This rich and savory creamy onion soup tastes like a long simmered stovetop soup. But it is such a delicious soup that is quick and easy enough for a weeknight meal, you will want to put it on your meal plan often. Don't forget the rolls for dunking!
Why this recipe is just so good....
- In less than an hour, you will have a rich and savory, creamy soup with such a rich flavor that tastes like it's been simmered all day. The caramelized, brown onions sweeten the soup and layer the soup with so much flavor.
- We added ham to the soup for just a bit of smokiness and added protein, but you can substitute bacon, pancetta or sausage. Or leave it out for a delicious meatless, vegetarian soup.
- It is the perfect bowl of soup that is hearty and filling enough for a main course, just add a small salad or some tasty bread to go along with it.
- Some other soup recipe for dinner, try my Navy bean, Manhattan clam chowder, 15 Bean Cajun Soup, Carrot and Leek Soup or Brussels sprouts soup. They all freeze beautifully and taste so delicious!
Recipe Ingredients
These are the simple ingredients needed for this recipe:
- sweet yellow onion
- chicken stock
- heavy cream
- cooked ham (optional)
- Arrowroot powder (or flour or cornstarch)
- Sherry cooking wine
- roasted red peppers
- butter
- garlic, salt, black or white pepper
- crispy bacon for optional garnish
What onions are best to use in this soup?
Yellow onions are perfect for this soup. They are considered an all purpose onion because they are used in so many different recipes. Yellow onions actually get a bit sweeter as they are cooked and begin to caramelize.
How to make Creamy Onion Soup
- Melt tablespoons of butter in a large pot on medium-high heat. Saute' sliced onions and red peppers until onions are soft and caramelized to a golden brown.
- Add garlic and cook for a minute. Pour in chicken broth and bring to boil. Cover pot, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes.
- Carefully pour soup, ⅓ of the batch at a time, into a blender and puree.
- Return pureed soup to pot, stir in cream, ham, Sherry, salt and pepper. Bring to a low simmer and lightly sprinkle in the Arrowroot powder or flour. Stir it well and let simmer for another 10 minutes or until soup is thickened and heated through.
- You will know that it has thickened enough by dipping a wooden spoon into the pot and see if it is coated. Also check the side the saucepan to see if the soup is coating the sides.
What kind of ham should I use
The best choice would be if you had leftover ham from a ham dinner. But you can use thick sliced ham from your deli. There are also ham steaks in the meat section of the grocery store. These are a bit saltier so if you do use them, I would lightly rinse it off and pat dry before chopping to add to soup. Also, taste test the soup before adding additional salt.
How can I make soup thick and creamy without flour?
If you are looking for a low carb option, I prefer using Arrowroot powder in this recipe. It is a gluten free choice that will thicken the soup without adding many carbs. Just make sure to sprinkle in slowing and stir well or it can get a bit gummy in texture.
What can I use instead of Sherry cooking wine?
Since the recipe only uses a few tablespoons, you can easily use a dry red wine, dry white wine or a Port to substitute the Sherry. Any one of them gives the soup a richer flavor and a bit of a tang.
If you prefer, you can leave it out and add more chicken or vegetable broth.
How long will the creamy onion soup keep?
You can store any cooled leftovers in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Just reheat on a low simmer on the stove. If the soup is a bit too thick, stir in some more broth or an additional touch of cream.Due to the heavy cream, I don't recommend freezing the soup. Dairy tends to separate and get grainy when frozen.
Cooking Tips
- You can use half and half instead of heavy whipping cream. It might affect the thickness of soup, but the flavor should not be affected.
- I have substituted the chicken broth for vegetable and/or beef broth for this soup. We preferred the chicken, but the other broths were tasty as well!
- Some shaved Gouda or parmesan would be delicious on top of the soup.
- Also, my keto rolls or Keto Cornbread Muffins are amazing to dip in this soup!
Some other soups you may like to try:
Red Pepper and Sweet Potato w/Sausage Soup
If you tried this soup recipe, I'd love if you came back and gave it a 5 star rating. This tells me what you enjoy and want to see more of. Thanks!
Creamy Onion Soup
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 65 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
Description
This rich and savory creamy onion soup recipe tastes like it was simmered on the stove all day. But it is quick and easy to make for a weeknight dinner. It has the most delicious flavor and you will be happy it makes a big batch because the leftovers are even better!
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 4 large yellow onions, sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 5 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups chopped cooked ham
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons cooking Sherry *
- 2 tablespoons roasted red peppers, chopped (jarred)
- 1 tablespoon Arrowroot powder **
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Over medium heat, melt butter in a large pot. Add the sliced onions and roasted peppers and saute' until onions are soft and caramelized to a golden brown. This should take about 15 minutes.
- Add the minced garlic and saute' for a minute, don't cook longer or it may burn.
- Add the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover the pot and simmer for 20 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes in pot.
- Carefully, pour about ⅓ of the soup at a time with a ladel, into a blender and puree. Continue with the rest of the soup. ***
- Return the pureed soup to pot. Stir in the ham, cream, Sherry, salt and pepper. Bring to a low simmer and sprinkle in the tablespoon of Arrowroot powder. Stir well and cook for 10 minutes until soup is thickened and heated through.
Notes
* Sherry can be substituted with any dry red wine or a Port.
** If carb count isn't a concern, cornstarch or flour can be substituted to thicken the soup.
*** You can also use an immersion blender in the soup pot to puree the soup.
Kalyn says
This was really good with a grilled cheese sandwich
Katie says
My family loved this soup
Deb Belsha says
So glad they did
Lynn says
This was even better the next day!
Deb Belsha says
Leftovers are the best!