Found this and may make it tomorrow but not sure…I wonder if the cheese will cause it to be a big clump such that you’d need a pair of scissors at hand to eat it? I don’t usually use cheese in soup unless it’s something really melty like Velveeta.
Recipe for “Buttery Onion Soup”
2 c thinly sliced onions, sauteed in 1/2 c butter
Stir in 1/4 c flour, 2 c chicken broth, 2 c milk over med heat til bubbly.
Add 1 1/2-2 c shredded mozzarella until melted.
What do you think? I’m considering adding shrimp to it…if I dare make it, that is.
Thanks!
Yeah, it didn’t really call for spices but of course I add those as I go along. I cook for an elderly couple and they add spice at the table too. I just want to make sure it’s not going to end up a solid bowl of cheese…
It kind of reminds me of a recipe for gravy - making a roux with butter and flour, then adding milk and chicken broth (of course, I don’t think the proportions are the same, otherwise that’d be one rich meal). It looks heavy, but it could work - I’ve used cheese in soups quite a lot (my favorite is cauliflower and cheddar) so that in itself shouldn’t be an issue.
I found the recipe in a Taste of Home cookbook…usually those recipes are pretty trustworthy. But it’s different enough from my usual type of soup that I really appreciate the feedback. And yes…I thought of gravy too!
You’d have to add the mozzarella in small amounts and stir a lot over a fairly low temp. Even then it might clump up on you but if you’re lucky it’ll be kind of like making cheese fondue.
And I have to say that I agree, it’s a calorie bomb and sounds bland.
I had much the same thought. It looks like a cross of gravy and a strange French onion soup. If I were making that, I’d be tempted to change it as follows:
Heat 1/4 cup butter until water is boiled off. In small amounts, add 1/4 cup flour, stirring constantly, until a light blonde roux forms. Omit the other 1/4 cup butter.
Add 2 cups thinly sliced onions, and cook until somewhere between soft and browned, stirring frequently. (more frequently at first, and less as they start to contribute their moisture to the mix.)
Optional modification: add 1-2 cloves of minced garlic, 20-30 seconds before onions will be done.
Optional modification: add 1 teaspoon or so of beef “Better than Bouillon.” Or replace 1 cup of the chicken broth, below, with beef stock.
Add 2 cups chicken broth and 2 cups milk. Bring to a near boil, and then incrementally add 1-1/2 to 2 cups mozzarella cheese until melted. (Do not allow to come to a boil, either before or after adding cheese!)
Optional modification: Add 1 tbsp or so of fresh parsley along with the cheese. (This is the modification I’m least certain would be beneficial. I think it might add a punch of herbaceous flavor, but everything else is so brown, I worry that those specks of green might be visually distracting.)
Optional (but not really) modification: Add a pinch of freshly ground pepper along with the cheese.
Now I’m starting to feel like those recipe reviewers I hate on recipe ranking sites (allrecipes.com, in particular.) The ones who say, “Well, I didn’t have any half-and-half, so I substituted skim milk, and my family all hate onions, so we left them out. Substituted peanut oil for the canola oil called for. Turned out terrible. Ranked 1/5 stars. Would not make your awful recipe again.” Actually, I’m worse, because I’ve not made either the original recipe or the modified one I suggest.
Depends on what you do with the onions. My French onion soup isn’t any more spiced than that recipe (and, in my opinion, it really shouldn’t be. Maybe a hint of thyme, that’s it. You want the onions to shine through), but the onions are cooked down until they’re nice and brown/well-caramelized. Just adjust for salt and pepper at the end. I think you can make a good soup with the recipe almost as given, although the amount of cheese sounds excessive and prone to ending up as a giant clump.
Adding shrimp, though, sounds a bit odd to me. For all I know, it might work, but cheesy shrimp soup is not something that sounds appealing to me.
I think I’m just feeling odd about making a soup with no meat in it. I’m not sure about the shrimp either.
Maybe I’ll just do a nice Italian sausage/chickpea/collard green soup instead…
Honestly? IMHO make an excellent quality french onion soup [the kind where you gently roast the sliced onions until they are carmelized] with half and half chicken and beef stock or a proper veal stock. Make sourdough croutons and top with garlic and cheese and toast until bubbly, drop into the soup and serve. This other with the added assload of cheese sounds like a proper gluey bland mess.
I didn’t say anything about spices, and have nothing against simple/classic soups that are all about the flavor of the caramelized onions and good quality stock - I make and enjoy them myself - this doesn’t seem to be a recipe for one, though…