Easily Upgrade Canned French Onion Soup With One Simple Addition

French onion soup typically has a base of caramelized onions and savory broth that can be deliciously flavorful. You can also customize a canned version with additional ingredients to give the soup more layers of tasty flavor. Culinary legend Julia Child added brandy to her French onion soup. The options are plentiful when it comes to appetizing seasonings, spices, and toppings that you can incorporate into the dish to take its flavor profile up a level. But the one ingredient you can add that will take canned French onion soup from good to great is already in its traditional base recipe: onions. However, there's a certain kind of onion you should add to your bowl to make it unbeatable.

The caramelized onions you typically find in French onion soup are incredibly sweet. But, if you mix sautéed onions into your canned version, your dish will be infused with a deliciously strong onion flavor, and your soup will gain a delightful richness. Just be sure to sauté your onions properly to get the best results when you put them in your canned French onion soup.

To sauté onions for your canned French onion soup, grab a large skillet and place it on your stovetop over medium-high heat. Pour olive oil into the pan, then add butter and let it melt. If you prefer not to use oil, use a nonstick pan instead of a skillet and substitute the oil with a little water and vegetable broth so the onions don't stick to your pan.

While the butter melts in the pan, thinly slice a few onions. After the butter has melted, spread the onions in the pan and season them with sugar and a bit of salt. Let the onions cook for 10 minutes until they become soft and develop a light golden-brown hue. Your sautéed onions are ready to be mixed into your soup.

Adding sautéed onions isn't the only recipe modification you can use to make canned French onion soup taste better. You only have to look to the culinary experts for more great ideas, as there are chef-approved tips for making the perfect French onion soup.

Celebrity chefs often impart invaluable tips and insights on how to make the best dishes. There are notable ingredients in the French onion soup recipes of two celebrity chefs that you might want to try in your canned French onion soup to give it a unique and delicious flavor. Ina Garten, the New York Times bestselling cookbook author and host of the Food Network's "Barefoot Contessa," tops hers with freshly grated parmesan. This cheese adds a deliciously intense umami flavor to the soup.

Chef Alton Brown, author of the New York Times bestselling cookbook "Everydaycook," likes to pour 10 ounces of unfiltered apple cider into his French onion soup, which adds sharp, acidic flavor. You can also take your canned soup up a notch by making it smell appetizing. How so? Let some fresh herbs such as thyme or rosemary boil gently in the broth while it cooks. You can especially fix a drab French onion soup with a couple of bay leaves. Your canned soup will be infused with a lovely aroma in addition to extra flavor. Just don't forget to drop in those sautéed onions.