If you’re a fan of Panera Bread’s Bistro French Onion Soup, you’ll love this homemade copycat version. It’s an uncomplicated, almost effortless comforting French onion soup, which uses a crockpot to caramelize the onions as a way to save time. After you discover just how easy this soup is to make, it will quickly become a regular addition to your weeknight meal rotation.

There are very few fast-food restaurants that I deem worthy enough to eat at. I am, of course, a diehard fan of Chick-fil-A, although I am seriously upset with them for changing their menu and retiring their coleslaw. You see, I refuse to eat fast-food fries, and I also prefer to ditch the bun, so without an alternative side to order, I’ve been forced to turn to their Cobb Salad, which, although very yummy, just doesn’t have that hint of pickle flavor that I so look forward to.

The other fast-food restaurant that I will often frequent is Panera. I pretty much order the same three things every single time I go there. Caesar Salad with Chicken, Broccoli Cheddar Soup, or Bistro French Onion Soup. The last is one of my favorites, especially on a cold, rainy day. So, for this month’s “Copycat Soup Recipes” themed Soup Saturday Swappers hosted by Heather of All Roads Lead to the Kitchen, I chose to recreate Panera’s recipe.

French Onion Soup isn’t that hard to make; however, it does require a great deal of time standing next to the stove, slowly caramelizing onions, and feeling like you’ve wasted several precious minutes of your life. Instead of slaving away over a hot stove, I chose to make Crockpot Caramelized Onions, which not only made my life a whole lot easier but also gave me more time to spend doing the things I actually love to do. Like chasing after Brenna in the attempt to get a few cute pics of her to share with y’all on Instagram.

The great thing about this soup is that you can put the onions in the crockpot before you leave for work, and they will be perfectly caramelized by the time you return home. After that, you simply add everything to a big pot or Dutch oven and let it simmer for 20 minutes. How much easier does it get than that? While the soup is bubbling away, you can toast some French bread in the oven and grate whatever type of cheese you prefer to garnish the soup with. My favorite is Manchego; however, you can use whatever type of cheese you happen to have on hand in your fridge. Now that I have this easy recipe to turn to, I’ll be spending a lot less time at Panera.

Ingredients:

Soup:

• 1 Tablespoon Unsalted Butter
• 4 Large Sweet Yellow Onions
• 1/3 Cup Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 Teaspoon Ground Sea Salt
• 3 Tablespoons All-Purpose Flour
• 1 (32-oz.) Carton Low Sodium Beef Broth
• 1 (14.5-oz.) Can Low Sodium Chicken Broth
• 1 Tablespoon Ketchup
• 1 Tablespoon Steak Sauce
• 1 Teaspoon Finely Ground Black Pepper
• 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Sea Salt
• 1/4 Teaspoon Dried Thyme
• 1/4 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
• 1/4 Teaspoon Hot Sauce

Garnish:

• French Bread
• Freshly Shredded Cheese

Directions:

Soup:

1. Liberally grease a crockpot with butter.
2. Peel and slice each onion in half, and then thinly slice each half with a sharp knife or mandoline.
3. Place the sliced onions in a crockpot with olive oil and sea salt; mix well.
4. Cover and cook for 8 hours on low heat.
5. Place the onions in a large Dutch oven over high heat.
6. Cook for two minutes and then sprinkle with the flour.
7. Stir to combine, and cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
8. Add the remaining soup ingredients and allow to come to a boil.
9. Reduce the soup to medium heat and cook for an additional 20 minutes.

Garnish:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cut the French bread into 1-inch cubes and place the cubes on a baking sheet.
3. Bake for 12 minutes, stirring every 3 minutes to prevent burning.
4. Top each bowl of soup with shredded cheese and a handful of French bread croutons.

Suggestions:

• A mandoline slicer makes thinly slicing onions a breeze.
• If you are home while cooking the onions in the crockpot, give them a quick stir every few hours. If not, a few on the side of the crockpot may burn. Just remove them before combining the onions with the all-purpose flour and making the soup.
• After the onions have cooked down, there will be some liquid present in the crockpot. Pour this liquid into the Dutch oven along with the caramelized onions; it will help add flavor to the soup.
• Use your favorite shredded cheese in this recipe. Parmesan, Asiago, Provolone, and Gruyere will all work well. You can also try Gouda, Havarti, or Manchego.

Improvements:

• Click HERE to see the original recipe for Crockpot Caramelized Onions and HERE to see how I used them in this Classic French Onion Dressing & Dip.
• Garnish with fresh thyme.
• CLICK HERE to see our many other soup, chili, stew, and chowder recipes.

Print

Yum

Easy French Onion Soup

Ingredients:

Soup:
• 1 Tablespoon Unsalted Butter
• 4 Large Sweet Yellow Onions
• 1/3 Cup Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 Teaspoon Ground Sea Salt
• 3 Tablespoons All-Purpose Flour
• 1 (32-oz.) Carton Low Sodium Beef Broth
• 1 (14.5-oz.) Can Low Sodium Chicken Broth
• 1 Tablespoon Ketchup
• 1 Tablespoon Steak Sauce
• 1 Teaspoon Finely Ground Black Pepper
• 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Sea Salt
• 1/4 Teaspoon Dried Thyme
• 1/4 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
• 1/4 Teaspoon Hot Sauce
Garnish:
• French Bread
• Freshly Shredded Cheese

Directions:

Soup:
1. Liberally grease a crockpot with butter.
2. Peel and slice each onion in half, and then thinly slice each half with a sharp knife or mandoline.
3. Place the sliced onions in a crockpot with olive oil and sea salt; mix well.
4. Cover and cook for 8 hours on low heat.
5. Place the onions in a large Dutch oven over high heat.
6. Cook for two minutes and then sprinkle with the flour.
7. Stir to combine, and cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
8. Add the remaining soup ingredients and allow to come to a boil.
9. Reduce the soup to medium heat and cook for an additional 20 minutes.
Garnish:
10. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
11. Cut the French bread into 1-inch cubes and place the cubes on a baking sheet.
12. Bake for 12 minutes, stirring every 3 minutes to prevent burning.
13. Top each bowl of soup with shredded cheese and a handful of French bread croutons.

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Crockpot Caramelized Onions

Why stand over a hot stove for hours, caramelizing onions, when you can let a crockpot do all the work for you? With just four simple ingredients and a little bit of patience. The hands-off kind, not the stand-and-stir kind. You can transform large, sweet yellow onions into a sweet and savory batch of caramelized goodness that’s ready to be piled onto burgers, swirled into soups, or even used to make a flavorful homemade party or game-day onion dip. So, dust off that crockpot, grab your onions, and get ready to caramelize some onions, y’all. The easy way. CLICK HERE for the recipe.

Classic French Onion Dressing & Dip

When it comes to French onion dip, most of us are guilty of grabbing a tub from the store, popping the lid, and digging in with reckless abandon. Maybe, if we’re feeling fancy, we’ll spoon it into a cute little bowl and call it a day. But with this homemade Classic French Onion Dressing and Dip, you can enjoy all of the flavor with none of the preservatives. Sweet yellow onions are thinly sliced and slowly caramelized in a crockpot until golden brown. Then, those melt-in-your-mouth caramelized onions get pureed with creamy mayonnaise, tangy sour cream, and just the right sprinkle of salt and pepper. Whether you drizzle this dressing over crisp salads, use it as a dip for fresh vegetables, or scoop it up with your favorite wavy thick-cut potato chips, it’s sure to be a real crowd-pleaser. CLICK HERE for the recipe.

Soup Saturday Swappers is a group of friends who get together on the third Saturday of each month to share their favorite soup and stew recipes based on a theme chosen by one of the members. This month’s “Copycat Soup Recipes” themed Soup Saturday Swappers is hosted by All Roads Lead to the Kitchen.

• Copy-Cat Big Boy Broccoli Soup by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Copycat Campbell’s Tomato Soup by Palatable Pastime
• Copycat Cauliflower Cheese Soup by Our Good Life
• Copycat Olive Garden Chicken & Gnocchi Soup by All Roads Lead to the Kitchen
• Copycat Panera Creamy Tomato Basil Soup by A Spoonful of Thyme
• Cream of Chicken Soup by Sneha’s Recipe
• Easy French Onion Soup by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• El Pollo Loco Chicken Tortilla Soup (Copycat) by Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Mexican Chicken Chili by The Saucy Southerner
• Zuppa Toscana ala Sid by Sid’s Sea Palm Cooking
• Zuppa Toscana (Olive Garden Copycat) by Amy’s Cooking Adventures