Cheese, or no cheese, that is the question. I like cheese melted on top of the croutons on onion soup, but I also like the crunchiness you get when you add the croutons just a few at a time. So depending on my mood, I will either melt a couple of slices of provolone or Swiss cheese over the croutons, or not. But for the best of both worlds, I sometimes melt the cheese over the top and then push it into the soup and add more croutons as I go.

　　

Ingredients

serves 6

　　

Soup

3 onions

　　1/4 cup butter

　　2 (14-ounce) cans beef broth

　　1 (14-ounce) can chicken broth

　　Salt and pepper

　　

Croutons

5 slices bread

　　1/3 cup melted butter

　　1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

　　

Step 1

To prepare the soup: Peel the onions and cut into 1/8-to 1/4-inch-thick rings. Place the butter and onions in a large saucepan and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes, or until the onions begin to brown. Add the beef and chicken broth to the pan and simmer for 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

　　

Meanwhile, prepare the croutons

Step 2

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

　　

Step 3

Cut the bread into 1/2-inch cubes and place them on a baking sheet. Combine the butter and garlic powder in a small bowl and pour over the bread cubes. Toss the bread cubes until they are evenly coated and bake them for 10 minutes, or until they are golden brown.

　　

Step 4

Ladle the soup into bowls and sprinkle with a few croutons. Serve the remaining croutons on the side.

　　

Kitchen tip

Step 5

We usually use yellow onions because that’s what our mom buys. (We’d like to tell you it’s more scientific than that, but it’s not.) But what we do know is that onions come in three categories: mild, sweet, and strong. Mild onions include green onions, pearl onions, leeks, and shallots. Strong onions include yellow and white onions. And sweet include red, Maui, Spanish, and Vidalia onions. For our recipes, any of the strong or sweet onions will work well. When we use any of the mild varieties, we call for them by name.

　　College Cooking