Vegetarian French Onion Soup

I remember the exact day, location and time when I found out French Onion Soup wasn’t vegetarian. It was a devastating moment since as a vegetarian in the early 90s most menus totally ignored us vegetable eaters and we were left to choose between a side salad or a steamed broccoli. Suffice to say, eating out wasn’t all too exciting. I had, however, discovered French Onion Soup—a warm, cheesy option on a cold, winter’s day. It was a fairly common menu item and my go-to…but that was all about to change.

Adiós French Onion Soup 

So, there in NYC with my family, snuggled into the corner seat of a booth, I proudly announced to the waiter that I was a vegetarian and that I would love a bowl of the French Onion Soup.  He looked at me and without batting an eye in what I interpreted as a derogatory tone replied, “But that’s made with beef broth!”.  I could feel the tears welling up. This was a major blow. Not only had I been consuming beef broth for the past few years (AHHHHHHHH), my go-to restaurant order had just been ripped out from under me!!!! I was devastated, lost and hungry. That was the last time I ate French Onion Soup for years, decades maybe and I must admit I missed it terribly beef broth and all. 

Soups aren’t vegetarian?

The worst part about that fateful day was that I had discovered a whole new category of non-vegetarian foods—soups. Becoming a vegetarian at the tender age of eight in a world where it wasn’t cool yet, meant that I only knew what I knew and my parents, who weren’t thrilled with the idea, kept me in the dark as much as possible. Never had I thought to ask if the broccoli cheddar soup was made with chicken broth, but guess what, it probably was. Or how about that mushroom cream variety that sounded so good…oh right, not vegetarian. AHHHHHHH!!!!! I would just have to master soup making. 

My ultimate comfort food

In the winter months, we eat soup at least twice a week. It is such a filling comfort food, it’s perfectly portable (meaning I can curl up with my bowl next to a blazing fire) and, most importantly, it’s limitless. Most of my soups take about thirty minutes from start to finish, but when I have enough time and onions, I make French Onion Soup. It truly is one of my favs especially since it is so distinctly different than other soups I make. The caramelized onions, the slice of toast, the cheesiness…it all just works so well together. I hope you agree.

Caramelized Onions 

The base a of delicious French Onion Soup is a tasty batch of caramelized onions. Now making caramelized onions takes time and dedication, but I promise it’s worth it. I love having caramelized onions in the fridge as they are perfect on burgers, pizza and even in salads. Honestly, they are so darn good I often eat them just with a fork! You can read more about making caramelized onions here. Once you’ve mastered this technique, you’re well on your way to a delicious French Onion Soup. 

Keeping it simple

My goal was to keep this soup as simple as possible. Caramelizing the onions already takes a lot of time and effort, so I didn’t want to make the soup any fussier than necessary. While traditionally, this soup calls for Gruyere, most of us don’t just have that lying around. Admittedly, it is a great choice as it has a sharp, distinct flavor, but I find shredded mozzarella a good enough substitute. We make a lot of pizza in my house (get there recipe for homemade dough here) so we buy shredded mozza in Costco sized bags and after making this soup countless times with mozza instead of Gruyere, I am confident that you won’t be disappointed using either cheese. I also opted for keeping the cheesy toast step as simple as possible. You could, however, get super fancy and float the bread in the soup, then top with cheese and then stick under the broiler. I’ve done this many times myself and I find that it can be quite tricky, especially when it comes to putting the soup in and pulling it out of the oven without burning yourself or spilling anything. After a few minor burns and lots of spilled soup, I opt for making cheesy toast instead; it’ll still give you a picture worthy final product and tastes exactly the same. 

French Onion Soup bowls

You know what I’m talking about here. When you order French Onion Soup in a restaurant, it’s always served in an ugly brownish short bowl. Well, I have those same ugly, short bowls and use them when I’m serving my homemade version. It just feels more authentic. I actually have two sets (I’m will to donate one to a lucky reader if you reach out!), but if you’re looking to purchase  them these are similar to the ones I have. After you’ve tried this soup, you’ll want to add French Onion Soup to your dinner rotation and then you’ll want the bowls so you can feel authentic and fancy. I think they’re totally worth it! 

Get caramelizing and cooking!

I hope you’ll agree with me that homemade Vegetarian French Onion Soup is worth every minute and every stir it takes to make. It’s the perfect soup choice on a chilly day, when spending a good long stretch in the kitchen seems like the best way to pass the time. Serve this soup with a salad (try a Can Can Salad or this Asparagus Tomato Salad), a side of veggies (maybe Broiled Asparagus or Sautéed Broccoli Rabe) or as a starter followed by Simple Slow Cooker Chicken. If you’re looking for some other soup ideas check out these: Lentil Tomato, Butternut Squash and Carrot and Carrot Coconut Ginger. But for now, it’s time to get your onions caramelizing! As always, let me know how your Vegetarian French Onion Soup comes out by leaving a comment below. Enjoy! Buen provecho!

Print Recipe

Vegetarian French Onion Soup

One of the most comforting bowls of soups out there, this vegetarian version of French Onion Soup gets its robust flavor from caramelized onions, white wine and vegetable broth. Simple ingredients slowly cooked to perfection. Make this on a day that the kitchen is calling your name as caramelizing onions takes some time and attention. I promise you, this soup is worth the effort.

Prep Time5 mins

Cook Time55 mins

Total Time1 hr

Course: Soup

Cuisine: French

Servings: 4

Ingredients

For the caramelized onions

• 6 or more medium to large yellow or white onions, peeled and halved
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• salt to taste
• pinch of sugar (optional: will help bring out the sweetness of the onions)

For the soup

• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 ½ cups of dry white wine
• 4 cups 1 32 oz box broth (I use vegetable, but you could use beef or chicken if not vegetarian)
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 slices of crusty bread or baguette
• ½ cup shredded Gruyere or mozzarella cheese

Instructions

To make the caramelized onions

• Place the onions face down on a cutting board and slice lengthwise as thinly as possible, creating half-moons. Alternatively, use a food processor with the slicing disc fitted (I use my 3 mm disc) to slice the onions.
• In a large soup pot or Dutch oven (choose a wide cooking vessel so that the onions caramelize and don’t steam) heat oil and butter over medium heat. Add onions and season with salt and optional sugar. For the first few minutes stir and flip often with a wooden spatula make sure that the same batch of onions isn’t always on the bottom.
• After about five minutes, once the onions have started to sweat and soften, turn down the heat to medium low (you might even have to cook on low depending on the strengthen of your flame). Stir every 2-3 minutes to prevent onions from sticking and ensure that they cook evenly. As the onions starts to caramelize, be mindful of the heat, lowering if you feel that they are browning too quickly (you want them to brown slowly and not burn). If the bottom of your skillet starts to brown in spots, use the wooden spatula to scrape it clean (you also might rotate the skillet since the heat might not be distributing evenly). Keep cooking and stirring onions until they turn a blondish brown, about 15-20 more minutes.

To make the soup

• Once your onions are nice and caramelized, add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Pour wine into the pot and deglaze by scrapping the bottom clean. Add broth, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Raise heat and bring to a boil. Lower heat and let simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes.
• When you’re ready to eat, set the broiler to high. Trim the slices of bread if needed (you want them to float on top of the soup so shape correctly for your serving bowl). Arrange them on a baking sheet in a single layer. Sprinkle the slice with cheese and broil until bubbly and browned (about 3-5 minutes). You could also do this in a toaster over.
• Ladle soup into bowls. I like to sprinkle a little extra cheese directly in the soup for good measure! Float the cheese toast on top and serve.

Notes

The goal of this soup is to make it as easy as possible, thus I’ve offered mozzarella cheese as an option, along with traditions Gruyere cheese. Also, I find it much easier to make the cheesy toasts and then float them in the soup, but you could also ladle the soup into the bowls, float the bread on top, sprinkle with cheese and then broil.