A simplified recipe of the french onion soup made with kohlrabi
I absolutely love the original french onion soup and I like to cook it myself from time to time. It’s quite a time-consuming recipe, but I consider this time well spent as soon as I open the oven and can smell the delicious aroma and my eyes see the golden cheese crust …
I had this idea though, to try different versions of this recipe, that would probably need less time sauteing – for the record, onions need at least 30 minutes cooking time in the original recipe -.
Broccoli was actually the first idea but at the grocery store I found kohlrabi first, and since these are not veggies that I frequently use I decided for the latter. My first attempt was very satisfying (I am also very happy with the picture result!) and here I am with this recipe.
Ready to be dressed with toasted bread and cheese! 
Ready to be tasted!
Fake French Onion Soup
Equipment
- Oven-safe bowl(s) (see notes)
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp butter or oil
- 2 small kohlrabies, peeled, grated or spiralized
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp flour
- 1.5 dl white wine
- rosemary or thyme
- 2 slices bread, if possible a size that will well cover the bowl surface
- 50 g or 6 tbs grated fat cheese, not a hard cheese like Parmesan, but something a bit softer, that will melt nicely.
- ground pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven at 200 °C or 400 °FMelt the butter in a pan, add the grated kohlrabi (see notes) with 1 tsp salt for sautéing. Cook for about 10 minutes while keep stirring from time to time. Add flour and stir to combine. After less than one minute add the wine, another tbst salt and then about 7 dl water depending on your bowl size. You'll want enough soup to fill the bowl(s) almost completely. Add a twig of rosemary or thyme – or just the leaves – and let simmer for about 5 minutes: the kohlrabi should be now tender and the soup slightly thick. Toast 2 slices of bread and transfer the soup into the bowl (or bowls). Cover it with bread and spread the cheese on top. Bread and cheese should cover almost all the bowl surface. Place into the oven and let cook for about 5 – 10 minutes or until the cheese is nicely melted and begins to get little brown spots. Take out of the oven and top with pepper.
Notes
- To peel and spiralize the kohlrabies I needed less than 5 minutes. If you are going to grate them, you will need 5 minutes more (that’s 10 minutes like in the recipe description)
- One or two bowls? In restaurants, this soup is served in a cocotte that will go from the oven directly to your table. Every guest gets one. At home, I prepare a big bowl and serve the soup into soup plates.
