A slight twist adds another savory note to this already classically delicious soup. Onions, mushrooms and herbs bathed in broth and wine and combined with toasted bread and plenty of cheese. Can't beat it!
Start by slicing and organizing your onion, garlic, mushrooms, and de-stemming the thyme. Preheat the oven to 400º F or set to a low broil. Heat 1 Tablespoon of olive oil in a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook for 60 seconds or until they begin to soften. Add mushrooms, stir, and continue to cook for 2 more minutes. Season with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and pepper.
Reduce the heat and continue cooking onions and mushrooms until they are fully caramelized and almost golden in color. Make sure to stir occasionally to keep things from sticking to the pot, but not too often - this will slow down the caramelization process. After 20-25 minutes, return heat to medium and add red wine to the pot. Stir and cook to reduce the wine for about 5 minutes. Add beef stock, sugar (optional), thyme, and bay leaves and continue to simmer for 10-15 more minutes. Add more salt and pepper to taste.
Toasting baguettes
Brush olive oil onto each slice of bread. Sprinkle parsley (or dried italian seasoning) onto each and line them up on a baking sheet. Bake or broil for 5-7 minutes. Keep a close eye on these. You want them toasted but not burnt.
Assembly
If you are serving this soup in oven-safe dishes, pour soup into each dish (about halfway full) and top with 1 or 2 pieces of toasted bread. Top each piece of bread with a mound of cheese.
Return the dishes with soup, bread, and cheese to the oven for another 3-5 minutes to melt together. Alternatively, you can melt the cheese onto each piece of bread after they have toasted sufficiently. Then top each bowl with the cheesy toasted slices. Either way, it’s delicious!
Notes
Feel free to make the same extra recipe without the mushrooms for a more classic version of this soup.