I will admit: I have only had french onion soup once in my life. It was one of those dishes that I always loved, but never actually ordered when I was out at a restaurant. Truthfully, it has always seemed pretty granny-ish to me but, of course now that I’m a vegetarian I’m craving it like WOAH. It’s something about warm soup topped with bread and cheese that makes me want to conquer a veggie version…

3 large yellow onions, cut into strips
2 cloves of garlic, minced
3 tsp. sugar
8 c. vegetable broth
3 tbs. butter or margarine
2 tbs. olive oil
1 tbs. balsamic vinegar
1 tbs. soy sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
1 loaf of french bread, cut into slices
1/4 lb. muenster cheese (provolone or gruyere would work too!)

In a large pot on medium, melt butter and olive oil. Sauté garlic, then add onions. Sprinkle onions with sugar and stir. Cook until translucent (almost mushy), about 25 minutes. Add vegetable broth, vinegar and soy sauce, then bring to a boil. On a sheet pan, toast bread on broil in the oven, then melt slices of cheese on top. Serve soup with cheesy bread!

Note for making superb onion soup: Bread soaked with hot soup = a recipe for DISASTER. Make sure you let this cool, because I totally burnt my tongue… Other than that, it’s a pretty simple recipe! It’s imperative that you cook the onions until they’re very soft. It allows them to lose their strong flavor, and take on a taste with more depth. I can tell you this soup was great, but anything covered with cheese is obviously going to be delicious!