ladle the soup into the bowls, leaving at least one-half inch of space at the top of the bowls.
- Preheat your oven to the broil setting. Slice the baguette. Place 1-2 baguette slices on the top of each bowl of soup. Sprinkle the cheddar evenly on top of the baguette slices.
- Broil for 4-5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Carefully remove from oven and serve.
Enjoy!
