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Longing for a bowl of rich, savory, and cheesy French Onion Soup but don’t want to make a large pot? You’ve come to the right place! This single serving French Onion Soup recipe is the ultimate comfort food, capturing the essence of a Parisian bistro experience in one cozy bowl. It’s simple, satisfying, and perfect for anyone cooking for one or two people.
French Onion Soup can be a hearty meal on its own. For added variety, consider pairing it with a fresh Italian Chopped Salad, a single serving Crustless Quiche Lorraine, or an extra slice of homemade French Bread.
Table of Contents
- Why You’ll Love This French Onion Soup Recipe
- What Is French Onion Soup?
- Ingredients
- The Art Of Caramelizing Onions For French Onion Soup
- How To Make French Onion Soup
- Expert Tips
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Single Serving Soup Recipes You’ll Love
- Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
- French Onion Soup For One Recipe
Why You’ll Love This French Onion Soup Recipe
- Simple Ingredients: Made with just one onion and everyday pantry items, this recipe is as uncomplicated as it is delicious.
- Comforting: The gooey cheese and hearty broth make this a perfect comfort food.
- Restaurant-Quality: Savor the richness and complexity in every spoonful, comparable to a high-end restaurant serving.
- Recipe can be doubled: This small batch soup recipe yields one large bowl of soup but if you’d like to make a second bowl, just double the ingredient amounts.
What Is French Onion Soup?
Originating from France, as the name suggests, French Onion Soup is a soul-warming dish featuring caramelized onions in a robust broth, topped with toasted bread and melted cheese.
Ingredients
For the best results in your single serve French Onion Soup, pay close attention to the ingredients you select. Here’s what you need:
- Butter: It adds a layer of seasoning while sautéing the onions.
- Onion: Choose one small yellow onion and slice it thinly for the perfect caramelization. Yellow onions are naturally sweet, making them ideal for this dish.
- Garlic: A single clove delivers a subtle yet impactful aroma and flavor.
- Seasonings: Opt for dried thyme, salt, and black pepper. These classic seasonings enhance the soup’s overall profile.
- Red wine: Ideal for deglazing the pan and adding depth of flavor. If you’d rather skip the alcohol, using broth is a perfectly fine alternative.
- Flour: All-purpose flour is my go-to for thickening the soup. If you’re following a gluten-free diet, a gluten-free blend works just as well.
- Broth: While beef broth is traditional in French Onion Soup, quality store-bought options can be elusive. To avoid a metallic aftertaste, I use chicken broth for a consistently delicious outcome.
- French bread and cheese: Gruyere is the cheese of choice for authenticity. But don’t worry if you don’t have it on hand; Gouda, Swiss, Fontina, or Mozzarella make great substitutes.
If you have any ingredients leftover from this French Onion Soup recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder
For this soup recipe, I use a 2-quart saucepan. For best results use a pot of similar size.
RELATED: Single Serving Comfort Food Recipes
The Art Of Caramelizing Onions For French Onion Soup
Caramelizing onions is the cornerstone of creating a luscious French Onion Soup. This process magically turns raw onion slices into sweet, sumptuous morsels that act as the dish’s flavorful foundation.
For this single serving recipe, you’ll need just one small onion, although the size isn’t a deal-breaker. Whether small or medium, you can’t really go wrong—the more onion goodness, the better the soup will be.
Start by slicing your onion into thin strips. Place these into a saucepan with melted salted butter and let the caramelization begin. During slow cooking, the onions release their natural sugars, giving them a delectable sweetness that elevates any dish they’re a part of. In terms of timing, aim for 25 minutes to achieve that perfect caramelized texture for this soup.
How To Make French Onion Soup
See the recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
- Melt the butter in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper and cook until the onions are very soft and caramelized, about 25 minutes.
- Add the wine, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the wine has evaporated, about 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally so that the flour doesn’t burn.
- Stir in the chicken broth and bring the soup back to a simmer, cook for 10 minutes.
- Taste and add additional salt, if necessary.
Prepping The Perfect Bread For Your French Onion Soup
Looking to elevate your French Onion Soup game? The bread matters—here’s how to prep the perfect slice that’ll complement your soup without stealing the spotlight.
While the soup is simmering, prepare the bread.
- Heat the broiler. Place the slice of French bread on a baking sheet. Sprinkle the Gruyere cheese over the top and broil until bubbly and golden brown, 3-4 minutes.
- Place the bread in a soup bowl and pour the soup over the top.
Expert Tips
- Gruyere Cheese: For that quintessential French Onion Soup flavor, you can’t go wrong with Gruyere. Its meltability and rich, smooth texture make it the top choice. For other cheese options, check out our Ingredient Notes.
- Choosing the Right Broth: Traditional recipes call for beef broth, but a high-quality store-bought version is often elusive. Many tend to have a metallic tang. To guarantee a satisfying soup, opt for chicken broth instead.
RELATED: The Best Soup Recipes For One
Frequently Asked Questions
Yellow, white, or red onions can all be used in making French Onion Soup. However, I lean towards sweet yellow onions for their balanced flavor profile.
If you find yourself with extra wine after cooking (it happens), you have a couple of options. For those who don’t drink wine regularly, try freezing it in ice cube trays. Next time you need a splash for a recipe, simply pop out a wine cube.
Not a fan of cooking with wine? No worries! While wine adds depth, it’s not essential. Feel free to use dry vermouth, brandy, or even just extra broth to deglaze the pan, as noted in the recipe steps.
You can store the soup sans the cheesy bread in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. To reheat, simply bring it to a boil on the stovetop. The cheesy bread should be prepared fresh for the best experience.
More Single Serving Soup Recipes You’ll Love
Looking for more comforting, easy-to-make single serving soup recipes? Check out these culinary gems perfect for anyone cooking for one.
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder or you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
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If you’ve tried this small batch French onion soup or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.
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French Onion Soup For One
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 small yellow onion , halved lengthwise, then thinly sliced
- 1 clove garlic , chopped
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
- ¼ cup red wine
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 thick slice French bread
- ¼ cup shredded Gruyere cheese
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper and cook until the onions are very soft and caramelized, about 25 minutes.
- Add the wine, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the wine has evaporated, about 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally so that the flour doesn’t burn.
- Stir in the chicken broth and bring the soup back to a simmer, cook for 10 minutes.
- Taste and add additional salt, if necessary.
- Heat the broiler. Place the slice of French bread on a baking sheet. Sprinkle the Gruyere cheese over the top and broil until bubbly and golden brown, 3-4 minutes.
- Place the bread in a soup bowl and pour the soup over the top.
Video
Notes
- Gruyere Cheese: For that quintessential French Onion Soup flavor, you can’t go wrong with Gruyere. Its meltability and rich, smooth texture make it the top choice. For other cheese options, check out our Ingredient Notes.
- Choosing the Right Broth: Traditional recipes call for beef broth, but a high-quality store-bought version is often elusive. Many tend to have a metallic tang. To guarantee a satisfying soup, opt for chicken broth instead.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Made this today for lunch– tasted great and was exactly what I was craving. The recipe was easy to follow and the result was so good I almost wish I had leftovers!
Terrific recipe.
This was decadent and delicious. Thanks for the recipe! I made a few tweaks: deglazed pan with an aged balsamic vinegar, substituted Italian seasoning for the thyme (because I didn’t have any thyme on hand), and used shredded mozzarella cheese for the bread.
This tasted amazing!