Caramelized onions and lots of gooey cheese come together to taste like the classic French onion soup!
I remember the very first time I tried French onion soup. I was about 5 years old, it was snowing hard outside and my older sisters decided to make soup. For some reason, they decided upon a French onion soup. I remember the smell; it was warm and earthy with the notes of beef broth. The smell was inviting to say the least, which was why I was so eager to get a bowlful.
My 5-year-old self was so disappointed when I got my bowl. The cheese was too bitter (I was not a fan of Swiss cheese) and the onions were thin and slimy. The only thing I liked about the soup was the bread. I pushed my bowl away from me and left the room. It was years before I tried another bowl of French onion soup.
Today, I can see just how beautiful a bowl of French onion soup really is. The salty beef broth is perfect for those sweet caramelized onions. The crusty bread is a must as it soaks up all that delicious broth. The hot and bubbly Gruyere cheese is creamy, nutty and melts right into the broth so that each bite hits you with different flavors and textures. French onion soup is just dreamy.
That exquisite soup is the inspiration behind this sandwich. I cooked down two small onions until they were soft and caramel in color. Then I added just a touch of beef base and a little water so that the onions would take on the flavor of my beloved soup. I placed these onions between two halves of crusty bread and added slices of white cheddar cheese. I know Gruyere is more traditional, but that’s not always easy to find. Swiss cheese would work well too. I like the white cheddar, the sharp flavor seems to pair well with the beef flavoring in the onions, plus it melts nicely too! Think of this recipe as a guideline. Just as you can swap out the cheese, the bread can be changed up as well. I used country style bread that I found in the bakery section of my grocery store. Use what you have access to, as long as it’s on the firm side.
This sandwich is the hand-held version of my favorite soup! It has everything I love about French onion soup, but it’s something you can sink your teeth into!
I’m the sandwich contributor to Food Fanatic!
Other Food Fanatic Recipes Include:
Avocado Grilled Cheese with Roasted Corn
Tori says
Now this is one epic grilled cheese! So my kinda sandwich!
Laurie says
Wow! My husband would love this! Pinning and tweeting to share. Thanks so much for sharing with us at Snickerdoodle Sunday!
Would love if you share with us at Brag About It. Tuesday Link party that starts Mondays at midnight. We’d love to see you there!
Have a great week.
~Laurie
Audrey says
It is almost lunchtime here and I know what I am going to make! YUM! Thanks for sharing on the Creative K. Kids Tasty Tuesdays Linky Party. I hope you will join us again next week.
Stephanie says
We have french dip all the time, I should try this on a rustic bread and grill it!!
Thanks for sharing at #HomeMattersParty!!
Lisa @ Fun Money Mom says
This looks so delicious…much better than the boring grilled cheese that I usually make…LOL! Thanks so much for linking your recipe up at Share The Wealth Sunday…I’ve chosen this post as one of my top five for the week and I’ll be featuring it on my FB page as well as at the next blog hop!
xoxo
Lisa
Morgan @ Morgan Manages Mommyhood says
The cravings you just started – unreal. I need to make this ASAP! French onion soup is my all time favorite!
Frugal Hausfrau says
Ok, so my mouth is watering!! All those fantastic flavors in a sandwich! Yum! Thanks for linking up to us on Throwback Thursday and we’ll be pinning to our board! Be sure to visit us there and I can’t wait to see what you’ll be bringing next week.
Mollie
Alli @ Tornadough Alli says
Oh my heavenly stars this looks amazing! This awesome grilled cheese will be featured at tonight’s Throwback Thursday! We want to thank you for linking up with us and hope to see you again tonight!
Deanna says
I have put caramelized onions on grilled cheese but this sounds wonderful, too.
I followed you here from Throwback Thursday on Tornadough Alli. 🙂