French Onion Soup Rice (Printable)
Caramelized onions, Gruyère and tender rice baked into a warm, savory casserole—comforting and easy.
# What You'll Need:
→ Vegetables
01 - 2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
02 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
→ Grains
03 - 1 cup long-grain white rice, rinsed
→ Dairy
04 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
05 - 1 cup shredded Gruyère cheese
06 - 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
→ Liquids
07 - 2 1/4 cups low-sodium beef or vegetable broth
08 - 1/4 cup dry white wine (optional)
→ Pantry Staples
09 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
10 - 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
11 - 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
12 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
→ Topping
13 - 1 cup French bread croutons or cubes, toasted
# How to Make It:
01 - Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 2-quart casserole dish and set aside.
02 - In a large skillet, heat olive oil and butter over medium-low heat. Add the sliced onions with a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until deeply caramelized and golden brown, approximately 25 minutes.
03 - Stir in the minced garlic and thyme leaves. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
04 - Pour in the dry white wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Let simmer for 2 to 3 minutes to reduce slightly.
05 - Add the rinsed rice to the onion mixture, stirring to coat each grain. Cook for 2 minutes, allowing the rice to lightly toast and absorb the flavors.
06 - Transfer the onion-rice mixture to the prepared casserole dish. Pour in the broth, season with salt and pepper, and stir gently to combine.
07 - Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes until the rice has absorbed most of the liquid.
08 - Remove the foil and fluff the rice with a fork. Sprinkle the shredded Gruyère and grated Parmesan evenly over the top. Scatter the toasted bread croutons across the surface. Bake uncovered for an additional 10 to 12 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbling.
09 - Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to settle.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- It captures all the soul warming depth of French onion soup without the fussy crock assembly.
- The cheese gets impossibly golden and bubbly on top while the rice underneath stays perfectly tender.
- You probably have almost everything you need in your kitchen right now.
02 -
- If you try to speed up the onions on high heat they will char instead of caramelize and the whole dish will taste bitter.
- Using beef broth instead of vegetable broth gives a dramatically deeper, richer flavor that is closer to the classic soup.
03 -
- Slice your onions as evenly as possible so they all caramelize at the same rate and you do not end up with some burnt and some still raw.
- Letting the rice toast in the onion mixture for the full two minutes before adding broth gives you a nuttier flavor and better texture in the finished dish.