Beef Rib and French Onion Soup

By Mike Hubbartt, © Copyright 2012, All Rights Reserved.

I love French Onion soup and already posted one of my recipes on this site. I recently started adding a beef rib to the soup to add more texture, flavor, make it even more of a comforting side dish. This recipe, like my other french onion soup recipe, is calorie conscious, so please remember that portion sizes are relevant. This dish takes 4 – 5 hours to come together, but it smells wonderful and so letting it simmer 6 – 10 hrs makes the house smell great while enhancing the flavors.

As with my other french onion soup recipe, be sure to hold off adding the bread crumbs and cheese until you are ready to serve. I use one of our mandolins to thin slice the onions, as it is a fast way to consistently thin slice many onions. If you don’t have Vidalia onions, substitute yellow or white onions.

INGREDIENTS (Serves 6)

• 3 lbs Vidalia Onions (408 cal)
• 2 tbsp butter (204 cal)
• 2 tbsp olive oil (238 cal)
• 2 cloves diced garlic (8 cal)
• 6 oz boneless beef rib (432 cal)
• 6 tsp beef base (or 6 beef bullion cubes) (60 cal)
• 6 cups water (0 cal)
• 1/2 cup cooking sherry (75 cal)
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce (22 cal)
• 1 tsp dry thyme (4 cal)
• 2 tbsp flour (103 cal)
• 4 pieces bread (4 * 70 = 280 cal)
• 6 oz grated mozzarella cheese (255 cal)

Calories: 408 + 204 + 238 + 8 + 432 + 60 + 75 + + 22 + 4 + 103 + 280 + 255 = 2089 / 6 servings = 349 cal/svg

DIRECTIONS

1. Put a large dutch oven on the stove and set the burner to medium high (~ 6 1/2). Add 2 tbsp butter and 2 tbsp olive oil to the pan.
2. Peel and thin slice 3 lbs of Vidalia onions, then add to the dutch oven. Stir occasionally and cook for 30 – 35 minutes.
3. Add 2 cloves of diced garlic to the onions, stir to blend in and cook for a minute.
4. Add 1/2 cup cooking sherry and 1 tsp thyme to the onions, stir and cook for a minute.
5. Add 2 tbsp flour to the onions, stir, then add 6 tsp of beef base and 6 cups of water.
6. Reduce heat but continue a low boil for 1 1/2 hours – do not cover the dutch oven, as you want to reduce the liquid.
7. Season a 6 oz boneless beef rib with salt and pepper, spray a pan with cooking spray and brown both sides of the rib – it should take about 10 min with the burner set to med-high (~ 6 1/2).
8. Put the rib and 2 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce in the dutch and cook another 2 – 3 hrs.
9. Toast 2 pieces of bread, cut the toast into small cubes, and set them aside.
10. Fine grade 6 oz of mozzarella cheese, and set it aside.
11. Remove the rib from the soup and cut it into small pieces, then add the pieces back to the dutch oven.
12. Remove the lid from the dutch oven and let simmer 15 – 30 minutes.
13. Ladle 1 cup of the mix into a bowl, then top with 1/6 of the bread crumbs and 1/6 of the cheese and serve.