Healthy French Onion Soup: Comfort Food Done Right
Your taste buds won’t know this French onion soup is lightened up.

Although brothy soups are generally considered healthier than creamy ones, French onion soup tends to be more indulgent compared to broth-based soups like vegetable or lentil soup. That bread-and-melted-cheese crust atop the soup can definitely pile on extra saturated fat and refined carbs.
And then there’s the sodium. Even the lightest, veggie-packed soups can have sky-high salt levels. If you’re looking for low-cal soup recipes for a healthier lunch choice, it is important to consider the sodium content that you may be introducing to your diet. High sodium levels—if eaten on the reg—can lead to high blood pressure, stroke, and heart failure. They may also bloat you up like the Goodyear blimp.
To address the high sodium levels, this healthy French onion soup recipe skips the salty stock and uses a from-scratch base flavored with herbs and veggies. The primary ingredient for the stock is onion peels. Although we mostly think of onions as nothing more than an aromatic, they have a surprising amount of nutritional value. Onions contain vitamin C and certain phytonutrients that may be beneficial for the cardiovascular system.
The secret ingredients to make this low-salt, vegetarian broth taste like the beefy original are low-sodium soy sauce and mirin (rice wine). These two ingredients are well known for their umami (meaty) and pleasantly acidic flavors, particularly in Japanese cuisine.
To serve, chef Colombe Jacobsen recommends pre-toasting a whole grain piece of bread (look for 100% whole wheat), then adding a small amount of grated gruyere cheese and thyme. Then scoop the healthy French onion soup directly over top of the bread and cheese. The heat of the soup will melt the cheese without needing to place in the oven. Yummmmm.
For more low-salt, healthy soup recipes, try Colombe’s ajiaco chicken soup or garlic soup. For more tips on slashing sodium from your diet, here are a cardiologist’s 7 tips for following a low-salt diet.
Ingredients
- 4 turnips
- Onion skins (papery white parts, not the yellow)
- 12 cups water
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 4 large onions, sliced
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 bunch thyme (tied in a bundle)
- 1/3 cup mirin
- 1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
- Fresh cracked pepper
- 1-cup Gruyere cheese (grated)
- 4-6 slices toasted crusty bread
Instructions
Fill a large heavy bottomed pot with 12 cups water. To that add 4 turnips rough chopped and onion skins (the papery white part). Boil and bring to a simmer for about 50 minutes or until the veggies are soft. Strain and reserve stock. Throw away the turnips and onion skins. In a large soup pot, soften the butter. Add the sliced onions and thyme bundle and cook over medium heat, until slightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add 1 tsp of salt. Then add the reserved vegetable stock, mirin and soy sauce. If you want the soup to have more broth, add water. Cook about 5 more minutes and remove thyme bundle. Serve by placing one piece of bread topped with a sprinkling of Gruyere in a soup bowl, then add the soup overtop and the cheese will melt. Garnish with a few thyme leaves and fresh cracked pepper. Serves 8-10Nutrition Information
Nutrition Information Based on a Single Serving
*Percent Daily Value are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Dietary Needs

Carbohydrate

Cholesterol

1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.953
[MUSIC].
2
00:00:01.953 --> 00:00:06.313
I've got a much lighter version of one of
my favorite cold weather soups.
3
00:00:06.313 --> 00:00:08.634
I'm Kolom, and you're watching Eating by
Heart.
4
00:00:08.634 --> 00:00:11.474
[MUSIC].
5
00:00:11.474 --> 00:00:13.616
Today we're gonna make a French onion
soup, and
6
00:00:13.616 --> 00:00:16.134
it's gonna be healthy, delicious, and much
lighter.
7
00:00:16.134 --> 00:00:19.322
So, first I have to start with my stock,
and that's my base for
8
00:00:19.322 --> 00:00:21.170
all the flavor of my onion soup.
9
00:00:21.170 --> 00:00:23.700
And I'm just gonna use onion peels.
10
00:00:23.700 --> 00:00:26.910
Now onions have a surprising amount of
nutritional value.
11
00:00:26.910 --> 00:00:29.580
They are great for cardiovascular issues,
and
12
00:00:29.580 --> 00:00:32.900
they're also great for building bone and
connective tissue.
13
00:00:32.900 --> 00:00:37.020
So for the stock, we're gonna use the
yellow papery part of the onion, and
14
00:00:37.020 --> 00:00:39.610
that's gonna give us a nice rich flavorful
broth.
15
00:00:39.610 --> 00:00:41.850
And since we're making a vegetarian broth,
16
00:00:41.850 --> 00:00:45.950
we need to find a nice richness that we'll
get from the flavor of these onions.
17
00:00:45.950 --> 00:00:47.970
And then a little secret I'll show you
later.
18
00:00:47.970 --> 00:00:51.490
Now in addition to the onion skins, we're
going to chop a turnip.
19
00:00:51.490 --> 00:00:55.120
Turnips give a lot of good flavor to the
broth, and that's what we're looking for,
20
00:00:55.120 --> 00:00:57.350
particularly because we don't have the
meat in the broth.
21
00:00:57.350 --> 00:01:00.010
Usually, you have a beef or chicken stock
for your onion soup.
22
00:01:00.010 --> 00:01:01.850
But this is gonna be purely vegetarian.
23
00:01:01.850 --> 00:01:02.940
So, we've got the peels for
24
00:01:02.940 --> 00:01:06.800
our stock, and we'll save the onions for
our actual soup base.
25
00:01:06.800 --> 00:01:09.340
Let's get our broth started on the back
burner.
26
00:01:09.340 --> 00:01:12.940
In go the papery skins of the onion and
the turnips.
27
00:01:12.940 --> 00:01:17.200
We'll bring that to a boil and then we'll
simmer for about 50 minutes.
28
00:01:17.200 --> 00:01:20.570
In this pot, we'll start on our onions for
the body of the soup.
29
00:01:20.570 --> 00:01:23.510
First, we'll put in two tablespoons of
butter.
30
00:01:23.510 --> 00:01:27.090
You can always use olive oil if you're
watching your butter intake.
31
00:01:27.090 --> 00:01:31.690
Once your butter is melted, add in your
sliced onions and your bundle of thyme.
32
00:01:33.180 --> 00:01:38.780
You wanna wilt these until they get nice,
and caramelized, and a little brown.
33
00:01:38.780 --> 00:01:42.980
Butter, onions, and thyme are just the
perfect combination.
34
00:01:42.980 --> 00:01:45.420
So I just strain the onion peels and the
turnips.
35
00:01:45.420 --> 00:01:48.210
From our broth, and now we just have a
nice clear broth.
36
00:01:48.210 --> 00:01:50.180
I'm gonna add our finishing flavors.
37
00:01:50.180 --> 00:01:55.420
Which are the reduced sodium soy sauce and
the mirin, the rice wine.
38
00:01:55.420 --> 00:02:00.060
And that really gives my broth flavor, and
that's a little trick.
39
00:02:00.060 --> 00:02:02.110
We're not having to use any meat in your
broth.
40
00:02:02.110 --> 00:02:04.360
It's really starting to smell perfect.
41
00:02:04.360 --> 00:02:06.380
It's really rich, but still light.
42
00:02:06.380 --> 00:02:08.340
All right, let's come over here.
43
00:02:08.340 --> 00:02:10.518
This is how I recommend serving your soup.
44
00:02:10.518 --> 00:02:14.170
So I pre-toast a whole grain piece of
bread, and
45
00:02:14.170 --> 00:02:20.030
then I just add about a tablespoon and a
half of fresh grated Gruyère cheese.
46
00:02:20.030 --> 00:02:24.020
It's a little bit like Swiss, so if you
can't find Gruyère, you can use Swiss.
47
00:02:24.020 --> 00:02:27.760
Cheese is high in fat, but if you use it
sparingly it adds a lot of flavor.
48
00:02:27.760 --> 00:02:29.240
It's got calcium in it.
49
00:02:29.240 --> 00:02:31.490
I'm also gonna add a little bit of thyme
over top.
50
00:02:31.490 --> 00:02:33.680
And now come with me over to the stove.
51
00:02:33.680 --> 00:02:38.210
I'll add my onions, which I've sauteed,
into the broth.
52
00:02:38.210 --> 00:02:41.226
There's nothing better than sauteed,
carmelized onions.
53
00:02:41.226 --> 00:02:44.640
And now, just ladle.
54
00:02:44.640 --> 00:02:48.160
The soup over top and that naturally melts
the cheese, so
55
00:02:48.160 --> 00:02:49.700
you don't even have to put it in the oven.
56
00:02:49.700 --> 00:02:51.095
And that's really all there is to it.
57
00:02:51.095 --> 00:02:53.700
[SOUND] Nice.
58
00:02:53.700 --> 00:02:56.080
My cheese is perfectly melted now.
59
00:02:56.080 --> 00:03:00.760
[MUSIC]
60
00:03:00.760 --> 00:03:04.420
I love how the bread soaks up all that
juicy onion broth.
61
00:03:04.420 --> 00:03:07.146
So flavorful and you can still have your
onion soup, but
62
00:03:07.146 --> 00:03:08.600
it's just a little lighter.
63
00:03:08.600 --> 00:03:09.460
So, it's healthier.
64
00:03:09.460 --> 00:03:11.360
[MUSIC].
65
00:03:11.360 --> 00:03:12.460
Thanks for watching Eating by Heart.
66
00:03:12.460 --> 00:03:13.340
I'm Kolom.
67
00:03:13.340 --> 00:03:14.640
Hope to see you again real soon.
68
00:03:14.640 --> 00:03:17.521
[MUSIC].
69
00:03:17.521 --> 00:03:19.129
[BLANK_AUDIO].