Jenny & Buck’s Recipes

French Onion Lentil Soup

Name: French Onion Lentil Soup
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Vegetarian
Ingredients: 2 Tbsp. butter; 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil; 3 large yellow onions (about 2 1/2 to 3 lbs.), peeled and thinly sliced; 4 garlic cloves, minced; 2 tsp. lower sodium tamari; Kosher salt and cracked black pepper to taste; 1 cup petite lentils, such as French (Le Puy) lentils or black (Beluga) lentils; 2 quarts (8 cups) low sodium beef broth (or beef stock); 6 to 8 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1 tsp. dried thyme); 1 bay leaf; 2 Tbsp. sherry vinegar; 8 to 12 (½-inch) slices French bread (from 1 baguette); 1 1/2 cups grated Gruyère cheese

Vegetarian

6 servings

servings

20 minutes

active time

1 hour 20 minutes

total time

Start Cooking

Ingredients

2 Tbsp. butter

2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

3 large yellow onions (about 2 1/2 to 3 lbs.), peeled and thinly sliced

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp. lower sodium tamari

Kosher salt and cracked black pepper to taste

1 cup petite lentils, such as French (Le Puy) lentils or black (Beluga) lentils

2 quarts (8 cups) low sodium beef broth (or beef stock)

6 to 8 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1 tsp. dried thyme)

1 bay leaf

2 Tbsp. sherry vinegar

8 to 12 (½-inch) slices French bread (from 1 baguette)

1 1/2 cups grated Gruyère cheese

Directions

Start by melting butter and olive oil in a large Dutch oven or stock pot over medium heat. Add onions and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring every 5 minutes or so, until the onions begin to caramelize. Lower the heat if the onions brown too quickly (I usually do this after about 20 minutes). The caramelization process should take about 40 minutes total.Stir in garlic and tamari during the final 2 minutes.

Add lentils, broth, thyme, bay leaf, and a few grinds of black pepper. Increase heat to bring soup to a low boil. Reduce heat and gently simmer with the lid slightly ajar until the lentils are tender, about 30 minutes.Discard the bay leaf and sprigs of thyme, and stir in sherry vinegar. Taste soup and add more salt and pepper, if needed.

Heat the broiler to HIGH, and arrange ovenproof soup bowls (I linked the ones I use under "equipment") on a baking sheet. Ladle soup into bowls, and cover top with bread slices. Sprinkle each generously with Gruyère cheese.Place on an oven rack about 6 inches from the heat and broil for 2 to 4 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly. (Keep a close eye so they don't burn.) Remove from the oven and serve immediately while the soup is hot and bubbly.

Nutrition

Serving Size

1 bowl

Calories

370 kcal

Total Fat

16 g

Saturated Fat

3 g

Unsaturated Fat

Trans Fat

Cholesterol

Sodium

1009 mg

Total Carbohydrate

39 g

Dietary Fiber

8 g

Total Sugars

5 g

Protein

18 g