A bowl French onion soup in burger form.
French onion soup is quite possibly my favorite soup. Nothing brings your belly comfort or soothes a ravaged soul like a bowl of savory broth, caramelized onions, and nutty Gruyere.
To switch things up – like I did with pizza and grilled cheese… and a baked potato… and even fondue – I took the ever alluring flavor combo of French onion soup and made it into burger form. The French onion Burger features savory ground chuck seasoned with French onion soup mix on an onion bun and generously topped with a thick cut of Gruyere and caramelized onions. It’s the perfect handheld hangover cure.
Time You Need
- Prep: ~45 minutes
- Resting: ~15 minutes
- Cooking ~10 minutes
- Yields: Four burgers
What You Need
- 1 pound of ground chuck ( 80-20 blend)
- 1 packet of Onion soup mix
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 4 slices of Gruyere
- 4 hamburger onion buns, toasted
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp garlic salt
- 2 tbsp butter, room temp
- 1/3 cup of beef broth
- For the onions:
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
- ½ cup beef broth
- ¼ cup of cooking wine / or dry white wine
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 2 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1/2 tbsp flour
What You Do
- For the onions:
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add in butter and let it melt before adding onions and garlic. Toss them around in the butter, then reduce heat to medium-low and let sit covered for about 15 minutes. If at any time the onions start to burn, toss in a small teaspoon of water and stir.
- After the time is up, add in sugar, onion powder, and cooking wine. Cook for another 15 minutes, while stirring occasionally.
- After another 15 minutes, toss in beef broth and flour. The goal of the flour here is to lock in the beef flavor of the broth and soak up the liquid so the burger isn’t too soggy. Just a little here, about ½ tbsp, should do the trick. Stir together and let the onions simmer for about 5 more minutes until they achieve a nice caramelized brown.
- Set to the side on a low simmer to keep warm.
- For the burgers:
- In a mixing bowl, gently hand mix the ground meat with the French onion soup seasoning packet, the Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, salt, garlic, and onion powder, and black pepper.
- Form into four evenly sized patties, and season both sides with a small dash of salt and pepper.
- Place the burgers on a parchment-lined tray, and cover with plastic wrap. Place in the fridge and let them sit for about 15 minutes. While they cool, in a food processor or mixing bowl, mix the softened butter with the 1/3 cup of beef broth to form a beef butter mixture. Scoop into a small bowl and place in the fridge to rechill.
- Once the cooling time is over, heat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Then melt the beef butter until foaming. Add your patties and sear for about 4-5 minutes on one side before flipping. Once flipped add a slice of Gruyere and cook for about another 4-5 minutes, or until the internal temps are at 160.
- Remove the patties from heat. Toast the onion buns either on the skillet, grill, or in a toaster.
- To dress the burger, add each patty to a toasted onion bun, and top with heaping piles of caramelized onions.
- Serve with any other desired toppings (like a nice stoneground mustard) and enjoy.