French Onion Soup from Famous and Barr – A St. Louis Icon Brought to My NYC Kitchen

There are few things that make me feel more at home than a pot of French Onion Soup simmering on the stove, filling my tiny New York City apartment with the scent of deeply caramelized onions and rich beef broth. But this isn’t just any French Onion Soup. This French Onion Soup from Famous and Barr is a legendary St. Louis recipe, straight from the iconic department store that served it for decades. I first tasted it years ago on a trip to the Midwest, and the silky, onion-packed broth with its blanket of melted Gruyère has haunted me ever since. The unique angle here is the slow, almost caramel-like onion cooking process with a touch of paprika and a long, developed simmer that builds layers of savory depth.

The flavor is pure comfort: sweet, jammy onions swimming in a deeply savory, umami-rich beef broth, topped with crusty French bread and a golden, bubbling layer of cheese. When you break through that cheesy lid with a spoon, the aroma is intoxicating — rich and meaty with a hint of paprika spice. In Morocco, we would often cook onions down into a tfaya — a caramelized onion confit — that reminds me of this slow, patient process. The patience required for this soup, teaching the onions to give up their sweetness, creates a broth that is anything but simple.

What sets my version apart, besides honoring the Famous and Barr original, is a technique I learned in my Paris culinary training: letting the soup rest overnight in the fridge. This step allows the flavors to meld and deepen in a way that no shortcut can replicate. The result is a soup that tastes like it’s been simmering on the back burner of a French bistro for two days. I’ll show you how to avoid the common mistake of rushing the onions — they need their full two hours to become golden and sweet — and share a pro tip for the perfect cheese crust. This is a project, yes, but one that rewards you with the most iconic, soul-warming bowl of soup you’ll ever make.

Why This French Onion Soup Recipe Is the Best

The Flavor Secret: The Famous and Barr magic comes from using an entire half cup of butter to slowly sweat down five pounds of onions over nearly two hours. That’s not just a step — that’s a transformation. Then, a surprising teaspoon and a half of pepper and two tablespoons of paprika add a warmth that lifts the broth above the standard. Growing up in Morocco, I learned that spices aren’t just for heat — they’re for building complexity. That paprika, a spice rarely used in traditional French onion soup, gives this version a gentle smokiness and a beautiful color that feels both new and perfectly right.

Perfected Texture: Most French onion soups rely solely on long cooking to thicken, but this recipe includes a calculated roux — stirring 3/4 cup of flour into a portion of the broth — to create a velvety, slightly napped texture that clings to the spoon and the bread. This is a classic French technique taught to me by my Parisian chef-instructor. Without that touch, the broth can be too watery. With it, every mouthful is a luxurious, cohesive experience. The flour also helps bind the flavors together, preventing them from separating as the soup sits.

Foolproof and Fast (for a Slow Food Recipe): Even though it asks for patience — a two-hour onion sauté and a two-hour simmer — the recipe is incredibly forgiving. The steps are straightforward: slice, sauté, deglaze, simmer, rest, and then assemble. I’ve taught this to friends who were nervous about French cooking, and they nailed it on the first try. The key is trusting the process. And the make-ahead factor? That’s the ultimate hack. When you can do all the hard work a day ahead, the final dinner becomes a simple assembly of broiled cheese.

French Onion Soup Ingredients

Finding the right ingredients is half the battle. For the onions, I head straight to the Union Square Greenmarket and grab a big bag of white onions from a local farm. They need to be medium-sized and firm. The beef broth — I spend the extra dollar for a high-quality, low-sodium organic brand from the grocery store, because that’s the foundation of the entire soup. My Moroccan mother used to say, “The quality of your broth is the soul of your potage,” and she was never wrong. All the other ingredients are pantry staples you probably already have.

Ingredients List

• 5 pounds white onions (medium size)
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 1-2 bay leaves
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 96 ounces beef broth (3–32 oz containers)
• 1 cup white wine (dry, like Sauvignon Blanc)
• Salt to season
• 1 loaf French baguette (sliced into 1/2-inch rounds)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (grated)
• 16 ounces Gruyère cheese (shredded; can substitute Swiss which I often do)

Ingredient Spotlight

Onions (White, Medium): White onions are the classic choice for French onion soup because they have a clean, sharp sweetness that mellows beautifully when cooked. They’re also widely available in any US grocery store. If you can only find yellow onions, they will work fine, but the final soup will be slightly richer and less sweet. Avoid red onions, which can turn an unappetizing gray color.

Beef Broth (96 oz): This is the backbone of your soup. I use three 32-ounce containers of low-sodium beef broth from the grocery store. The low-sodium version is crucial because you’ll be adding salt later and the broth itself can be salty. If you have homemade beef stock, that’s a dream. But store-bought is absolutely fine — just buy a brand you trust. Swanson, Kitchen Basics, or Better Than Bouillon (paste) are all solid choices.

Gruyère Cheese (16 oz): This classic Swiss cheese is the gold standard for French onion soup. It melts into a stretchy, nutty, golden crust that’s utterly addictive. Pre-shredded cheese often has anti-caking agents that prevent smooth melting, so I always buy a block and grate it myself on the large holes of a box grater. In a pinch, I often substitute Swiss cheese (Emmentaler) — it melts beautifully and has a similar nutty flavor, just a bit milder.

How to Make French Onion Soup – Step-by-Step

Don’t let the long cooking times intimidate you. This soup is more about patience than skill. I promise, the aroma will carry you through. Here’s exactly how to do it.

Step 1: Slice and Sauté the Onions

Peel the onions and slice them into 1/8-inch thick rings. This is key — too thick and they won’t soften properly; too thin and they’ll turn to mush. Melt the 1/2 cup of butter in your largest pot (I use a 7-quart Dutch oven) over low heat. Add the sliced onions and stir to coat them in the butter. Sauté over low heat for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring every 10 minutes or so. You’re not browning them here — you’re gently cooking them until they’re meltingly soft, translucent, and sweet.

💡 Samantha’s Pro Tip: The best way to tell your onions are ready for the next step is when they’ve reduced in volume by about two-thirds, are a pale golden color, and smell incredibly sweet. Don’t rush this!

Step 2: Add the Seasonings

Sprinkle the pepper and paprika over the softened onions, and tuck in the bay leaves. Stir everything together and cook for another 2-3 minutes over low heat, stirring frequently, until the spices are fragrant. The paprika will release its color and aroma, turning the onions a beautiful warm red.

⚠️ Common Mistake to Avoid: Adding the spices too early can lead to a bitter taste. Wait until the onions are fully softened, then add them just long enough to bloom in the butter.

Step 3: Make the Broth

Now, pour 2/3 of the beef broth into the pot and stir well to combine. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour with the remaining 1/3 of the broth until smooth and free of lumps. Pour the flour slurry into the pot, stirring constantly as it thickens. Add the white wine and give it a final stir. Bring the soup to a gentle simmer and then reduce the heat to low. Let it simmer, uncovered, for 2 hours. The broth will thicken slightly and the flavors will deepen.

💡 Samantha’s Pro Tip: The flour slurry is your secret weapon for a perfectly textured soup. Whisk it thoroughly off the heat first — no one wants lumps!

Step 4: Refrigerate Overnight

This is the most important step that most people skip. Let the soup cool completely, then cover the pot and refrigerate it overnight (or at least 8 hours). The overnight rest allows all the flavors — onion, broth, spice, wine — to meld into a single, unified taste. It also gives the starch from the flour time to fully absorb, resulting in a silkier texture the next day.

Step 5: Prepare the Bread

The next day, preheat your oven to broil. Arrange the baguette slices on a baking sheet. Brush each slice with olive oil and sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese. Place under the broiler for 1-2 minutes, watching very carefully, until the bread is light golden brown around the edges. You just want a toasty edge, not a fully browned crouton, because it will bake again in the soup.

⚠️ Common Mistake to Avoid: It’s easy to burn these under the broiler! Stand right by the oven door and watch them like a hawk. They go from golden to black in about 30 seconds.

Step 6: Heat Soup and Assemble

Warm the chilled soup gently on the stove over medium heat until it’s bubbling hot. Arrange ovenproof soup bowls (or a large casserole dish) on a baking sheet. Ladle the hot soup into each bowl, filling them about 3/4 full. Float a few Parmesan-toasted bread slices on top of the soup — you want them to soak up some broth. Then pile a generous amount of shredded Gruyère (or Swiss) cheese over the bread, making sure to cover every last piece of bread entirely.

Step 7: Broil Until Golden

Place the baking sheet with the filled bowls under the broiler for 3-5 minutes. Watch closely! The cheese should bubble and melt, turning a deep golden brown with slightly darker spots. The moment it’s uniformly melted and a few brown bubbles appear, it’s ready.

💡 Samantha’s Pro Tip: Broil time depends on your oven’s strength. Start checking at 3 minutes. For an even crust, I sometimes switch the oven to the “convection roast” setting for the last minute.

Step 8: Cool and Enjoy

Let the bowls sit on the counter for a couple of minutes before serving. The cheese will be dangerously hot straight from the broiler, and waiting a minute allows it to set slightly so you get that perfect stretchy cheese pull. Serve immediately with extra black pepper on top and maybe a few fresh thyme leaves.

Serving & Presentation

This soup is a meal in itself, but I love to serve it with a simple green salad dressed with a sharp vinaigrette. The acidity of the salad cuts the richness of the broth and cheese perfectly. I always use ovenproof, wide-rimmed soup bowls that can go under the broiler — classic French onion soup crocks are ideal. Garnish each bowl with a sprinkle of fresh thyme leaves or a few chives for color and freshness.

For a true Famous and Barr experience, serve with a side of crusty bread (the ones you didn’t toast with cheese) and a dish of softened butter. My Paris days taught me that bread here isn’t just for soaking — it’s for dipping into the remaining broth at the bottom of the bowl. I also like to add a very light pinch of smoked paprika on top for a

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French Onion Soup from Famous and Barr

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A truly iconic French Onion Soup rich with onions in a broth, topped with French bread and Gruyère cheese with a recipe from the Famous & Barr retail stores in St. Louis, MO.

• Author: Chef Samantha

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 5 pounds white onions (medium size)
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 1–2 bay leaves
• 3/4 cup flour
• 96 ounces beef broth ((3–32 oz containers))
• 1 cup white wine
• Salt to season
• 1 loaf French baguette ((sliced))
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (grated)
• 16 ounces Gruyère cheese ((can substitute Swiss which I often do))

Instructions

1. Slice the onions 1/8" thick. Melt butter in a large pot and sauté the onions over low heat for 1 1/2 – 2 hours.
2. Add seasonings; pepper, paprika and bay leaves. Mix well and saute on low for 2-3 minutes; stirring frequently.
3. Add 2/3 of the broth to the pot and stir well. And the flour to the remaining broth and mix thoroughly and then add to the pot, stirring in. Add wine and simmer 2 hours.
4. Refrigerate overnight.
5. Turn on oven to broil.
6. Brush bread slices with olive oil and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Lightly brown bread using the broiler watching very carefully so not to burn.
7. Heat soup on stove top.
8. Layer soup, then Parmesan toasted bread, then cheese in ovenproof bowls.
9. Broil until cheese melts; 3-5 minutes. Watch carefully!
10. Let cool for a couple of minutes before eating.