One-Pan French Onion Soup with Gruyere
When you want comfort food that feels fancy but still clears the dinner question fast.
This is the soup to make when you’re tired, cold, and want dinner to feel like a reset without a lot of fuss. It keeps the classic French onion soup idea—slowly cooked onions, broth, toast, and Gruyere—but streamlines it into one pan and a broiler finish. Expect rich, savory flavor and soft, jammy onions rather than restaurant-level drama. It’s a great choice on a weeknight when you have 35–45 minutes and want something soothing that still feels like a real meal. Pair it with a salad if you want to stretch it, or just serve it straight from the pan when all you want is something warm and deeply comforting.
Ingredients
- 4 unit yellow onions — halved and thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp kosher salt — plus more to taste
- 0.5 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves — or 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 lb beef broth
- 2 cup vegetable broth
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 4 unit crusty bread slices — about 1/2-inch thick
- 6 oz Gruyere cheese — shredded
Method
- 1 Heat the butter and olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the onions are soft and golden-brown, about 20 to 25 minutes.
- 2 Stir in the thyme and flour, cooking for 1 minute. Add the beef broth, vegetable broth, and apple cider vinegar, scraping up any browned bits. Simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, then taste and add more salt if needed.
- 3 Heat the broiler to 475°F. Lay the bread slices on top of the soup, then pile Gruyere over the bread and a little around it.
- 4 Broil until the cheese is melted, bubbling, and spotted brown in places, 2 to 4 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes before serving.
Variations
- Vegetarian swap — Use all vegetable broth instead of beef broth and add 1 tbsp soy sauce if you want a deeper savory base.
- Faster swap — Use pre-sliced onions or frozen sliced onions to cut the prep time down by several minutes.
- Cheese swap — If Gruyere is unavailable, use Swiss cheese or fontina for a similarly melty finish.
Notes
For the best flavor, keep the onions cooking until they are deeply golden; that’s where the comfort lives. Use an oven-safe skillet so you can move straight from stovetop to broiler. If your broth is very salty, start with less salt and adjust at the end.
Equipment that helps
- Large oven-safe skillet — It lets you caramelize the onions, simmer the soup, and broil the topping in one pan.
- Broiler-safe spatula or spoon — It helps scrape up browned bits and stir without scratching the pan.
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