Without a doubt, this is the greatest homemade ham stock French onion soup you’ll ever taste! It has a secret ingredient that sets it apart from the competition.
What an incredible year it’s been, both at the beginning and the finish! Phew, a ski vacation to bend and the whole chaos of the holidays. But the holiday ham is one of my favorite things about this time of year. And what do we get with hams for the holidays? This is a fantastic homemade French onion soup!
We prepared an absurd quantity of this soup for two people and gladly consumed it for days on end, savoring every bite from the first bowl on day one to the fourth bowl on day four. It is that amazing. It really is that excellent.
Key to French Onion Soup
It’s ham! Has your holiday ham been made? Did you bake a ham on Sunday? Save that ham bone, and especially that oil, at all costs!
Since you might then create a Ham Stock! It is actually essential to this dish. What could be more logical than ham stock in a soup with onions and cheese? It resembles a delectable dish of cheese and ham!
We had almost three quarts of stock, so I also chopped up eight onions. Five big white onions and three smaller, sweeter yellow ones. An ideal ratio of onions to broth is crucial while making this soup. The more onions, the better in that ratio!
Use either just white or just yellow, or both white and yellow. Utilize anything you desire or have.
onions that have been sautéed in a Dutch oven
Add a couple of tablespoons of butter to the Dutch oven to ensure the onions are cooked through gradually. The key word here is slow.
The secret to cooking onions is to sauté them over low to medium heat while tossing often to prevent burning—you don’t want the typical rapid browning of the onions. Any burned onions would drastically alter the soup’s taste.
For this dish, we prefer to use Gruyère cheese, but occasionally we may add some fresh mozzarella! onions and ham stock in a Dutch oven We put the onions back into the Dutch oven with the ham stock and heated it on medium-high until they were nicely and caramelized.
After everything reheated, we ladled in the broth and onions, adjusted the oven to broil, and my handsome husband cut a couple slices of the fresh Como Bread to suit our new tiny soup crocks.
We generously sprinkled a good amount of the shredded gruyere over the toast.
After a few minutes under the broiler, this homemade French onion soup—one of my all-time favorites—came out! The cheese had melted completely.
This French Onion Soup Made From Scratch has captured my attention. I’m convinced it’s due of the ham stock since I haven’t found another that’s quite as good! We definitely consider this to be a holiday classic in our home now!
Hi there, perfection! We seriously adore this soup and prepare it often. ONE SINGLE. TIMES. We still have the ham bone!
More Recipes You Might Like
French Onion Soup From Scratch
Ingredients
Make Ham Stock
- 1 quarts ham bone
- ham grease from cooked ham
- celery onion, carrots, fresh garlic – whatever you have to add flavor
- 5 large white onions sliced thin
- 3 small yellow onions sliced thin
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- Fresh Como Bread Slices cut to fit soup crocks
- 1-2 Shredded Gruyère cheese
- 1/2 – 1 tablespoon of salt pending how salt rich your stock is
- Fresh ground pepper to taste
Instructions
Make Ham Stock
- To prepare your own homemade ham stock, combine 4–5 quarts of water, any leftover vegetable scraps, plus the optional ham bone and oil from cooked ham. After heating to a boil on medium-high, reduce the heat and simmer for two to four hours, or until you have a beautiful, rich stock.
- This may be made ahead of time, and the stock can be frozen for up to six months or kept in the refrigerator for up to four days.
Caramelize Onions
- Sliced onions, garlic, and butter should be cooked gently over medium heat in a Dutch oven or large stock pot. Cook, stirring often, for about ten minutes. After that, give the onions time to caramelize, stirring them only once every few minutes for at least a further fifty minutes and up to three hours. Make sure the onions don’t burn, although a little bit of adhering to the pan can aid in the browning process. To prevent excessive sticking, mix in one tablespoon of water. You can add a teaspoon of sugar to accelerate the caramelization process.
- If the ham stock has already been prepared, add it to the onions and cook it through. To taste, add more salt and pepper.
Assemble Soup
- Adjust oven tray to second level and broil.
- Pour broth and onions into soup crocks, top with freshly cut bread and cheese. Place the crocks on a baking sheet to collect any cheese that may leak, and broil for one to two minutes, or until the cheese is melted and beginning to color.
- Enjoy and serve right now!
Notes
Replace some fresh mozzarella with gruyere.
Prepare it ahead of time! The onions and ham stock freeze well for up to three months.