Paula Deen's Lean: French Onion Soup

Let me tell you, French Onion Soup is some serious business ya'll. I had no idea what I was getting into until I started doing a little research. There are entire websites dedicated to this one little soup. Many "French Onion Experts" have spent so much of their time testing various techniques and ingredients, on the mission to find THE perfect French Onion Soup recipe. Well, my healthy French Onion Soup recipe may not be the best according to this soup's toughest critics, but it passes the nutritious and delicious test in my book. Here is what I did...


FRENCH ONION SOUP
Makes 6 Bowls


INGREDIENTS:


1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
8 onions, sliced (Yellow are said to be the best)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoon WHOLE WHEAT flour
8 cup FAT FREE/ LOW SODIUM beef stock
1/4 cup white wine (Additional glass for the cook...optional)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste
6 slices of LIGHT whole wheat bread
6 slices REDUCED FAT Provolone cheese


DIRECTIONS:




Saute onions in oil over low heat until tender and golden yellow. Sprinkle flour over onions, cook a few minutes more, browning the flour well. Add stock and wine and bring to a boil, add thyme and bay leaf. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer gently for 20 minutes or so. Add salt and pepper to taste.


Toast slices in toaster until golden brown. Ladle soup into an ovenproof bowl, add toasted bread and cover with 1 slice of cheese. Place ovenproof bowl on a baking sheet lined with tin foil. Bake at 350 degrees or 5 minutes under a hot broiler.

RESULTS:


It was not bad for the first time. My husband and I both added a little salt and pepper to ours, but not much. Rudy used a slice of regular bread, but I used the sandwich thins. I really like these for a few reasons: they are only 100 calories per roll (only 50 calories per bowl), they come in 100% whole wheat, and they satisfy the carb craving in a healthy way. For the soup, I placed 1/2 a roll on top of the soup cup and covered with a piece of cheese. It was pretty close to the real thing, just not as much cheese as you would get in a restaurant. This is one of those soups that is even better the second night too. Save the rest for a warm lunch the next day. It's what Campbell's would refer to as, "Mmm, Mmm Good!"


Click here to see Paula Deen's original French Onion Soup recipe. ENJOY!!

NUTRITION FACTS (per serving): 267.67 calories;  12.41g fat;  25.87g carbohydrate;  12.69g protein;  5.82g fiber