If you’re looking for a comforting and delicious soup recipe, try this English onion soup – a vegetarian version of the classic with a few twists.
Usually, a French Onion Soup contains onions, beef stock, wine and very little else. This is my version, and so it includes ingredients that a typical French Onion Soup usually wouldn’t – like bay leaves, and thyme. I also used vegetable stock rather than beef stock (and brandy rather than white wine) – not only does this make it vegetarian, it also makes it lighter and fresher. I really enjoy this version, and I hope you will too.
Don’t get me wrong, I adore the original version, but I think it tastes better when the onions are cooked for a long, long time – and I don’t have time for that tonight. I’ve used comte (a hard, French cow’s milk cheese) on the croutons as a nod to where the original came from; however any hard cheese such as gouda would work equally well. With French Onion Soup, you also tend to put the croutons in the soup, but I prefer them nice and crispy so I leave them on the side.
This will take about 40 minutes, and will serve 4. The leftovers get better with time, so make great lunches!
Ingredients, Substitutions and Variations
- Butter – my English onion soup (as is the case with French onion soup) tastes its absolute best when cooked in butter. However, if you wanted a vegan version of this soup, you could switch for olive oil and use a vegan cheese on the croutons.
- Onions – use white, brown or yellow onions. As big as possible!
- Bay leaves and thyme leaves – use fresh if you can get them.
- Plain flour – to thicken the soup. You could also use cornflour.
- Brandy – if you like, you can stick to the original with white wine but I think this brings a lovely sweetness – particularly as we aren’t cooking the onions for as long.
- Vegetable stock – or 750ml water and a good vegetable stock cube.
- French baguette – for the croutons. You could use any crusty bread.
- Comte – or any other hard cheese.
Top Tips
- Cooking the onions
The onions need cooking low and slow – don’t rush them. We’re not caramelising them to the point of a French onion soup, but they still need time to soften and develop flavour.
- Soup too thin?
I don’t like my English onion soup to be too thick – I like to really notice the strands of onion in there. However, if you would like yours to be thicker, you can just add a little more flour.
- Watch the croutons
They burn quickly! You want to catch them when they are just golden brown with beautiful melty cheese.
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English Onion Soup with Comte Croutons
June 5, 2024Ingredients
- 10 g butter
- 3 large onions
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 pinch thyme leaves
- 10 g plain flour
- 1 small glass brandy
- 750 ml vegetable stock
- 4 large slices French baguette
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 40 g grated comte
Instructions
- Finely slice the onions and add to a large saucepan with the butter, bay leaves, thyme and a pinch of salt. Cook over a medium-low heat, stirring every few minutes to make sure it doesn’t stick, for about 20-25 minutes until golden.
- Add the flour, mix well, then add the brandy and bubble down. Add the stock and bring to a simmer, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Taste, and add more seasoning if necessary.
- For the croutons, put the grill on high, the drizzle the olive oil onto a baking tray, then rub the bread in the oil to ensure an even coating. Put under the grill for 3-4 minutes until beginning to turn toast, then pile on the grated cheese. Put back under the grill and cook until the cheese is bubbling and golden.
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