French onion soup is a restaurant classic for a reason; it's an "everyone's favorite," but it can be time-consuming to make at home. That's why making it in a slow cooker will save you the trouble of laboring over the stovetop. In the recipe below, all you need to do is set these ingredients in the slow cooker and start the timer.
For the first several hours in the slow cooker, the onions develop a deep caramelized flavor. Then add the broth, sherry and seasonings and let the slow cooker merge the flavors for another hour. If you really want to get that true "pick the broiled cheese off the side of the mug" feeling that you get with restaurant-served French onion soup, just ladle the soup into ovenproof mugs, add the cheese and croutons, and pop it all under the broiler!
Slow Cooker French Onion Soup
Ingredients4 large onions, sliced
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon sugar
2 quarts beef broth, no sodium added
¼ cup sherry
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1½ teaspoons salt
Pepper to taste
Sliced bread of choice (or croutons)
8 ounces Gruyere cheese, sliced (can substitute with Swiss)
Directions 1. Place onions, butter, sugar and salt in the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker.
2. Cover and cook for 7 hours on high, or until onions are soft and brown.
3. Add beef broth, sherry, thyme sprigs and pepper to taste. Cover, and cook on high for another hour.
4. To serve, add sliced bread (or croutons) across the surface of the soup. Add sliced Gruyere cheese and serve.
