My first "mostly from scratch" french onion soup

I've made quickie french onion soup before, using campbell's canned french onion soup.

This was the first time I made it "mostly from scratch."

I say mostly because, I still used canned beef consomme and lipton onion soup mix.

But this time I cooked down the onions first!

Slice up a whole vidalia onion. Melt 1/2 stick of butter in a cast iron skillet.

Heat the butter until it's foaming, and then add the sliced onions. Cook down until caramelized.

While the onions are cooking, start simmering your broth in a small cast iron pot.

I used 2 cans of Campbell's beef consomme. You could use beef stock, or even venison stock.

After the onions are caramelized, add them to the pot of simmering broth and keep simmering.

Add your seasonings; I chose to use lipton onion soup mix.

You could use dried onion flakes, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, beef bouillon.

After it's simmered a while, add your bread and cheese.

I used freshly baked white bread and provolone cheese, with a little bit of white american cheese.

If I were to do this again, I'd use freshly baked french bread, in thick slices.

You can use most any white cheese, but I like provolone.

Into the oven at 400 degrees until the cheese is well melted.

It was the best french onion soup I ever had!

The only thing that might have made it better was, if I had added some red wine.