Vegetarian Stout French Onion Soup

I love Irish stout stew and French onion soup. Plus my wife is a vegetarian. So I came up with this infusion that is, in my opinion, amazing! Portobello mushrooms replace cubed beef, and it is all topped off with a Swiss cheese-crusted slice of artisan bread, French onion-soup style. Serve with a frosty stout and enjoy! Happy St. Patrick's Day!

• Preparation Time: 20 mins
• Cooking Time: 1 hr 10 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 30 mins
• Calories: 399 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 4 slices French bread
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 2 potatoes, cubed
• 1 onion, sliced
• ½ cup shredded Swiss cheese
• 1 ½ cups vegetable broth
• ½ (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 1 ½ teaspoons cold water
• 2 portobello mushroom caps, cubed
• 20 fluid ounces stout beer

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Set oven rack about 5 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler.

Step 2

Toss mushrooms and flour together in a bowl until coated.

Step 3

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat; cook and stir coated mushrooms until browned, 5 to 10 minutes.

Step 4

Combine potatoes, carrots, onion, garlic, and rosemary in a large stockpot; top with cooked mushrooms. Stir beer, vegetable broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper into vegetable mixture. Cover stockpot and cook over medium-high heat until vegetables are tender and soup flavors have blended, about 1 hour.

Step 5

Whisk water and cornstarch together in a bowl until dissolved; stir into soup until thickened, about 3 minutes.

Step 6

Arrange bread slices on a baking sheet and sprinkle Swiss cheese over each slice.

Step 7

Broil bread in the preheated oven until cheese is melted and golden, about 1 minute.

Step 8

Ladle soup into bowls using a slotted ladle; top each with a bread slice. Ladle broth over bread until saturated.