Our Favorite French Onion Soup

French onion soup has a complex origin story. Some say 18th-century monarch Louis XV, noticing the abundance of butter, onions, and wine in his larder, instructed his staff to get simmering. Others believe Stanisław Leszczynski, Duke of Lorraine, was the first member of the royal court to embrace this luxurious soup made from but a humble onion. In either case, centuries earlier, a 14th-century cookbook, Le Viandier de Taillevent, included a recipe combining sliced onions with pea broth and water or verjus (consider that permission to swap out the beef broth in this recipe for your favorite vegetable broth or even chicken stock).

A half a millennium later, French onion soup still feels timeless. Cooking sweet onions low-and-slow in melted butter not only makes your kitchen smell spectacular, it also gives this bistro classic its rich, velvety raison d’être. Don’t swap in yellow onions or olive oil; they’ll alter the taste and texture. Use Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, or any other dry white wine you like to drink to deglaze the pan. Then, simmer the caramelized onions with thyme sprigs and homemade bone broth or whatever alternative works best for you while you preheat the oven.

Swap the French bread “crouton” for ciabatta or another hearty loaf if you like, and the Gruyère for coarsely grated Swiss cheese or Fontina. Dry sherry has a salty, nutty flavor; just a splash works overtime to give this French onion soup recipe layers of savory flavor, but in a pinch, you could swap it for dry vermouth.