Savory Onion Soup

Savory Onion Soup is popular around the country, and this hearty, sophisticated and savory onion soup has a taste that you might find in fine dining establishments around Japan. This recipe uses a combination of white and red onions which give the soup a perfect balance of sweet and savory flavors.

Healthy International Soup

Savory Onion Soup is hearty, delicious, and is a popular soup in Japan. In Japan, onion consommé is extremely popular and is sold in powdered form at most grocery stores.

Japanese Onion Soup is often confused with “Hibachi Soup”, a clear consommé served at Japanese Steakhouses in the US and other countries that use a clear dashi that contains onions and other vegetables such as carrots or shiitake mushrooms. But this hearty onions soup is more like a French Onion soup, flavored with beef broth, Worcestershire sauce and vinegar to give it a sweet, savory and somewhat tart flavor. This soup is more along the lines of a soup you might find in a fine dining restaurant in the heart of Tokyo.

This soup uses onions slice cut extremely thin – the thinner the better- so that the soup is loaded with onion threads. The increased surface area you gain by cutting more slices along with the texture of onion ropes makes this soup an “oishii” alternative to other appetizers or soups.

The soup takes about three hours to prepare, but the longer it simmers the better, so I recommend preparing it in the morning and letting it simmer all day long to really let the flavors combine.

In addition to onions, you can add about a tablespoon of dehydrated porcini mushrooms if you want to add additional umami flavor to the soup.

Savory Onion Soup is delicious when eaten on its own, but it can also be used as the basis for other recipes. Check out our recipe for Salisbury Steaks in Onion Sauce that use this onion soup as a base for the sauce.

Try this hearty and delicious soup out for yourself and let us know what you think in the comments section below.

Originally published in June 2021, reposted in July 2023

Savory Onion Soup

What makes this soup so special is the way that the onions are thinly sliced and broken into threads, infused with vinegar and thyme, and slowly cooked over low heat until they are soft and savory. This soup is delicious when eaten on its own, but it can also be used as the basis for other recipes. Check out our recipe for Salisbury Steaks that use this onion soup as a base for the sauce.

PREP	COOKING	YIELD
15 Minutes	2 Hours 45 Minutes	8 Servings

PREP	15 Minutes
COOKING	2 Hours 45 Minutes
YIELD	8 Servings

Ingredients:

3 medium to large white onions
1 large red onion
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 TBSP olive oil
2 TBSP salted butter
1/4 tsp ground thyme
1 bay leaf
2 TBSP balsamic vinegar
1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup red cooking wine (50 ml)
8 cups beef consommé (1600 ml)

Instructions:

Peel: Slice the top of each onion using a sharp knife while leaving the bottom alone. Peel off the paper-like outer layer of each onion.
Slice: Slice each onion into thin discs, parallel to the ends. Discard the end piece.
Mix: Place the onion in a large bowl. Mix by hand and lightly separate the onion into thin rings. Don’t worry if all the discs are not completely separated.

Sauté: Coat the bottom a soup stock pot with 2 TBSP olive oil. On medium heat, add the garlic and sauté for 5 minutes until lightly browned. Add the butter and melt. Mix in the onions and continue to sauté on medium heat for another 5 minutes until the onions start to soften most of the discs are completely separated.
Simmer: Add thyme, bay leaf and balsamic vinegar to the onions. Continue to sauté on medium heat for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove the bay leaf and stir. Cover and simmer for an additional 20 minutes until the onions are softened and mostly covered by liquid.
Boil: Mix in beef consommé, cooking wine and Worcestershire sauce. Raise the heat to medium high and bring to a light boil.

Simmer: Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for two hours.
Serve: Serve, salt and pepper to taste. Top with croutons if desired.

Notes:

Use this soup as an ingredient in other recipes including our Salisbury Steak in Onion Sauce.
If you are a vegetarian, no problem. Replace the beef stock with your favorite vegetable stock or dashi.
Top this Savory Soup with crispy croutons for some extra crunch.

Jay H

Jay is a Project Manager for a U.S. Company that does business globally. He has worked and lived in many places and has spent time learning how to cook dishes from around the world. Currently based in Japan, he created the Mountain Plums website during the Covid pandemic as a way to express himself though cooking while staying active.

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Jay H

Jay is a Project Manager for a U.S. Company that does business globally. He has worked and lived in many places and has spent time learning how to cook dishes from around the world. Currently based in Japan, he created the Mountain Plums website during the Covid pandemic as a way to express himself though cooking while staying active.