New Recipe – French Onion Soup

One simple change eliminated a ton of calories and fat from classic onion soup: We cooked the onions in a pan coated with no-stick spray rather than sautéing them in a pool of butter and oil. To further lighten the dish, we used a small amount of reduced-fat mozzarella instead of a heavy topping of Swiss cheese.

Extra health benefits: Stronger bones, stronger immunity
Times: Prep. 8 min.; Cooking 50 min.; Broiling 1 min.
Makes: 4 main-dish servings
Per serving:
Calories: 282
Fat: 7.5 g. (24% of calories)
Fiber: 2.1 g.
Cholesterol: 12 mg.
Sodium: 393 mg.
  • 2 large onions, thinly sliced and separated into rings
  • 4 cups defatted chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth
  • 4 cups defatted beef stock or low-sodium beef broth
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 4 slices French bread or whole-wheat bread, toasted
  • 4 slices (3/4 oz each) reduced-fat mozzarella cheese

Spray an unheated large saucepan with no-stick spray. Heat the saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and reduce the heat to low. Cook about 10 minutes or until the onions are tender and translucent, stirring often.

Add the chicken and beef stocks or broths, garlic and bay leaf. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat. Simmer for 40 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaf.

Meanwhile, place the bread on a rack in a broiler pan. Top each slice with a piece of cheese. Broil 4″ from the heat about 1 minute or until the cheese is melted.

To serve, ladle the soup into bowls. Top with the bread.

Chef’s note: Turn this into a complete meal with the addition of a spinach and tomato salad tossed with a low-fat vinaigrette.

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