Onion and Bacon Soup

I received a text from my friend C the other night, she was asking if I had read the new December issue of Everyday Food. She went on to say that she made the Onion and Bacon Soup, and that her and her husband loved it more than Julia Child's recipe. Which, given how I knew she felt about Julia Child's recipe, meant the recipe had to be really good.
One thing about Julia Child's recipes is that there can be a lot of steps and ingredients involved. Great recipes for the weekend, but if being made in the work week you could end up eating at 9 or 10 pm. This particular Everyday Food recipe has 5 ingredients, and only uses about 10 minutes hands on time.
It is the perfect recipe for supper on a cold, wintry day.

Onion and Bacon Soup
adapted from Everyday Food
Serves 6

1) In a medium Dutch oven or heavy pot, cook 6 slices bacon, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces, over medium-high, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 5 minutes. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from pot (reserve for another use). Add 3 large yellow onions, halved and thinly sliced lengthwise, and reduce heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally and scraping up browned bits from pot with a wooden spoon, until onions are very soft and a deep golden brown, about 1 hour (reduce heat if onions are overbrowning). Add 4 cups of low-sodium chicken broth and bring to a boil. Remove from heat.

2) Heat broiler, with rack in top position. With a ladle, transfer soup into six 8-ounce broilerproof baking dishes set on a rimmed baking sheet. Top each with a baguette slice (1 inch thick) and 1/4 cup grated Gruyere cheese. Transfer sheet to oven and broil until cheese is melted and browned in spots, about 3 minutes. Serve immediately.

I made a couple changes to this recipe. I made it to serve four, instead of six so I used:
- 4 slices bacon
- 2 large yellow onions
- 3 1/4 cups low sodium chicken broth

My grocery store didn't have any Gruyere cheese, so I swapped it with Swiss cheese. And it was delicious. This really is a fantastic soup! You can also choose to freeze the soup, once made. Thaw and reheat before topping with the bread and cheese, then broil.