Slow Cooker French Onion Soup

Slow Cooker French Onion Soup is divine. Not kidding.

I should use the slow cooker more often. I don’t know why I don’t…it’s sooo easy. I also don’t know why I don’t make French Onion Soup more often. Good gravy – that stuff is to die for. Rich, hearty, cheesy, bready…all the good stuff.

When I was a waitress (a million years ago, but some nights I still lay on my pillow and hear the clinking of the dirty dishes in the back of the restaurant) I loved the onion soup my restaurant served. It was more of a chore for the waitresses, as we had to ladle it into the bowl, then top with the crusty bread and cheese, then heat it ourselves in the broiler…all seemingly non-issue unless you factor in that you had 18 other customers needing something. Always something. But it was peaceful, those few moments by the broiler, peeking to watch the cheese go from rigid to gold, bubbling into melty goodness that would pull into strings of heaven as it left the bowl with each bite. I miss that.

For my recipe development this month with Dixie Crystals, I decided to combine the two: French Onion Soup and the slow cooker. They go together perfectly! After a few hours, you are greeted with a warm belly full of some of the best soup you’ll ever taste, and you didn’t even have to break a sweat.

That’s a good enough reason right there. Oh, and if you order the soup out, just remember your waitress is probably tired. But…she’s making your soup. Give her a minute.

Slow Cooker French Onion Soup

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 5-7 hours

Servings: 8-10

Ingredients

• 3 large sweet onions, sliced
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• ¼ cup butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Dixie Crystals light brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 8 ounces red wine, beer, or dark soda
• 64 ounces beef stock
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• French loaf, sliced thick
• Provolone cheese

Instructions

1. Place slow cooker on high. Add onions, garlic, butter, vinegar, and brown sugar, and stir until well combined.

2. Cover with lid and allow to cook for one hour, stirring occasionally, until onions lightly browned and aromatic. Add flour, stirring to combine.

3. After 5-10 minutes, pour in wine, beer, or soda, as well as beef stock, salt, and pepper. Reduce heat to low and cook for 4-6 hours.

4. When ready to serve, fill individual soup bowl with prepared soup, and place slice of toasted French bread onto each. Top with cheese.. Place under the oven broiler for 2-3 minutes, or until cheese is golden and bubbling. Serve hot.

Need more soup recipes? Here are some I found on the Dixie Crystals site…give them a try!

Creamy Wild Mushroom and Sage Soup

Velvety Roasted Corn Soup

Roasted Curried Cauliflower Soup