Irish Stout Onion Soup

This gluten free Irish stout onion soup is made with buttery toasted thyme croutons and topped with plenty of Irish cheddar.

French onion soup has been on my bucket list to make for quite some time.

I kept putting it off because I don’t own (and probably never will) those brown crocks it always gets served in.

I’m not really down with brown serving-ware and refuse to buy more bowls especially when they’d only have one specific use.

Then I remembered I had these white ramekins on the top shelf of a corner cabinet hiding in the back when I spent this whole past weekend organizing (read: going through cabinets like a lunatic) my kitchen.

So much food was either thrown out or donated, boxes set aside for cute glass mason jars, hundreds of dollars spent at Bed Bath & Beyond on stupid tray organizer things all because I finally successfully convinced Ulysses to remove the dumb wire racks the builder had installed in the pantry and replace them with solid wood shelves.

So what was supposed to be a fun weekend with friends partying at the casino in Connecticut to celebrate someone’s 30th, turned into a head cold which forced me to stay home and go batshit on my kitchen/pantry organization instead.

Bright side is, this Irish stout onion soup came out of the whole ordeal.

If I see French onion soup on a menu, chances are I’m ordering it. So, I’ve tasted quite a few in my years.

Here’s what a good onion soup comes down to in my opinion:

-a soup so flavorful it could be eaten alone without the cheesy, buttery bread topping and still be kickass. This means a deep savory flavor profile (just like in this wild mushroom soup) and usually a thicker consistency. No watery soup allowed.

-The cheese to soup ratio is also important. No pathetic cheese sprinkling will do. It should be a thick, melted over the edges kind of coating.

-And one last thing, the full slice of bread that then needs to be broken up with your spoon…why? Just, why? Cut that bread into cubes and make it easy!

All these things were taken into consideration when making this Irish stout onion soup.

The broth is deep and flavorful thanks to the oatmeal stout used with the beef broth.

The top is buttery, cheesy and full of sharp cheddar and thyme flavor.

The best part though?

The whole thing is gluten free thanks to Udi’s rye style bread and a gluten free oatmeal cream stout.

I’ve never much been into St. Patrick’s Day (there isn’t a drop of Irish blood in me, the food seems to generally suck and artificially green dyed things are gross) but if I had to choose a way to celebrate, it’d be with a big bowl of this stout onion soup (or this Reuben soup – it’s a toss up!) in my face and some Baileys ice cream afterwards!

Love this Irish Stout Onion Soup?

Try more hearty soup recipes like Italian Tomato Pasta Soup, Spiced Pork, Squash and White Bean Soup or, Hot and Sour Egg Drop Soup.

Irish Stout Onion Soup

Author: Gina Matsoukas

This gluten free Irish stout onion soup is made with buttery toasted thyme croutons and topped with plenty of Irish cheddar.

5 from 46 votes

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 45 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 3 tablespoons butter divided
• 4 large sweet yellow onions sliced
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 3 1/2 cups beef broth divided
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• 1/4 cup gluten free all-purpose flour
• 20 ounces gluten free Irish stout I used Steadfast oatmeal cream stout
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons stone ground mustard
• 2 bay leaves
• salt and pepper to taste

For the topping

• 4 slices Udi’s rye bread cut into cubes
• 1 tablespoon butter
• leaves from 2 sprigs of thyme
• 3/4 cup grated white Irish cheddar

Instructions

 

• Place 2 tablespoons of butter in a large Dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot over medium-low heat.
• Once melted, add onions and brown sugar. Stir to combine and cook until deep golden brown and caramelized, about 45 minutes – 1 hour. Stir occasionally while cooking and add beef broth as needed to keep from burning (I used about 1/2 a cup during the caramelization process).
• When onions are done, add garlic, thyme and remaining 1 tablespoon of butter to the pot. Cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
• Add flour, stir to coat all the onions and cook 2 more minutes.
• Add the stout, remaining 3 cups of beef broth, apple cider vinegar, mustard, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Stir and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower to a simmer and cook/reduce for 30 minutes.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper and turn off heat.
• Preheat oven to high-broil.
• Make the topping by placing the butter and thyme in a medium skillet over medium heat.
• Once melted, add the bread cubes and toast in skillet until golden brown on all sides.
• Ladle soup into oven safe bowls/crocks, top with the toasted croutons and divide the cheese evenly over the croutons in each bowl.
• Place bowls on a baking sheet and broil for 3-5 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.
• Serve hot.

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 1SERVING | Calories: 512kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 61mg | Sodium: 1289mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 15g

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For the most precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator based on the actual ingredients you used in the recipe.

Cuisine Irish

Course Soups + Stews

Keyword Irish stout onion soup, Irish stout soup, stout onion soup

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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Udi’s Gluten Free. The opinions and text are all mine.

Gina Matsoukas

About

Gina Matsoukas is the writer, founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients as much as possible. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.