French Onion Short Rib Soup with Gruyère Toast Recipe
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4.8 from 9 reviews
A rich and comforting French Onion Short Rib Soup featuring tender, fall-apart beef short ribs simmered with caramelized onions and aromatic herbs, topped with crusty baguette slices melted with nutty Gruyère cheese for an indulgent and hearty meal.
Total Time:3 hours 20 minutes
Yield:6 servings
Ingredients
Meat and Broth
3 pounds beef short ribs
8 cups beef stock
Vegetables and Aromatics
6 yellow onions, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
Fats and Oils
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
Wine and Seasonings
1 cup dry red wine
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
Bread and Cheese
1 French baguette, sliced
2 cups shredded Gruyère cheese
Instructions
Season and Brown Short Ribs: Season the beef short ribs with salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium-high heat and brown the short ribs on all sides until nicely seared. Remove the ribs and set aside.
Caramelize Onions: Add butter and additional olive oil to the same pot. Stir in the thinly sliced onions and cook over low heat for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are deeply caramelized and golden brown.
Add Garlic and Deglaze: Stir in the minced garlic and cook briefly to release aroma. Pour in the dry red wine to deglaze the pot, scraping up all the browned bits from the bottom. Let the wine reduce for a few minutes to concentrate the flavors.
Simmer Soup: Add the beef stock, fresh thyme sprigs, and bay leaves to the pot. Return the browned short ribs to the pot. Cover and simmer gently for 2 hours 30 minutes to 3 hours, until the meat is tender and falling off the bone.
Prepare Gruyère Toasts: While the soup simmers, preheat the broiler. Toast the baguette slices under the broiler until golden brown. Top each slice with shredded Gruyère cheese and return to the broiler until the cheese is melted, bubbly, and lightly browned.
Finish and Serve: Remove the bay leaves and thyme stems from the soup. Ladle the hot soup into bowls and top each serving with a cheesy Gruyère toast. Serve immediately while hot.
Notes
For extra depth of flavor, you can brown the short ribs in batches to avoid overcrowding the pot.
If short on time, caramelize onions under low heat but be careful not to burn them.
The dry red wine can be substituted with additional beef stock or a non-alcoholic red wine for a milder taste.
Baguette slices can be toasted in a toaster oven if a broiler is unavailable.
Gruyère cheese can be replaced with Swiss or Emmental cheese for a similar flavor.
Leftover soup tastes even better the next day once flavors meld.
