How to Make Homemade Decadent Cream of Caramelized Onion Soup

It has been a busy day today in the kitchen.  Bread was made, tater tots were made and then along comes the need for cream of onion soup for a recipe that I'm posting tomorrow.  I was challenged to make a better and healthier version of tater tot casserole.  Yes.  That icky casserole that a lot of people are fond of that contains frozen veggies, preservative and salt laden canned soup and processed tater tots that people assemble at home and refer to it as homemade instead of what it really is... home assembled.  I would eat a can of cat food before I ate that casserole with those processed ingredients, but that's just me.  I love food, but  over the years, that love has evolved into where I love GOOD food.

This soup served two purposes for me.  Lunch today and it will also be used to make the casserole tomorrow.  It's creamy, full of caramelized onion flavor and if a soup can be stunning, this one would be exactly that.

Caramelizing the onion is the longest part of this recipe because it's a step that simply can not be rushed.  I liken the excitement of this step to watching paint dry.  Until you see that first little sign of browning, it is a very boring half hour.

Once the onions have caramelized, you are home free from there and the rest of the process goes extremely quick.  Ten minutes later, you are sitting down to try one of the best cream of onion soups to ever come out of your kitchen.

This can be made a day or two in advance and chilled in the fridge.  Warm it up on the stove instead of the microwave for an even reheat, it's a bit thicker since it is a "cream of something" soup.  Use it instead of the canned soups in your casseroles and you will definitely taste the difference.

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter (NOT margarine)

4 large white or yellow onions

A scant pinch of sugar

1 large (or 2 small) cloves of garlic, minced

2 Tablespoons flour

2 cups WHOLE milk
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons full fat sour cream (if you try to use low or reduced fat, it won't work)
salt and pepper to your taste
fresh flat leaf parsley (optional for garnish)

Prep time: 15 minutes     Cook time: 45 minutes     Ready in:   1 hour     Yields: approx 4, 1 cup servings

How to Make Homemade Decadent Cream of Onion Soup

Start with peeling and slicing the 4 onions.  You want a thin slice but not paper thin.  A little under 1/4" slices will be just perfect.

Melt the butter in the pan over medium heat.  Add all of the onions and sprinkle the scant pinch of sugar over the top.  Be VERY careful not to add too much sugar.  It is meant to help brown the onions quicker, not to add any sweetness.  Too much sugar will give you sweetness in the soup and you don't want that.

Stir the onions to break them up and distribute the sugar.  Turn the heat down to low and this is the start of the longest part of the recipe.  Caramelizing the onions.

The top photo is about 5 minutes in.  You'll want to stir the onions every few minutes.  The bottom photo is about 10 minutes in and they still aren't done yet.

15 minutes and 20 minutes into the caramelization.  So close but not there yet!  Keep stirring.

25 minutes after starting, the onions are ready.  They are beautifully brown enough for the soup.  They still have some of their firmness but are extremely soft.

The rest of the soup preparation goes extremely quick.  Add the minced garlic and stir until you can smell the garlic.  You don't want to brown the garlic, just open up the smell and flavor.

Turn the heat up on the burner to medium.  Add the flour and stir for approximately 1 minute to cook the flour.

Add the whole milk, one cup at a time while constantly stirring.  The soup will start to thicken.  Add the cream and continue to stir.

Add the sour cream and stir until it is dissolved into the soup.  Keep stirring until the soup is thick.

Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.

That's it.  Your soup is done!

If you are eating this soup as a meal, ladle it into bowls and garnish with fresh flat leaf parsley if you want.  If you are going to be using it in a casserole or for cooking, ladle it into 1 cup portions and put into the refrigerator.  Use within the next few days.

Happy eating my friends!  If you try this, please let me know what you thought about it.