Baked Mushroom and Onion Soup with Cheesy Croutons

This recipe is a kind of take on French onion soup but with plenty of garlic, the addition of mushrooms for extra depth and, instead of a single cheesy crouton placed on top, the whole dish is thickened up with chunks of sourdough bread and good quality cheese stirred through it (as well as sprinkled on the top).

This is a great dinner party starter but it's also a wonderful lunch or even a vegetarian dinner (just make sure you use vegetable stock and vegetarian-friendly cheese). It's hearty, full of flavour and is easy to make. It also freezes and reheats really well. What's not to like! 

Baked Mushroom and Onion Soup with Cheesy Croutons

Serves 4

rapeseed or olive oil

2 red onions, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 tsp dried Italian herbs

300g mushrooms

300g sourdough bread

1 litre vegetable or chicken stock

70g Gruyere cheese, grated

Truffle oil (optional), to serve

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas Mark 4.

Put the chopped onions and garlic in a large casserole pan on a medium-low heat with a good drizzle of oil (about 1 tablespoon). Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle over the dried herbs. Continue to cook for around 10 minutes, stirring regularly, until the onions are softened and starting to colour.

In the meantime, slice the mushrooms and tear the bread into 4cm chunks. Then add the mushrooms to the pan together with the stock and bring to the boil. Add the bread then add 3/4 of the cheese.

Stir well then sprinkle over the rest of the cheese. Transfer to the preheated oven and bake for around 25 minutes until dark golden on top. Divide between bowls and then drizzle over a little truffle oil, if you like.