French Onion Soup with Lentils – The Ultimate Winter Comfort Food

Thanks to my mom, I have loved French Onion Soup since I was a young girl. She would order it often when we went out and soon got tired of sharing with me and I was able to get my own. I can’t really blame her, I probably ate almost all of it. After all, it’s hard to go wrong with the rich flavor and cheesy bread topping. I love the simplicity, yet complex flavors of the soup. It’s easily in my top three favorite soups!

I recently decided to do a little twist on a classic French Onion Soup and add French lentils. Lentils are an excellent source of iron, folate, potassium and are high in protein. Along with nutrients, they also add a bit more texture and heartiness to the dish.

Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.

Types of Lentils

For my recipe, I typically use French green lentils or brown lentils. Both green and brown lentils hold their shape very well, making them excellent options for soups, stews, veggie burgers and as a side dish. Green lentils have a slightly more peppery taste compared to brown lentils which is why I like to use them for French Onion Soup. However, both are tasty options!

There are also red and yellow lentils. I wouldn’t recommend these for this recipe as they disintegrate when cooked. This is great for thickening soups/stews or for many Middle Eastern and Indian dishes, but we want our lentils to hold our shape for our dish. I also would not recommend using specialty lentils such as black lentils.

I purchased our lentils in bulk so we always have them on hand for recipes. Lentils are good for buying in bulk as they have a long shelf life. They are nutritious and delicious and are a great addition for a variety of meals. Azure is our go-to for bulk shopping. We got our 5 pound bag of organic lentils for under $10. You can purchase them here: Organic Green Lentils . They also have brown lentils available.

Cooking Lentils

I love cooking with lentils because they only take 20-30 minutes to cook and require no presoaking. You do however need to sort and rinse lentils before cooking to make sure there are no debris.

Kitchen Gadgets/ Tools

Not much is needed to make this soup. All you need is a good heavy bottom stock pot or Dutch oven. Here are some great options:

Ingredients

Stock: Traditional French Onion Soup uses beef stock, however I do not eat beef products so I used Better Than Bouillon No Beef Base. It’s a great vegetarian option that is packed with flavor ( a little goes a long way!). You can also sub vegetable stock/broth or of course just beef stock.

• 

• 

Onions: For French Onion Soup I always use yellow onions. You could also use sweet onions or even red onions. The key for the recipe is to cut them into “half moons” and to caramelize the onions properly to really enhance the flavor of the soup.

Our Favorite Worcestershire Sauce – Our secret ingredient that adds an extra boost of flavor

Wine: Many recipes will call for a dry red of white wine to deglaze your pan. This step is completely optional but I highly recommend! I decided to deglaze with an aged balsamic vinegar. You could also deglaze with apple cider vinegar, which pairs nicely with onions and garlic.

Cheese & Bread: The traditional cheese for French Onion cheese is Gruyere cheese. You could also use Swiss, Fontina or I’ve used Smoked Gouda. Totally up to you. For bread, I like to use a crusty French bread or hearty sourdough. Anything crusty really! For my recipe, I spread garlic butter onto the bread first. You then have two options:

1. Place the bread on a baking pan with the cheese and broil until bubbly. Then place the bread onto the top of your soup.
2. If you have oven safe soup bowls, add the bread with butter and cheese directly on top of your soup and broil in your soup bowl.

Soup Crocks, 22 oz, Set of 4

Thickening Your Soup

You have the option of thickening your soup. It will be a little thicker than traditional French Onion Soup since we have added lentils. However, if you would like to thicken your soup you could either:

1. After caramelizing your onions, add 2-3 tbsp of flour and mix. Then proceed to deglaze your pan ( if you decide to deglaze).
2. In the last 5-10 minutes of cook time, add 2-3 tbsp of flour or corn starch with water ( enough to form a paste like consistency) in a glass, then slowly add to your soup while stirring. This way the flour or corn starch does not clump in your soup.

Now let’s get to the part you’ve been waiting for, the recipe!