Vegetarian French Onion Soup

After a cold snowy day and delivering Christmas goodies to the neighbors, French Onion soup sounded good. Most French onion soups are made with beef broth. I just replace it with vegetable broth. The soup is lighter than the traditional, but still yummy. We even got some Jarlsberg cheese to broil on top! Perfect way to end the night!

Ingredients

• 2 quarts vegetable broth
• 2 pounds yellow onions, peeled and thinly sliced (about 6-7 medium size, no need to be too precise)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
• Salt & pepper
• Loaf of French bread, cut in one-inch slices
• ½ pound Gruyere cheese, shredded or sliced

Directions

1. Heat the oil in the pot over medium heat.
2. Add the onions to the hot pot and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. The onions should become soft but not yet browned.
3. Add the sugar, salt, and pepper, and continue cooking for about 20 minutes. Stir frequently and lower the heat if necessary to avoid burning the onions. They should be golden brown and soft. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
   
4. Add the garlic and broth and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat and simmer for at least 15 minutes. You can keep the soup warm on the stove until ready to broil and serve, or allow it to cool and keep it in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
6. When ready to serve, heat the broiler (we used the broil setting on our toaster oven and it worked great!) and ladle the soup into individual oven-safe bowls.
7. Top each bowl with a layer of bread and cover the bread with the cheese.
   
8. Heat under the broiler until the cheese is melted and beginning to brown.

Enjoy!