What to Serve With French Onion Soup?

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French onion soup is a delicious, nutritious dish that can be made at home.  In fact, you’re better off making it at home since the soup that comes from the store has a lot of unhealthy preservatives like sugar and salt.

There are many variations in the recipe, but the basic ingredients are onions, broth, and a lot of time to slow-cook the onions.  The soup is served hot, usually as an entrée or as a full meal.

But while the soup is the main part of the course, it doesn’t have to be served by itself.  Here are seventeen side dishes that make food lovers cry “ooh la la!”

Contents

17 Side Dishes to Serve With French Onion Soup

1. Baguette

Nothing says “French” like a baguette.  It’s been made in and associated with France for hundreds of years.  The sheer number of recipes you can make with a baguette is practically innumerable.

When you put baguettes with French onion soup, the bread can be served with or even in the soup, to make a tasty blending of flavors.

2. Roasted Garlic

Garlic might not do much for your breath afterward, but it tastes so darn good!  And its flavor goes so well with the soup, too.

Roasted garlic is easy to make.  You just put it in a pan, sprinkle some rosemary or olive oil on it, cover it in aluminum foil, put it in the oven, and in around a half-hour it’s all ready to go.

3. Grilled Cheese

Okay, this one might be cheating a bit.  Grilled cheese is my favorite food, so of course, it goes well with French onion soup for me.

Grilled cheese is a very versatile dish.  You can make it with tomatoes, bacon, vegetables, and lots of different kinds of cheese.  Great, now I’ve made myself hungry again.

4. French-Style Bistro Salad

French-style bistro salad differs from classic bistro salad in that it’s got a lot of herbs and leaves in it.  Classic bistro salad tends to be based on potatoes and eggs, so it’s got a very different taste.

Serving soup together with salad has always been a winning combo, and the bistro salad and French onion soup duo are no exception to that rule.

5. Lemon and Dill Salmon

If you want to give your soup some zing, lemon and dill salmon is the right dish for you.  The dish has a lot of flavor coming from lemons, garlic, spices, and dill.

Lemon and dill salmon provide a contrast in texture to French onion soup.  But it also complements in flavor as some recipes use onions in the sauce or as seasoning.

6. Parmesan Garlic Stuffed Mushrooms

Parmesan garlic mushrooms are also known as garlic parmesan stuffed mushrooms.  They’re a very popular side dish recipe because they’re easy to make and don’t need much preparation time.

This dish is made by mixing the ingredients, including garlic, parmesan, cream cheese, and bread crumbs, into a stemless mushroom cap, then baking it.  The result is a finger food that can be dipped into French onion soup for a unique blend of flavors.

7. Frisée Aux Lardons Salad

Frisée aux lardons, which translates as “Salad with bacon” in French, is a bistro salad made from endives, bacon, and poached eggs.  The salad is at its best when served hot with the eggs poached just before serving.

The only downside to the salad is that the eggs aren’t fully cooked, so there is a risk of food poisoning if you serve it.

8. Grilled Chicken Pesto Panini

Serving soup with sandwiches as a combo is a very popular combination.  The panini has many different ingredients and variations; the main ingredients, the chicken and pesto can be joined by tomatoes, peppers, onions, and cheese.

The bread in the panini and the soup counter each other and contrast with each other, both in flavor and in texture, making for a mouth-watering meal.

9. Croque Monsieur

Croque Monsieur roughly translates to “mister crunch” in French.  It’s a little bit like a grilled or toasted ham and gruyère cheese sandwich.  There’s also a “Croque madame,” or “Mrs. crunch,” which is almost the same but has an egg on the top.

As the name indicates, Croque monsieur is a crunchy dish that goes well with the liquid of French onion soup.  The two dishes match up in a delightful way.

10. Crudité

Crudité, which translates to “raw,” is the French version of a vegetable platter with dip or multiple dips.  It’s usually served as an hors d’oeuvre.

If you want your daily serving of vegetables, Crudité is the best option.  It’s also easy to prepare, usually requires no cooking, and has a crispness that goes well with your French onion soup.

11. Prosciutto-wrapped asparagus

Prosciutto-wrapped asparagus is, well, exactly what it says: asparagus wrapped in prosciutto, which is then baked, grilled, or fried.  It’s an easy low-carb finger food recipe.

You can also use garlic butter, olive oil, ground pepper, or parmesan cheese for extra flavoring.  The asparagus is not only an excellent side dish for French onion soup but also makes a nice appetizer.

12. Steak Au Poivre

This dish’s name means “pepper steak” in French.  It’s traditionally a fillet mignon steak coated in peppercorns, then cooked in a skillet with butter and oil.

If you want something substantial to go with your French onion soup, this is a good dish for it.  It also sets up a French theme that can be continued over multiple courses.

13. Vegetable Antipasto Salad

Vegetable antipasto salad is not only vegetarian-friendly but vegan-friendly, too.  It’s easy to make, doesn’t need any cooking, and comes with a crunch that contrasts with the soup.

The salad’s ingredients vary, but the most consistent are tomatoes, olives, peppers, and artichokes mixed in with some vinegar.  This is served either immediately or after a brief period of marinating in the refrigerator.

14. Ratatouille

Ratatouille is a French dish that goes back a very long time.  It’s changed a lot over the years, but the one that’s mainly used today is a tomato-based dish.

Ratatouille is very thick, which contrasts against the thin French onion soup.  The difference in textures and the combination of all the vegetables make for an enjoyable meal.

15. Arugula Salad

Here’s another soup and salad combo!  This salad is based on, you guessed it, arugula.  What else goes in depends on the recipe, mostly vegetables but I’ve seen recipes that use fruits, too.

Like most salads, it’s easy to make and usually doesn’t need cooking.  The vegetables inside it complement the onions in French onion soup for an excellent taste.

16. Pull-Apart Bread

Pull-apart bread also called “monkey bread” is famous as finger food.  It’s been scored, or partially cut, before baking so you just tear out a piece and eat it, can’t get simpler than that, right?

Well, it turns out there are a lot of recipes for making pull-apart bread.  The initial recipe calls for sweetness rather than savor, but there are a lot of recipes where the bread is made with cheese and garlic rather than sugar and cinnamon.  This gives your French onion soup a lot more flavor.

17. Farro

This slightly obscure whole grain is similar to wheat or barley.  It comes with a nutty flavor, a chewy texture, and a lot of nutrients.

Now you’re probably wondering what farro can do with a French onion soup.  Well, you can serve it as a side, but you can also combine both of them for a new twist on the old soup.  Look for recipes online.

Wrap Up

And that’s it, seventeen side dishes for French onion soup.  Of course, there are many, many more dishes out there that can be found online or in any cookbook.

Are there any good side dishes that you want to share?  Is there any way that the dishes I listed here could be improved?  What’s your favorite?

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