Vegetarian French Onion Soup {with Spiralized Onions}
Two secrets give this vegetarian french onion soup recipe all of the flavor and umami of the original! Running the onions through a spiralizer makes this incredibly quick to prepare, won't sting your eyes, and gives the onions an even finish. Winning!
1kg(2.2lbs)onions (for me this was 6 medium onions)
40g(3Tbsp)butter
2tspbrown sugar
4clovesgarlic, crushed
2Tbspplain white flour
250ml(1cup)dry white wine
950ml(4cups)vegetable stock / broth
2tspsoy sauce
1tspmarmite
2bay leaves
A few small sprigs of rosemary, for garnish (optional)
Baguette slices, 2 per serving
½cupgrated gruyere cheese
Instructions
First, prep the onions by spiralizing them. How easy was that?
In a large, heavy pan, melt the butter over a low heat. Add all of the spiralized onions, and then the sugar. Stir to ensure that everything is coated in butter. Place the lid on the pan and cook on the lowest possible heat for at least an hour, stirring every 15 minutes or so, until they are completely soft, brown and richly caramelised. The long strands of onion will have mostly broken up by this point.
Then, add the garlic to the pan and stir into the onions, just until the fragrance starts to come out.
Add the flour and stir in until evenly distributed.
Add the white wine and bring up the heat. Allow to bubble for a couple of minutes, and then add the vegetable stock, soy sauce, marmite and bay leaves.
Simmer for another hour, or until you're ready to eat.
To serve, ladle the soup into bowls. Top with a couple slices of toasted baguette and pile them high with gruyere cheese. Grill until the cheese is melty and crisp.
Notes
You'll want a large, heavy pan to caramelize your onions in. I used a 4.4 litre (approx 3.9 quart) cast iron pot for this.