French Onion Short Ribs

A savory combination of French onion soup and tender short ribs. Absolutely fantastic!

Course Beef, Main Course, Soups and Stews

Cuisine French

Keyword chicken soup, dinner, French, lunch, onion soup, short ribs

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 3

Total Time 3 25

Servings Servings

Calories 708kcal

Author Barb

Ingredients

4 pounds beef short ribs
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
1 cup flour
¼ cup olive oil
1 large onion diced
2 carrots peeled and diced
4 cloves garlic thinly sliced
1 cup red wine
14 ounces diced tomatoes or 1 can
4 cups beef broth
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary minced
2 tablespoons fresh thyme minced

For the Caramelized Onions

4 tablespoons butter
4 onions thinly slices

To Finish and Serve

1 loaf French baguette sliced and toasted
8 ounces Gruyere cheese or substitute, shredded
1 section thyme fresh

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325º. Season short ribs with salt and pepper and dredge in flour.
Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Cook short ribs in the oil until golden brown and crusty; about four minutes per side. Remove from oil and put on plate. Set aside.
Reduce heat to medium and cook onions and carrots in leftover fat from ribs. Cook for five minutes. Add garlic and saute for one minute then add red wine, tomatoes, broth, herbs and short ribs. Cover with lid and place in oven.

Prepare the Caramelized Onions

While meat is in the oven, melt the butter and slice and saute the 4 onions until caramelized; doing it slowly for about 20-30 minutes. Remove pot of meat from the oven and stir in caramelized onions, return pot to oven and continue cooking for remainder of time until meat falls off the bones.
Remove meat and place on a dish to cool; once cooled remove and cut the meat into serving sizes.
Refrigerate the pot (overnight is great if possible) until the fat has hardened on top and the flavors have had time to meld. Using a large spoon, remove the solid fat on top and discard.

To Serve

Warm the pot with meat and vegetables over medium low heat.
Top toasted French bread with butter, a sprinkling of Gruyere cheese and thyme. Toast until cheese melts; set aside..
Portion soup into oven safe bowls. Top the beef with shredded cheese and broil for approximately 3-5 minutes until cheese is brown and bubbly. Watch closely! Serve with slices of toasted French bread.

Notes

In a large Dutch Oven over high heat, melt together the butter and onions. Cook 5 minutes, until softened. Add the wine, season with pepper, and continue cooking another 5-8 minutes, until the wine has evaporated and the onions are lightly golden. Add the remaining herbs.

Transfer everything to the bowl of the crockpot along with the short ribs. Add the broth and bay leaf. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 5-6 hours.

Remove the bay leaves. Discard any bones and extra fatty pieces. Cut the meat into servings. Put everything into a large casserole dish. Refrigerate overnight if possible, remove fat that has solidified.

Warm soup on stovetop while toasting bread with cheese on top in the oven; garnish with thyme.

Put soup and meat into bowls, top with shredded cheese and broil until bubbly. Remove from oven and serve with French bread.

Turn the oven on broil; top the meat with cheese and broil until bubbly, 2 to 3 minutes.

Ladle the soup into bowls. Serve with cheesy toast and fresh thyme.

Nutrition