Vegan Mofo! French onion soup.
Ah, French Onion Soup. Or, “what to do with your leftover seitan cooking broth.” I always add a bunch of sliced onions, garlic, a bay leaf or two, and some sage to my seitan broth, so its already the perfect broth for french onion soup. I use a mix of Better Than Bouillon and tamari for my broth, so it’s pretty rich, and I think simmering with the seitan somehow makes it even better.
When I first went vegetarian and then vegan some ten years ago, french onion soup was one thing on restaurant menus that I really regretted not being able to order. Oh, that melty cheese, the floaty bread, the rich, oniony soup! Alas, not even vegetarian since it’s almost always cooked with beef stock. I’m sure there are people who would swear on their mother’s grave that you simply cannot make french onion soup without beef stock. Whatever. Here’s my entirely non-traditional but nonetheless delicious vegan version! I don’t have a recipe exactly since I tend to just improvise soups, but you can easily veganize just about any traditional recipe.
This is a very simple soup. You can make it with only onions, but I like adding some finely chopped parsley, garlic (not pictured), and celery and also some grated carrot.
I like using Earth Balance to cook my onions, but you can also use olive oil or any oil really. Slice the onions up nice and thin, and let them caramelize. This is really important- you want them to be nice and golden and not crunchy. Add the celery and garlic when the onions are starting to brown a little bit.
Once the onions are ready, add some sherry to deglaze the pan, then add your broth, the chopped parsley, and the grated carrot. My broth already had seasonings in it from the seitan cooking (bay leaf and sage) but if you like you could add some thyme as well. Let everything simmer a bit longer, then ladle it into bowls. I have these little crock bowls with handles on them which are perfect for this, but you could use any bowl that will handle being put under the broiler (preferably something not too fragile). It’s a good idea to put your bowls inside a baking pan when you put them in the broiler, so you can just grab the pan and not worry about scalding soup sloshing out on your hand.
Float some toasted bread (I used some nice French baguette slices) on top of the soup, then pile on some grated vegan cheese. I use Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet Mozarella or Monterey Jack, since those are easy to find in stores. I’m sure any other kind of melty vegan cheese would work well too though. Stick your bowls under the broiler for a few minutes to melt the cheese, and enjoy (careful, it’s HOT)!
Wow great recipe! I must try
WOAH! You’re a girl after my own heart! I absolutely adore Soup and this one looks a right corker! Thanks for the recipe – this is getting made for sure!
Happy Mofo’ing.
Yum! When I first went vegan, I made onion soup all_the_time! (without the cheese, though) I haven’t made it in years, think I will have to re-visit!
I have fond fond fond memories of eating french onion soup at my family’s old restaurant, as a kid. That looks so good!!
p.s. My parents had those same bowls and that’s what we at them out of!
What a great idea to use seitan broth for onion soup. It’s just right for it.
That looks fantastic!
Looks delicious! My sister misses French Onion soup since she went vegan – what is the recipe you use exactly?
Hi Niki,
Sorry, I don’t use an exact recipe, just kind of wing it. Totally not helpful, I know! However, I do remember being inspired to make it after seeing Alton Brown make it on his show. Here’s a link to his recipe, which looks pretty good (just sub veggie broth for the beef and chicken).
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/french-onion-soup-recipe/index.html