Here's a vegan take on the classic French onion soup, topped with crisp bread and melted nondairy cheese. You’ll cry a river while cutting the onions, but you and your family or guests will weep tears of joy while eating this heavenly soup. It's also a good remedy for a cold — all those onions and garlic will do you good! This recipe skips the rather unnecessary step of baking the soup with the bread in it — as really, it's only the bread and cheese that need to be baked. Adapted from Vegan Soups and Hearty Stews for All Seasons by Nava Atlas.

Recipe

Vegan French-Style Onion Soup

Here's a vegan take on the classic French onion soup, topped with crisp bread and melted nondairy cheese. It's also a good remedy for a cold — all those onions and garlic will do you good!

5 from 1 vote

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Course: Soup

Cuisine: Vegan / Healthy

Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword: how to make french onion soup, Vegan French Onion Soup, vegan soup recipe

Prep Time: 25

Cook Time: 1

Total Time: 1 25

Servings:

Calories: 221kcal

Author: Veg Kitchen

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
8 medium onions quartered and thinly sliced (see variation)
3 cloves garlic minced
2 cups water
32- ounce carton low-sodium vegetable broth
¼ cup dry red wine
½ teaspoon dried thyme
2 to 3 tablespoons miso any variety, or to taste; or 2 to 3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce or tamari, or to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Long narrow French or Italian bread as needed
1 ½ cups grated mozzarella-style nondairy cheese

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Heat the oil in a soup pot. Add the onions and sauté over medium-low heat until golden.
Add the garlic and continue to sauté slowly until the onions are very soft and golden, stirring frequently, about 20 to 25 minutes.
Pour the water over the onions and give them a good stir. Then add the broth, wine, and thyme. Bring to a slow boil, then lower the heat. Cover and simmer gently for 15 minutes.
If using miso, dissolve it in a little warm water, then add to the soup. Or, add soy sauce. Either way, add enough of either to taste. Season with pepper. If time allows, you can let the soup stand off the heat for an hour or two to develop flavor (and will it ever!).
Shortly before serving the soup, cut the bread into ½-inch-thick slices, allowing 1 or 2 slices per serving depending on the size of your soup bowls. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 15 minutes, or until dry and crisp, turning the slices over once about halfway through the baking time. You can also do this in a toaster oven.
Just before serving, sprinkle the bread slices with a generous layer of nondairy cheese. Bake in the oven or toaster oven just until melted.
Reheat the soup if needed, until piping hot.
Ladle into bowls and top each serving with a slice of the bread with melted cheese. As the soup and bread are eaten, another cheese-covered slice can be added to the bowl.

Nutrition

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Variation: The onions become very soft when cooked, so if you want to have some that have a bit more tooth to them in the final result, set aside 2 of the 8 onions. When the soup is nearly done, sauté them in a little olive oil over medium heat, stirring often, until touched with brown spots here and there. Stir into the soup before serving.

Nutrition information
Per serving: Calories: 307; Total fat: 15 g; Protein: 7g; Fiber: 6g; Carbs: 37g; Sodium: 613 mg