Vegetarian French Onion Soup
A rich and flavoursome french onion soup that's meat free. Perfect cosy comfort food with caramelised onions, and an optional cheesy bread topping
Servings 4
Calories 208kcal
Ingredients
For the soup
- 1-2 tbsp Vegetable oil
- 50 g Butter unsalted
- 4 White onions thinly sliced into half moons
- 3 Garlic cloves finely chopped
- 3 tbsp Plain flour
- 1.2 litres Water
- 2 Vegetable stock cubes
- 2 Meat free no beef stock cubes I used Oxo
- 2 tbsp Soy sauce
- 2 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
For the cheesy bread
- 1 French bread stick/baguette sliced
- 250 g Mozzarella or other grated cheese
Instructions
- Heat your pan on a low-medium heat, add the oil and butter and allow the butter to melt
- Add the onions, and stir well to coat them with the oil and butter. Put the lid on and leave for 10 minutes
- Remove the lid (be careful of the steam!) stir the onions well, then put the lid back on for another 10 minutes
- Remove the lid, again being careful of steam. Stir the onions well and then cook them for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally and keeping a close eye on them throughout, until start to turn golden brown, are very soft and have reduced in volume considerably
- Add the garlic, stir in and cook for around 5 minutes
- Add the flour, stir in and cook for about 1 minute
- Add the water, vegetable stock cubes, meat free "beef" stock cubes, soy sauce and balsamic vinegar. Stir everything together and bring to a gentle simmer.
- Meanwhile, pre-heat your grill and slice the bread into chunks. Toast the bread under the grill on both sides
- If serving immediately, portion the soup out into bowls, add the toasted bread on top, and a generous amount of cheese. Put the bowl under the grill to melt the cheese, then enjoy while warm!
- Leftovers should be fully cooled, then stored in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer
Notes
- Fresh garlic is best for this recipe for the best flavour, but a puree or frozen garlic will work well too.
- You will need a large, high sided pot with a lid for this recipe.
- One of the key ingredients for both colour and flavour of this soup is meat free "beef" stock cubes. I use the Oxo brand ones as they are the only kind I've found where I'm based in the UK. I got them from Amazon, but I have since seen them in Asda. If you only have access to another kind of meat free beef flavoured stock, then you can use that instead.
- I used mozzarella to top the bread. Gruyere is the traditional option, but any cheese that melts well can be used.
- Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50).
- For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.
Nutrition
Calories: 208kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 950mg | Potassium: 207mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 315IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 45mg | Iron: 1mg
