French Onion Soup for the CrockPot

Yes, the CrockPot love continues!  This recipe is an old favorite at our house that I've just recently started making in the CrockPot.  I've made it so many times that I don't even have to reference the cookbook anymore to make it.  I love it when I get to that point with a recipe.  (Although, maybe that's an indicator that I'm stuck in a recipe rut.  Hmmm.  Anyway, I digress.)

Be sure you've gathered up all the following ingredients:

1/4 c. butter

3 onions (yellow or red)

2 Tbs. sugar

1/2 c. red wine

2 cloves garlic, minced

carton of beef broth

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

6 slices of toasted French bread or other crusty bread

6 slices of Swiss cheese (or you could use 6 oz. shredded Gruyere, if you want to be fancy:)



Thinly slice your onions.  I try to spend as little time chopping raw onions as possible, so I just pop mine in my food processor.

Now, I suspect that you could just throw everything in the CrockPot, set it on low and have a yummy dinner ready by 5:30, but I can't say that I've actually tried that.  I melt my butter in a large saucepan on the stovetop and add the onions, sugar, wine, and garlic.  I cook these until the onions are softened, 10 minutes or so.  Then, I transfer it to the CrockPot.  Add broth, salt, and pepper.  Cook on low until dinner time.

 When you're ready to serve, ladle your soup into 6 oven-proof bowls and top with toasted bread and cheese slices.  Place all bowls on a rimmed baking sheet for easier handling.  Broil on low for 5-7 minutes or until cheese is slightly browned and bubbly.

Mmmmmmmmmm.

I do not like any crunch to my onion soup, so I love cooking it in the Crock Pot because the onions are nice and soft.   You could pair this with a fancy Panini or something, but it's a pretty hearty soup, so we usually just have a big salad on the side.  I love that it's a no-frill recipe with ingredients that I usually have on hand and yet is so good!  If anyone decides to try this recipe using the just-dump-it-all-in-the-CrockPot method, please report back and let me know how it went!