Slow Cooker (and Lighter) French Onion Soup

-9 was the temperature of on my last snowboarding run on Sunday. 6 was the number of layers I wore in attempt to stay warm. 2 is the number of spots I have on my cheek that may or may not be frostbite. And as of last night, I am now the proud owner of 1 new neck gaiter.

Frigid doesn’t cut how cold it’s been in Utah this past week. I don’t remember a cold spell like the one we’ve been experiencing. It’s rare that the temperature drops below zero here and we’ve been in the negative for a good week now. According to my Dad, if I had any sense, I’d stay indoor when it was this cold. But because it snowed two feet in 48 hours, any sense I did have vanished quickly.

Three days in a row on the mountain in the brutal cold didn’t bode well for my face but it did inspire me to pull out my slow cooker and I’ve come up with a few new recipes so in the end I can’t be too upset. Frost bite for French Onion is a fair trade, no? Yeah, probably not but I’m just trying to make myself feel better. So go with me on this one.

One of my all time favorite soups in French Onion. I love the slow cooked onions that melt in your mouth and I equally love the deep, meaty flavored broth. (Lordy that sounded naughty, my apologies.) What I don’t love is the often soggy bread that accompanies the bowl of soup and *gasp* all that cheese. I know I might be alone on this one but I think more times that when French Onion is served the proportions are off- too much cheese and not enough oniony soupy goodness.

I put the onions in the base of the slow cooker with a little butter and set it to high for 75 minutes. With the exception of having to stir them occasionally, the crockpot did all the work! I added the short list of other ingredients, turned the slow cooker down to low and 6 hours later, dinner was served. My house smelled amazing and it’s just what you want after a cold day on the mountain!

Hope you’re all staying warm!

Slow Cooker (and Lighter) French Onion Soup

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Description

A lighter version of French Onion made in the slow cooker for an easy soup that’s perfect on a cold winters day!

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Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons melted butter
• 4 large sweet onions, sliced thinly
• 2 small cloves garlic, minced
• 1 heaping tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/4 cup dry sherry
• 8 cups beef broth
• 4 sprigs of fresh thyme
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 6 slices whole wheat bread (or something similar)
• 6 oz shredded Jarlsberg or other mild Swiss cheese (or more if you like!)

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Instructions

1. Add melted butter, sliced onions, garlic, and brown sugar to the base of the slow cooker. Turn to high and, stirring occasionally, let onions caramelize for 60-75 minutes.
2. When onions are nice and soft and starting to turn golden (they won’t get brown), add sherry, beef broth, fresh thyme and bay leaf. Turn slow cooker down to low and let soup cook for 6-8 hours. (soup can be made in advance to this point and stored in refrigerator until ready to serve.)
3. When ready to serve the soup, divide French Onion in 6 1-1/2 cup ramekins or bowls. If you’ve made soup in advance, make sure to warm it up so it’s piping hot.
4. Cut bread into a circle (or similar shape) to fit inside each ramekin. Toast the bread in a conventional toaster or the like until nice and golden brown. Place one toasted wheat bread circle in each bowl of soup and top with a tablespoon of grated Jarlsberg. (feel free to use more!)
5. Place ramekins on a baking sheet and place under a broiler for just about 1-2 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve immediately and enjoy!