Soup Season - Slow cooker French Onion soup

There are only a few downsides to growing your own onions.  One of those is sprouting.  I do not have a root cellar.  I do the best I can with my garage and some burlap and baskets, and it generally works very well, but every now and again I go to get an onion or potato and I will find that they have started to sprout and will need to be used right away.  This time I had four onions that sprouted and I decided that a nice pot of French onion soup and some fresh made crusty bread would be the perfect way to use them!  Both take about 10 hours to get to tasting their best, so I put them in as I was making breakfast for the kids and by dinner it was perfect!

Slow-cooker French Onion Soup

• 4 Tbs butter
• 4 Med onions, sliced
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 Tbs balsamic vinegar
• 2 Tbs brown sugar
• 2 cubes vegetable or beef bullion
• 64 oz vegetable or beef broth

Sauté the onions and garlic in the butter until the onions go clear.

Now is the hardest part, caramelize the onions for about 25 minutes on med-low heat, stirring occasionally to make sure they do not burn.  This is where most of the flavor comes from.  So it isn’t a step to skip. 

After they are good and carmely (they will be soft and many will be broken down so they break up when you mix them with a spoon) then add them to the slow-cooker. 

Add in thyme, pepper, brown sugar, vinegar, bullion, and broth. 

Let cook for 8-10 hours on low. 

(If you like a thicker French onion soup, about 25 minutes before serving, mix 2 Tbs flour with a cup of water or broth and add that into the slow-cooker.)

For serving - it is customary for a piece of French bread to be placed on the top of the soup and then a slice of cheese (provolone or gruyere) to be broiled on top, creating a delicious crust that your spoon breaks through to get to the yummy sweet and yet tangy onion soup beneath.  I did not do that because my bread was not finished cooking and I didn’t want to wait that long.  I just dug my spoon into the soup and enjoyed.  lol!  But for a even nicer finished product, I do highly suggest it!