French Onion Soup Burger
A bistro-inspired burger with deeply caramelized onions, melted Gruyère, and rich au jus for dipping.
- Prep
- 15min
- Cook
- 35min
- Total
- 50min
- Serves
- 4
- Calories
- 840per serving, est.
By Time for Burgers, updated
The onions take up most of the 50 minutes, and they can't be rushed. Three large onions cook down in butter over medium-low heat until deep brown and jammy; turn the heat up and they scorch at the edges while the middles stay pale. The thyme goes in for the last 5 minutes so it stays fresh.
The au jus is just beef broth warmed with Worcestershire, and dipping into it is how the burger ends up tasting like the soup. A crusty French roll holds up to dunking where a soft bun would fall apart, and Gruyère brings the nutty, stretchy top.
French Onion Soup Burger
Prep 15 min, cook 35 min, total 50 min. About 840 calories per serving.
timeforburgers.com/recipes/french-onion-soup-burger
Serves 4.
Ingredients
Instructions
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Melt 2 tbsp butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add sliced onions with a pinch of salt and cook slowly for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until deep golden brown and caramelized. Add 1 tbsp thyme leaves in the last 5 minutes.
While onions cook, heat 2 cups beef broth and 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce in a small saucepan to create au jus. Keep warm on low heat.
Season 1¼ lb ground beef with salt and pepper, then form into 4 equal patties.
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in another skillet over medium-high heat. Cook patties for 4-5 minutes per side until an instant-read thermometer in the center of a patty reads 160°F (71°C). Top with Gruyère slices in the last minute to melt.
Toast French bread rolls until crusty and golden.
Assemble burgers: place beef patties with melted Gruyère on bottom rolls, pile generous portions of caramelized onions on top, then crown with top rolls. Serve with small bowls of warm au jus for dipping.
Tips
- Slice the onions pole to pole, about 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick. Even slices brown at the same rate and keep a little shape.
- If the onions start to stick, add a splash of the broth and scrape up the brown film. It's concentrated onion and goes right back in.
- Let the broth simmer gently while the onions cook. A little reduction gives a richer jus.
- Toast the rolls until the cut sides are firm and crisp. They'll soak up the jus slowly instead of going soggy on the first dip.
Substitutions
- Swiss or Comté instead of Gruyère: Swiss is milder, Comté is close in nuttiness.
- Add a splash of dry sherry or white wine to the onions in the last 5 minutes for some of the soup's sharpness.
- Gluten-free: use a gluten-free roll, and check the broth and Worcestershire, since some brands contain wheat or malt.
Make ahead & storage
Caramelized onions keep 3 to 4 days in the fridge and freeze well, so a batch made ahead saves most of the cooking time; rewarm them in a skillet. Bring the jus back to a simmer before serving. Cooked patties keep 3 to 4 days; reheat in a skillet to 165°F (74°C).
