2 Notes on Panera's French Onion Soup

So I have been curious if I could just use one or two types of onions in the soup, instead of five, and still have it taste the same. I also wondered if I could get away with using a cheaper but similar cheese and have it still taste great. So today, I tried it! I will let you know just how it turned out too! :)

1. So instead of the five types of onions Panera's recipe calls for, I used about 2 lbs. of Yellow Onions and 2 lbs. of White Onions. I did everything else the same for the soup recipe. I was pleased to find it still tastes like Panera's! I suppose there might be a subtle disctinction but I would probably only be able to notice the difference if I had a side by side taste test. So it's a relief that I only have to buy two types of onions to make a great French Onion Soup at home. (I got them on sale at King Soopers and it was only about $4 all together for all those onions! So it's significantly cheaper than getting 5 varieties!)

2. I had a hard time trying this because the one thing I love the most about Panera's French Onion Soup is that they don't have ridiculous amounts of stringy cheese on top. In fact, they have just enough cheese on top and it's really not even stringy at all. I noticed that when I was making the croutons last time and put the cheese on them the "Gruyere" smelled and tasted a lot like regular Swiss cheese as we know it. So, I thought I would try the croutons with Swiss instead of Gruyere. I was again pleasantly surprised at the end result. It didn't have as strong of a flavor of the cheese and with the Gruyere but, since Swiss is so much cheaper I am pretty sure I will always use Swiss from now on!

Just thought I would update you on those two things! Have fun in the kitchen, till next time! :)

Panera's French Onion Soup

I love French Onion Soup. My favorite has got to be Panera's and my mom recently sent me their recipe. You can't find it on their website anymore...but here's a link to it. I just had to try it, and I was pleased with the results. In fact, apparently it was so good my husband now likes onions. (Or so he says...not sure I believe him yet.)

I made a slight variation in my soup due to what I had on hand. It really did taste just about identical to their French Onion Soup at Panera Bread though. So I am definitely impressed they actually put their recipe on the web! :)

I made a half batch because I only cook for two and quite frankly I don't have a big enoguh pot for a whole batch. (Who really does?!?) I had all the types of onions except for leeks, so I didn't put them in. I also used dried Thyme instead of fresh. Beware when you are buying the ingredients because the "Gruyere" cheese is quite expensive. (Expect to pay around $20 a pound, but you don't need a whole pound for this recipe.) You wouldn't have to get this type, but I highly recommend it. It was just the perfect touch to ensure it tasted like Panera's soup.

I hope you enjoy this soup at home as much as I did. Get cooking, if you'd like! :)