Warning, This One Might Make You Cry

We love French Onion Soup, but it's one of those things I've never even attempted to make at home. I'm not sure why, but I probably had a good reason in my head, each time, but right now they escape me. But when I found a version that my slow cooker could help me out with, those reasons all disappeared and I was ready to give it a try.

Now here is when this story turns hilarious. I made this on a Friday when Alex was home, on fall break from school. So I'm standing in the kitchen peeling and slicing all these onions. My eyes are beginning to water a little, but not too bad. He's in the living room, adjacent to the kitchen, and pretty soon he asks "Mommy, are you chopping onions?" I answer "Yes, why? Can you smell them?" "No, my eyes are watering." Well, being in the next room, I was sure it couldn't be affecting him that badly, so I kept right on going. Pretty soon, I had all those onions in the skillet, cooking...and the smell only got worse. He finally came out to the kitchen to show me just how bad his eyes were. The poor kid!!! They were as red as fire, and the tears were streaming down his cheeks. It was so pathetic! Apparently, he has a much higher sensitivity to onions than we ever realized!

Well, of course cutting and cooking that many at a time, the odor kind of lingered in the house for a while, even after I had everything in the Crock Pot with the lid on. Luckily, we were already planning on going out to lunch and shopping, so I left the fans on and we got the heck out of dodge! It's pretty bad when you have to take your child out of the house because you're torturing him with onions! Thankfully, by the time we returned from our day, the smell had dissipated, and he could once again open his eyes inside the house without needing tissues and eye drops!

If you love French Onion Soup as much as we do, you're going to really enjoy this. It's super simple, takes little effort and tastes just like my favorite versions I get out at restaurants. The cheese melting down into the soup, almost creating a layer right under the surface, was our favorite part. That way with each bite, you get a big spoonful of ooey, gooey, yummy cheese.

I hope you make this for your family soon. Just be sure to have extra tissues on hand, and if they all start running for the doors, don't be insulted!

Crock Pot French Onion Soup 
8 large yellow onions, sliced thin
1/2 c. butter
3 dry bay leaves
6 (10 3/4 oz.) cans condensed beef broth
3 cups water
1 beef bouillon cube
Salt and Pepper to taste
8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add onions (in batches if necessary) and saute' until tender and slightly golden. Transfer to Crock Pot. Add broth, water, bouillon, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Cook on low for 7-8 hours. Remove bay leaves. To serve, place some cheese in bottom of bowl. Ladle soup over and add more cheese to top. Wait just a minute for it to sink and melt. Serve with crusty bread on the side.

Shared on The Country Cook Nov. 8, 2013

Soup at Very Good Recipes