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The caramelized onions make this French Onion Soup Burger over the top.  It’s a labor of love but makes for one killer burger.

I love French onion soup. The sweet onions, the slightly salty beef broth, crouton, and of course cheese is a bowl of comfort that I love. It’s also a way I judge restaurants. Some use burgers, other use salads. I use French onion soup. If you can make a delicious French onion soup, then you’ve got my vote.

As you know, I like to find out where food or recipes come from. And with this one, it truly does come from France. However, it’s a bit up in the air as to how this soup came about. There are almost always opposing stories to some of the most famous dishes we eat.

How was French onion soup invented?

Well, one story claims that after a day of hunting, King Louis XV either came home from hunting or hosted a party at a hunting lodge. Even that has differing opinions depending on what you read. Either way, the pantry was quite bare and he found some butter, onions, and champagne. Go figure!

Now, onion soups have been around for quite a while before that. Going back to the Roman times, in fact. But since onions were nothing special to write home about, onion soup was more lower class than royalty in nature. Onions were readily available and in abundance.

The second version of the story is less decorated. Stanislas Leszczynski was the Duke of Lorraine. He apparently tasted some onion soup at an inn in the Champagne region. He fell in love with the soup and insisted they tell him how to make it. Of course, neither of these version has the epic cheese topping that we’re all so used it.

Where did the cheesy top come from?

The gratinée topping hails from Les Halles region. The chefs there took this simple peasant dish and elevated with a little crouton and cheese no top. This transcended gratinée the dish and class distinctions. Meaning, everyone could afford a little of the decadence of the gratinée on top of the soup.

The working class ate French onion soup for essentially any meal. But it was also served to those late-night cabaret patrons with a pounding headache. Seen as a bit of a hangover cure, French onion soup was popular with the elite back in the day. Not sure it has the same claim to fame as such now. Who knows?

How did French onion soup become popular in the US?

Fast forward to the 1960’s where French cuisine was all the rage. And that is how the French onion soup took off in the States. Of course, anything that tastes as amazing as French onion soup would easily be a hit here in the US. Not to mention its simple ingredients and hearty flavor.

As you can see from the various French onion soup products on the market today, it is still as popular today. I’d say more so now than back in the 60’s or even as far back as it’s creation in France. Dip and soup mixes are readily available in any grocery store. There’s even canned versions of the soup you can heat and eat.

What does the French Onion Soup Burger taste like?

This French onion soup burger has those sweet caramelized onions inside and on top of the burger. There is Gruyere cheese in both places as well. The secret to this burger is the dip mix folded into the ground beef. It adds just another layer of French onion soup flavor you’re not expecting.

I had contemplated putting a crouton under the burger to catch all those delicious juices. But I just did not get around to doing that. By all means, you should do that. The butter and juices from the caramelized onion combined with the juice from the burger are delicious. And I wouldn’t want to waste any of it.

I mean, just look at all that cheese oozing from the burger! Obviously, I didn’t seal the patties together very well on this one. I am still working on my technique with stuffed burgers. But that doesn’t make them taste any less delicious. It just makes them messier to eat.

So while this burger isn’t as over the top piled high with crap as some of the other burgers I’ve made. And definitely not as stacked compared to some of the other burgers shared this month. However, this one packs a flavor punch you’re going to love. French onion soup burger has all the flavors of the soup but in fun and delicious burger.