Caramelized Onion and Mushroom Soup with Asiago

I came home last week from a sunny, warm vacation to a miserable, cold hailstorm. Needless to say, I needed some comfort food...fast. As I've mentioned before, I always keep some broth on hand for quick and easy meals. It definitely came in handy for this rich and satisfying soup, which also makes good use of my handy dandy stash of caramelized onions in the freezer. (I'm telling you, these things are great to have on hand!)

This isn't your grand-mère's french onion soup; it's a semi-homemade version with some calorie-cutting, health-boosting changes. I replaced that soggy bread with meaty, nutritious mushrooms. And I swapped out the usual loads of gruyere with just a bit of pungent asiago; at about 20 calories per tablespoon, asiago is a great way to add flavor and gooey texture, and even some calcium. 


Ingredients:
makes 6-8 servings

• 2T butter
• 4 cups (about 10 ounces) sliced cremini mushrooms
• 1/4 cup wine (I used white because that's what I had open; red would add a richer flavor)
• 2 cups caramelized onions
• 32-ounce box low-sodium organic beef broth (can substitute vegetable broth)
• shaved asiago, about 1-2T per serving
• salt, to taste

Melt the butter in a pot until it gets foamy. Add sliced mushrooms and saute until golden:

Add wine to the hot pot to deglaze. Add the caramelized onions and broth. 

Bring to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes. Ladle into bowls and top with shaved asiago. Let the hot soup melt the cheese.

Even without the gobs of gruyeye, you can still have what you want most in an onion soup: cheese pull!

Hurry up and make some before winter ends!