I’m such a fan of an old fashioned recipe for French Onion Soup that this was only a small leap of faith and it turned out to be a good one. French Onion Short Ribs are heavenly! It’s been awhile; I don’t think in all the many years I’ve been blogging that I have not introduced something totally new in such a long period of time; a few revisited recipes from years ago are good to have but not the same. Whether planned or not, I needed a break from the stress of this past year and a good old-fashioned cold made me take it! French Onion Short Ribs was my first foray back and a welcome one at that. There is a reason that some foods share the notion of being ‘comfort food’ and these amazing French Onion Short Ribs deserve that moniker. Rich with flavor and warmed in the oven, this dish has sustained me for the past week and yet I was still sorry when I finished that last bowl. Want to save this recipe? Enter your email & I’ll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week! I have a fabulous recipe for French Onion Soup that is such a great legacy from my hometown of St. Louis and I still love it. I’ve also made a different version I call the Ultimate French Onion Soup that takes a bit longer but is also well loved. But this is different, introducing short ribs into the mix has created not only the most amazing broth with caramelized onions and carrots, but also includes some yummy beef to sink your teeth into. OMG good. Lucky for me, I have the sweetest friends in the meat biz. Wouldn’t you love to open a box delivered to your door with those goodies shown above? The most gorgeous short ribs, sausage, pork chops and bacon all nicely refrigerated and boxed just for me. I know I’ll be making some of my favorite Maple Bourbon Bacon too. It was a picker upper for sure and I wanted to do justice to the quality of this meat when I made something; how fortuitous that the recipe for this soup pretty much landed in my lap. A friend on Facebook had just uploaded this photo of her dish after she had completed it and I could almost taste it. Hers was fit for a crowd and I loved both how she presented it and some of the minor revisions she had made to the original recipe; adding caramelized onion slices and topping the short ribs with cheese really did give it a French Onion Soup feel. I took it a bit further even. I included diced tomatoes and sliced carrots…and that was a good call, sort of a French onion beef stew with short ribs. My time honored recipe calls for the soup to be refrigerated overnight and I’ve always trusted it. Not only do the flavors meld during that time, but it’s so easy to scoop off the fat that has hardened on the top. It means planning a day in advance but I think totally worth it. Because her recipe was made in a crockpot, I’ve included that method in the recipe notes. My version is made a bit different than regular French Onion Soup, finding it easier to serve some cheesy bread on the side, making it easier to cut through the short ribs that are topped with melted cheese. I imagine a fireplace roaring with a bowl of soup on the hearth in front of it. Make it now; so soul satisfying, and I think a perfect antidote for the cold of winter; and my cold too! PIN IT! ‘French Onion Short Ribs’ French Onion Short Ribs Barb A savory combination of French onion soup and tender short ribs. Absolutely fantastic! 5 average from less than 50 votes Prep Time 25 minutes minsCook Time 3 hours hrsTotal Time 3 hours hrs 25 minutes mins Course Beef, Main Course, Soups and StewsCuisine French Servings 8 ServingsCalories 708 kcal 4 pounds beef short ribsKosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste1 cup flour¼ cup olive oil1 large onion diced2 carrots peeled and diced4 cloves garlic thinly sliced1 cup red wine14 ounces diced tomatoes or 1 can4 cups beef broth1 tablespoon fresh rosemary minced2 tablespoons fresh thyme mincedFor the Caramelized Onions4 tablespoons butter4 onions thinly slicesTo Finish and Serve1 loaf French baguette sliced and toasted8 ounces Gruyere cheese or substitute, shredded1 section thyme fresh Preheat oven to 325º. Season short ribs with salt and pepper and dredge in flour.Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Cook short ribs in the oil until golden brown and crusty; about four minutes per side. Remove from oil and put on plate. Set aside.Reduce heat to medium and cook onions and carrots in leftover fat from ribs. Cook for five minutes. Add garlic and saute for one minute then add red wine, tomatoes, broth, herbs and short ribs. Cover with lid and place in oven. Prepare the Caramelized OnionsWhile meat is in the oven, melt the butter and slice and saute the 4 onions until caramelized; doing it slowly for about 20-30 minutes. Remove pot of meat from the oven and stir in caramelized onions, return pot to oven and continue cooking for remainder of time until meat falls off the bones.Remove meat and place on a dish to cool; once cooled remove and cut the meat into serving sizes.Refrigerate the pot (overnight is great if possible) until the fat has hardened on top and the flavors have had time to meld. Using a large spoon, remove the solid fat on top and discard.To ServeWarm the pot with meat and vegetables over medium low heat.Top toasted French bread with butter, a sprinkling of Gruyere cheese and thyme. Toast until cheese melts; set aside..Portion soup into oven safe bowls. Top the beef with shredded cheese and broil for approximately 3-5 minutes until cheese is brown and bubbly. Watch closely! Serve with slices of toasted French bread. In a large Dutch Oven over high heat, melt together the butter and onions. Cook 5 minutes, until softened. Add the wine, season with pepper, and continue cooking another 5-8 minutes, until the wine has evaporated and the onions are lightly golden. Add the remaining herbs. Transfer everything to the bowl of the crockpot along with the short ribs. Add the broth and bay leaf. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 5-6 hours. Remove the bay leaves. Discard any bones and extra fatty pieces. Cut the meat into servings. Put everything into a large casserole dish. Refrigerate overnight if possible, remove fat that has solidified. Warm soup on stovetop while toasting bread with cheese on top in the oven; garnish with thyme. Put soup and meat into bowls, top with shredded cheese and broil until bubbly. Remove from oven and serve with French bread.   Turn the oven on broil; top the meat with cheese and broil until bubbly, 2 to 3 minutes. Ladle the soup into bowls. Serve with cheesy toast and fresh thyme. Nutrition FactsFrench Onion Short RibsAmount per Serving% Daily Value** Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Keyword chicken soup, dinner, French, lunch, onion soup, short ribs Source link