Our Favorite French Onion Soups

Great French onion soup promises lush texture and exquisite flavor balance. Our French onion soup delivers and gets huge flavor from a culinary ally: Britain's umami bomb. Look for jars of Marmite with other British ingredients on the international foods aisle.

Caramelized onions, melted cheese, and warm, aromatic broth are the quintessential components of this bistro classic. It's perhaps one of the most comforting dishes to make at home, and we've come up with four variations so you can do just that.

First up is our most classic recipe. It's worth the effort to make your own stock for this supersimple soup, but if you want to save time, you can use store-bought lower-sodium broth. You'll need to reduce the amount of salt you add to the soup by half.

We've updated the classic soup with whole-grain barley, whose hearty chew is a tasty addition. Pearl barley may be quick-cooking, but it's not whole grain; choose whole-grain barley here, sometimes labeled "hulled barley" and often found in the bulk foods section.

Caramelize onions hands-free: Place 2 tablespoons oil, onions, and thyme in slow-cooker; cover and cook on high 8 hours. When onions are deep golden, remove from slowcooker and continue cooking. The results are well worth the time spent in the kitchen.

The slow cooker completely eliminates the stirring part of caramelizing onions; it all goes happily unattended. Freeze the bag of soup in a bowl rather than laying it flat, so it will fit in the saucepan when it's time to thaw.

Apples are a tasty welcomed addition to this traditional comforting classic of stringy melted Swiss, sweet onions, and sourdough bread.

Once you try this classic French Onion Soup recipe, you'll never try another. It culminates in a rich-tasting soup with melt-in-your-mouth onions.

Chock-full of fiber-rich barley, this French onion soup is a tasty variation on the classic. You can omit the sherry or replace it with white wine if you wish.