This French onion soup with beef short ribs has great flavor and is a bit more hearty than the classic. The microwave-, oven-, and dishwasher-safe crocks cost around $30 for a set of four and come in handy for all sorts of things, so they are worth it.
Ingredients
- all-purpose flour: 1 cup
- salt: 2 Tbsp (to taste)
- ground black pepper: 1 Tbsp (to taste)
- paprika: 1 Tbsp
- garlic powder: 1 Tbsp
- onion powder: 1 Tbsp
- meaty beef short ribs: 8 piece
- olive oil: 3 Tbsp
- butter: 0.5 cup
- sweet onions (such as Vidalia®), sliced and separated into rings: 8 piece
- quarts beef broth: 2 piece
- sherry: 0.5 cup
- sprigs fresh thyme: 12 piece
- loaf French bread: 1 piece (1 pound, sliced)
- Gruyère cheese: 2 cups (shredded)
Metric Conversion
Stages of cooking
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Mix together flour, 2 tablespoons salt, 1 tablespoon black pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder in a bowl. Dredge beef short ribs in seasoned flour mixture. Reserve 3 tablespoons leftover seasoned flour.
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Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Cook beef ribs in hot oil until browned, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Remove ribs and set aside.
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Reduce heat to medium and melt butter in the pot. Cook and stir sweet onions in butter until soft and slightly browned, about 15 minutes; reduce heat if onions begin to burn.
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Stir 3 tablespoons reserved seasoned flour into onions. Cook and stir for 10 minutes. Pour in beef broth and sherry; bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until soup is slightly thickened. Season with salt and black pepper.
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Strip leaves from thyme sprigs and add leaves to soup. Return short ribs to the pot, reduce heat to low, and simmer until ribs are tender, about 2 1/2 hours. Stir soup every hour or so.
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Preheat the oven broiler.
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Ladle soup into oven-safe soup crocks. Carefully place a short rib into each crock. Top each soup with 2 slices French bread and sprinkle about 1/4 cup Gruyère cheese over each crock.
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Place crocks under the preheated broiler until cheese is browned and bubbling, 2 to 3 minutes.
