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Red onion soup with cheesy sourdough melts

Name: Red onion soup with cheesy sourdough melts
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h 15 min
Total time: 1 h 35 min
Yield: Serves 6
Cuisine: French recipes
Ingredients: 5 tbsp olive oil; 1.25kg red onions, thinly sliced; 2 garlic cloves, crushed; 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme; 150ml red wine; 1.5 litres good quality beef stock; 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley; 50g butter, softened; 6 large slices sourdough bread, ciabatta or french stick; 100g camembert, thinly sliced; 75g gruyère, grated

Published: 11 Feb 20
Updated: 18 Mar 24

We’ve used beef stock in this sweet red onion soup to add real depth of flavour, but you could easily swap it for veg stock if you prefer. Serve with the cheesy sourdough melts for a make-ahead lunch or starter.

Like the sound of this? You’ll go head over heels for our ultimate French onion soup.

Easy
February 2020

Test kitchen approved

Serves 6
Hands-on time 20 min, cooking time 1 hour 15 min

Like the sound of this? You’ll go head over heels for our ultimate French onion soup.

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 518kcals
Fat: 25.3g (10.6g saturated)
Protein: 24.6g
Carbohydrates: 39.8g (14g sugars)
Fibre: 6.7g
Salt: 1.8g

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Ingredients

5 tbsp olive oil
1.25kg red onions, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
150ml red wine
1.5 litres good quality beef stock
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
50g butter, softened
6 large slices sourdough bread, ciabatta or french stick
100g camembert, thinly sliced
75g gruyère, grated

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Method

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan, then add the onions, garlic, thyme and a little salt and pepper. Cook over a low heat for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until the onions are soft. Once softened, increase the heat and stir until the onions are well caramelised.
Add the wine, then bubble to reduce by half. Stir in the stock, bring back up to the boil, then turn the heat back down to low, cover and simmer gently for 20-25 minutes until rich and flavourful. Add most of the parsley, then taste and adjust the seasoning (see Make Ahead).
Butter one side of each slice of bread. Layer the camembert and grated gruyère on the unbuttered side of three slices. Top with the other three slices, butter-side up, pressing firmly to sandwich together.

Put a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add the sandwiches, then cover with a piece of foil and weigh them down with a second pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side until the bread is crisp and golden and the cheese has melted.
Spoon the soup into warmed bowls, then scatter over the remaining parsley. Cut each sandwich in half and serve alongside the soup.