Instant Pot French Onion Soup
Savory beef stock, caramelized onions, perfectly toasted bread all topped with melted Gruyere cheese – does it get any more comforting? This Instant Pot French Onion Soup is the perfect thing to eat on those chilly days. Made in the Instant Pot, you get all of that delicious flavor in a fraction of the time.
Not quite sure how but Jack just had his 100th day of 1st grade distance learning. Never did I think that we would be in a position where we would have willingly choose to have our kid experience 1st grade digitally.
I know there has been a lot of negativity surrounding distance learning, but that’s not the case for everyone. A lot of kids have struggled with this change but, not Jack. He has been flourishing. He has memorized all of his Zoom meeting ID’s and passcodes. He wears his Fitbit and keeps track of the time to make sure he is on time to his meetings. He is super focused and gets all of his work done everyday.
We knew that Jack would do well with distance learning this year, mainly because of the consistency it provided. But he has blown us away with the gains he has made. Not only has he improved in reading, writing and math but he has become more independent, self-assured and mature.
He has become a technology wiz. The kid can maneuver around Zoom better than most adults. Just yesterday, he asked me if I knew how to share my screen on Zoom so someone else can edit your document. No, no I do not know how to do that.
You definitely can’t replace the learning that takes place in a classroom but Jack has learned some really important life skills through distance learning. As a 7 year old, he has developed the self control to see Will and I playing in the snow outside, come out and say hi and then inform us that he has to get back to work. The first time he did this, I was floored. Now, this has become a daily occurrence.
He has become so much more vocal in the classroom. He used to struggle with speaking up and participating in class. Not this year. He is always the first to answer questions, tell the teacher when she has run 3 minutes past the scheduled meeting time and tell classmates when they did a good job.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I am beyond excited to send him back to school next year. But, in a year where our lives have been turned upside down, I am beyond proud of our Jack for truly turning lemons into lemonade.
The temps are warming up in Minnesota but we still have snow on the ground. It’s that weird in between time where we are all craving spring but winter is still holding on strong. That means soup season isn’t quite over. Not yet!
This Instant Pot French Onion Soup is absolutely delicious. The combination of a savory beef broth, caramelized onions, thick toasty bread and loads of melted cheese is just perfect. I could literally eat this soup every day.
Instant Pot French Onion Soup Ingredients
- yellow onions
- garlic
- butter
- sugar
- salt
- red wine
- beef stock
- worcestershire
- bay leaves
- dried thyme
- French bread
- shredded Gruyere (or Swiss) cheese
- salt and pepper
Instant Pot French Onion Soup
The Instant Pot is the perfect way to cook this soup. You are able to caramelize the onions using the Sauté mode and then cut down significantly on the cook time by cooking under pressure. The soup is then finished in the oven, where the bread gets crusty and the cheese gets melty. You are going to enjoy this soup!
Veggie-Based Recipes
Let’s Talk Onions
Traditionally, French Onion Soup is made using yellow onions. Yellow onions tend to have a milder taste and just a hint of sweetness when they are caramelized. But, if you can’t find yellow onions, or you have another type on hand, you can use white or red onions. Your soup will still taste delicious.
Onions Make Me Cry
Whenever I think about cutting onions, I can’t help but think of my sister. In 5th grade, she designed a science experiment to investigate the best way to cut onions to prevent crying. She tried a variety of options but ultimately came to the conclusion that wearing goggles was the most effective way to prevent tears. This conclusion always made me laugh, until I came across my first pair of Onion Goggles at a store. Apparently, she was onto something back then! So, if cutting onions is a problem for you, you might want to look at buying a pair of goggles for yourself!
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What Type of Broth Should I Use?
Traditionally, French Onion Soup is made with Beef Stock. However, if you would like to make this recipe vegetarian, you can use Veggie Broth as a substitute (check out my easy recipe for Homemade Vegetable Broth).
Healthy, Quick & Easy Recipes
Whenever I ask my readers what types of recipes they would like to see more of, the resounding answer is always “quick and easy dinners”. I always like hearing that answer because those are the kind of recipes that I want to make! So, whenever you come to Land of 10,000 Recipes, you will always be able to find recipes that are healthy, quick and easy!
Tips for Involving Kids
- Let your kids help you cut up the onions with their very own knives! You can find them here. When I let Jack and Will help me cut onions, their eyes never water but mine always do. Because of this, they cut onions a lot more than I do!
- Have your kids measure out the broth and pour it into the Instant Pot.
- There is always going to be a mess when you cook with your kids but, like my little guy Will says, “It’s okay Mom, chefs make messes and then they clean it up.” Have fun cooking with your kids!
Instant Pot French Onion Soup
Ingredients
- 3 medium yellow onions sliced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 1 tsp sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup red wine can use red cooking wine
- 4 cups beef stock
- ½ Tbsp Worcestershire
- 3 bay leaves
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- 4 slices French bread
- 1 cup shredded Gruyere or Swiss cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Select “Sauté” on your Instant Pot and add the onions, garlic and butter.3 medium yellow onions, 3 cloves garlic, 1 Tbsp butter
- Sprinkle the sugar and the salt on top of the onions and sauté for 5 minutes.1 tsp sugar, ½ tsp salt
- Add the red wine and cook for an additional 5 minutes.½ cup red wine
- Add the beef stock, Worcestershire, thyme, bay leaves and salt and pepper.4 cups beef stock, ½ Tbsp Worcestershire, 3 bay leaves, ½ tsp dried thyme, salt and pepper
- Place the lid on top and cook on “High Pressure” for 5 minutes.
- When the soup is done cooking, let the pressure naturally release for 5 minutes and then release the remaining pressure manually.
- Turn the oven on and select “Broil”.
- Divide the soup into 4 ramekins and place one slice of bread on top of each. Top with gruyere cheese.4 slices French bread, 1 cup shredded Gruyere
- Bake in the oven until the cheese is melted on top (make sure to watch it closely so it doesn’t burn). Enjoy!
