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Vegetarian French Onion Soup Great and Original Recipe

By Mandi Mellen

Posted on January 4, 2017

French onion soup is my all-time favorite soup. I love it, but it’s usually made with beef broth. What a bummer, right? My vegetarian French onion soup is just as amazing, but skips the meat all together.

This vegetarian recipe began with a trip to Seattle. I ate at a gluten-free pub and was excited for some healthy options. I always check out a menu prior to visiting a restaurant and this one looked great! They even had French onion soup. But when I got there I discovered the soup had bacon in it. Bacon! Why? I don’t eat bacon and skipped their soup, later creating this vegetarian recipe to meet my craving.

Vegetarian French Onion Soup

Ingredients:

2 large white onions
2 large red onions
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
½ tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon sea salt
Fresh pepper to taste
½ cup red wine
8 cups low sodium vegetable broth
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon thyme
2 bay leaves
3 tablespoons flour
French bread or Italian bread
1 ounce or 1 slice of Swiss cheese

I don’t know why I waited so long to make my own French onion soup! It’s very easy, but still a bit time consuming. Caramelizing onions takes at least 45 minutes and you have to stir them frequently to prevent them from sticking or burning.

The best thing about this vegetarian french onion soup is that it tastes amazing and makes so many servings. If you’re a family of two like me, then you’ll be able to enjoy this soup multiple times! If you’re making it for a dinner party, then I highly recommend cooking it ahead of time. Simply add the bread and Swiss cheese right before you serve.

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Directions:

1. Peel and slice the onions in half lengthwise. Place each half flat side down and cut them into strips about ¼ inch wide. They will look like semi circles and fall apart.

2. In a six quart stock pot heat the olive oil and garlic on medium to low heat for two minutes. Add the onions and mix them around.

3. Add the sugar, thyme and bay leaves to the pot. Make sure your heat isn’t too high and cook the onion mixture for at least 45 minutes. Stir them frequently to prevent them from sticking or burning. If they start to stick, turn down the heat and add just a little bit more olive oil.

4. Add the red wine, salt and pepper to the onion mixture and bring to a boil. Turn your heat down to low and let the mixture simmer until the red wine fully dissolves. Remove the bay leaves.

5. Add the flour and mix it in, cooking for about 2 minutes.

6. Add the vegetable broth and lemon juice to the onion mixture and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Taste soup and add a bit more pepper and salt if needed.

7. Toast your bread. Then serve soup into bowls. Be careful it will be hot. Place the toasted bread on top of the soup and then top with your Swiss cheese.

8. If you have a broiler, then broil soup for 2-3 minutes. Otherwise bake at 400° F for 5 to 7 minutes, until cheese is slightly brown.

This soup is definitely one of my favorite new recipes. It’s perfect for this time of year and has all the flavors and texture of traditional French onion soup without the unnecessary element of meat. Plus it makes a ton of soup! I love making recipes that make lots of leftovers. More than one meal means more options and more ways to enjoy this amazing vegetarian soup!

Enjoy!

Mandi Mellen is Lead Editor, Staff Writer, and Featured Vlogger at BuzzChomp. She’s an actress, writer, and producer. Get lost in her youtube comedy channel PillowTalk TV. Follow her on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, or Instagram