french onion soup Archives - 2 Sisters 2 Cities

When I was growing up, my family had dinner together every night. We all had very busy schedules but we always made an effort to have dinner together. Now that I am on my own, I try to emulate this tradition with my boyfriend. Most nights I try to make dinner because we try to eat healthier and it fits in our budget. Making dinner every night can be tough because when I get home at night it’s 6:30-7 after a full day of working I am often tired, hungry, and not in the mood to cook. This is why when I plan our menu for the week, I try to pick simple and healthy recipes and leave one day open for Panera Bread. We love Panera because it fits into both our diet plans and is very affordable.

My favorite pick at Panera is their Broccoli Cheddar soup. I feel like this soup gets a bad reputation because it’s so creamy and delicious that it seems unhealthy. When you get the soup in a Pick Two combo with a Salad, it easily fits into my diet plan. I use the Panera website beforehand to look at the nutrition calculator and determine what I can order that is within my calories left for the day. Most days, I order the Pick Two with the Broccoli Cheddar soup and the Half Greek Salad. For sides, I switch it up between an apple, Baked Lays, or occasionally the oh, so delicious French bread.

Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup

My boyfriend’s dinner of choice is the Pick Two with a half sandwich and the French Onion Soup. He usually has the Sierra Turkey Sandwich, but recently he has been getting the Big Kid Grilled Cheese with Bacon. He is a big fan of Panera’s French onion soup. He likes that the French Onion Soup is not as heavy with cheese like when you get it at a diner or restaurant.

Panera French Onion Soup

The great thing about Panera Bread’s soups is that the combinations are practically endless. With Panera having different soups available every day of the week, you can try a different type each day. Haven’t been in a while? Check out their soup page and daily soup menu. What’s your favorite soup at Panera?

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Panera Bread. However, all opinions are my own.

sisterk (2)

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My boyfriend and I love French Onion Soup. We order it when we are out at restaurants all the time so we have experienced an array of flavors and different ways of having it served to us. I have developed my recipe over time from a mixture of recipes to get what we consider the best French onion soup. It’s so easy to make, I often whip it up at least once every two weeks for lunch on the weekend. Also with the addition of reduced fat Swiss, we can make this recipe a little bit more healthy.

French Onion Soup
Ingredients
4-5 cups of halved then sliced onions
1 tablespoon butter
4 cups beef broth
1 tablespoon of sherry
1 tablespoon of worchestire sauce
4 slices of stale or toasted crusty bread ( French or Italian)
4 slices of Swiss cheese

Directions:
In a Dutch oven or large pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions and stir to coat with butter. Place cover on pot and allow onions to caramelize, stirring occasionally. This process will take about 15-20 minutes. Once the onions are caramelized and golden brown add in broth, sherry and worchestire sauce. Bring to a simmer and keep it there for about ten minutes. While the soup simmers, take out 4 oven proof bowls and prepare bread and cheese. Place bowls on a baking sheet and turn on your broiler on the oven. Ladle soup into 4 bowls evenly. Top each with a crusty piece of bread and a piece of Swiss. Place baking sheet with bowls of soup into the oven and allow the cheese to melt and the bread to toast up. Keep an eye on them because they melt/toast quickly. When ready, serve ( with oven mitts and warn who you are serving it to that the bowls are hot!) Enjoy!

Weight Watchers PointsPlus- about 5 depending on the size of your bread and cheese

*K’s tip*- I keep a loaf of sliced Italian bread in my freezer to serve a quick piece of garlic bread with pasta or to top my French onion soup. This stops us from over-eating the bread and it last us a few months. Wrap bread in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag. I take out the bread before I start cooking and it is thawed by the time I need it.

Come join SoupaPalooza at TidyMom and Dine and Dish sponsored by KitchenAid, Red Star Yeast and Le Creuset