What is French Onion Soup?

Traditional French onion soup began as a humble peasant soup made with basic ingredients, and dates as far back as Roman times. It's an onion and stock based soup served gratiné style with toasted bread or croutons and cheese atop.

It is one of those soups that you maybe didn't appreciate as a child but have grown to really love an enjoy in all it's cheesy flavorful glory as an adult.

While yes it is a rather easy soup to make and it doesn't need very many ingredients, it does require a bit of time and tending to.

In other words patience is key. Have a little something to do nearby. Monitor the onions closely and you'll have an excellent, deeply flavored bowl of soup to serve.

To ensure success be careful that you don't burn and over-brown those onions or the frond (browned bits) on the surface of the pot (I've done this and it ruins the soup). Just monitor them as directed and deglaze the pot as directed.

And also don't stop short of beautiful caramelized, this will take about 45 minutes, no shortcuts.

It's all about slowly and gently caramelizing here. It's a game changer.

As for the shade of the onions to watch for it's all about a deep, richly golden brown color here (or even more so an auburn color) for the perfect soup.

If you don't own an Instant Pot then try my Baked Mac and Cheese or Stovetop Mac and Cheese.

Easy Instant Pot Mac and Cheese

Miracle Instant Pot mac and cheese, that's incredibly indulgent and flavorful, and made with only real cheese of course!

You wouldn't believe how well this recipe turns out even without a roux, without heavy cream, and without using multiple pans.

The trick is that the pasta is cooked in a concentrated amount of liquid therefor it gets super starchy and helps create a silky smooth and creamy sauce.

Honestly the recipe is almost too easy. Does it get any better than pour and cook, blend the cheese right in, and only one pot to clean?

The only thing here that even takes a little bit of effort is grating the cheese. Everything else is a breeze!

But if you really want to take it over the top then just saute some panko bread crumbs with butter (while the macaroni is cooking) and finish individual servings with that crave-able, golden brown, crunchy topping.

For a last minute dinner pair this with a store-bought rotisserie chicken and a steamed veggie like broccoli.

You'll have a comforting, homestyle, family-friendly dinner everyone will enjoy, even on the busiest day of the week! And for you it will take hardly any effort at all.