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French Onion Short Ribs. Best for when you’re craving steaming hot french onion soup but want something a little heartier too. Easy homemade french onion soup made with tender, fall-apart short ribs and a small touch of soy for a salty, delicious twist. This is a wonderful family dinner to make any night of the week, especially during these cold winter months. So warming, cozy, and delicious. Especially with all that cheesy bread on top. Yummmy.
I don’t know if you feel like you need this recipe this week, just days before the holidays, but I felt like you NEED this recipe. It’s the perfect cozy bowl for these bitter-cold December nights. And personally, I love it because it’s easy, serves my family, and is wildly delicious.
This is by no means a traditional french onion soup. And the short ribs are not cooked the usual way most of us cook short ribs. There’s also some unexpected flavors, but I promise you, it’s so warming and so delish.
Do any of you remember these French Onion Dumplings I made last November? I adore that recipe and have made it many times since first sharing it. It’s the perfect marriage of rich flavors. It’s the oniony soy broth that I love so much about the recipe.
I know it sounds odd, but the salt in the soy really pairs so wonderfully with a rich onion broth.
When I was in New York, I was describing the recipe to one of the producers at Kelly and Ryan. He had asked why I didn’t include any cheesy toast with the dumplings. And I too wondered, well, “why didn’t I”?
And that’s when I came up with this. It’s nothing crazy new. I’m sure someone has put short ribs in french onion soup before, but I did so in a very special way.
Here are details
Like a lot of recipes I’m sharing right now, you can use the stove or crockpot. I love both options but stuck with the stove this time.
The key to this is to caramelize the onions with a touch of wine just like I do in my french onion soup. They add so much flavor and make the broth feel rich and indulgent. When the onions have caramelized, add the broth, a splash of tamari (or you can use soy sauce), and then a bay leaf and star anise. The soy sauce, bay leaf, and star anise really create a flavorful broth that sounds different, but works really well with the rich onion broth and braised short ribs.
Please trust me, the tamari/soy is the secret.
Add the short ribs right to the broth, then transfer the pot to the oven to let the ribs cook. Keep the top on so the broth does not evaporate over time.
After 2-3 hours the ribs should easily fall off the bone.
You need to remove and discard the bones, then shred the meat. It should easily shred right into the broth mess-free.
To finish, you need the cheesy gruyere toast. Use french bread and shredded Gruyere, then broil until the cheese is bubbly.
Ladle the broth and meat into soup bowls and top with toast + thyme. And honestly, this sounds weird, but some chili garlic oil is really delicious on top too. It’s just an idea, but a yummy one!
Our nights are so much longer these days, so sometimes I find it nice to be able to spend a little extra time in the kitchen making dinner.
Everyone is going to love this recipe. It’s surprising, but in a good way!
Looking for other weeknight dinners? Here are my favorites:
Ginger Sesame Chicken Potstickers
Crispy Cauliflower Tinga Tacos with Honey Lime Avocado Crema
Lastly, if you make these French Onion Short Ribs, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
French Onion Short Ribs
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 998 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- 4 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc
- black pepper
- 2 shallots, sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
- chili flakes
- 6-8 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 cup tamari or soy sauce (low sodium is best)
- 4 pounds bone-in beef short ribs
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 star anise (optional)
- 2 cups baby carrots
- 6 slices french bread
- 2 cups shredded Gruyère cheese
Instructions
Stove/Oven
- 1. Preheat the oven to 325° F.2. In a large oven-safe Dutch Oven over high heat, melt together the butter and onions. Cook 5 minutes, until softened. Add the wine, season with pepper, and continue cooking another 5-8 minutes, until the wine has evaporated and the onions are lightly golden. Add the shallots, garlic, thyme, sage, and chili flakes. Then add the short ribs. Pour over 6 cups of broth. Add the tamari, bay leaf, and star anise (if using). Cover and roast in the oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours or until the short ribs are tender and falling off the bone. Add the carrots during the last 1-2 hours of cooking. 3. Remove the bay leaves and star anise. Discard any bones and extra fatty pieces. Lightly shred the meat. Taste and season with salt, if needed. Place over LOW heat on the stove. 4. Switch the oven to 425°. Arrange the bread on a baking sheet and toast for 10 minutes, until very dry. Switch the oven to broil. Top the toast with cheese, then broil until bubbly, 2 to 3 minutes. 5. Ladle the soup into bowls. Top with cheesy toast, black pepper, and fresh thyme. Eat!
Crockpot
- 1. In a large Dutch Oven over high heat, melt together the butter and onions. Cook 5 minutes, until softened. Add the wine, season with pepper, and continue cooking another 5-8 minutes, until the wine has evaporated and the onions are lightly golden. Add the shallots, garlic, thyme, sage, and chili flakes. Then transfer everything to the bowl of the crockpot. 2. To the crockpot, add the short ribs. Pour over 6 cups of broth. Add the tamari, bay leaf, and star anise (if using). Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 5-6 hours. Add the carrots during the last 1-2 hours of cooking. 3. Remove the bay leaves and star anise. Discard any bones and extra fatty pieces. Lightly shred the meat. Keep on warm. 4. Switch the oven to 425°. Arrange the bread on a baking sheet and toast for 10 minutes, until very dry. Switch the oven to broil. Top the toast with cheese, then broil until bubbly, 2 to 3 minutes. 5. Ladle the soup into bowls. Top with cheesy toast, black pepper, and fresh thyme. Eat!
Do the short ribs need browning before putting them in the oven for the French onion short ribs.
Hey Margaret,
I did not brown my short ribs, but you absolutely can if you want to! Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
I used short ribs and a top sirloin i had in my freezer. I did skim some fat off. It was off the charts delicious. My BF said it was restaurant quality. Yum yum yum .
Hey Leigh,
Awesome! Thank you so much for trying this recipe and your feedback, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! Xx
Can I use beef broth instead of chicken broth
Hi Valerie,
Yes, that will work well for you! Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
I made this for my family when I was working all day, prepared it in the morning and I just had to seperate the bones and add carrot at the end. easily it was one of the best soups we’ve all had. I personally love the fattiness of the ribs and believes it adds a stronger depth of flavour! thank you!!!
Hey Amy,
Happy Sunday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks a lot for trying it out! Xx
Love this recipe but I don’t see when to add the soy sauce listed? Thanks!
Hey Tara,
The soy sauce or Tamari is added in step 2:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
As others have noted this is a REALLY greasy/ fatty dish. Because of that you have to do a lot of skimming off the top and it’s also hard to adjust flavor throughout.
Also, the broth is pretty bland. I had to double the seasoning and add a little worschteshire.
That said…the crusty gruyer cheese bread MAKES this dish. Without it, 5/10 with it, 10/10.
I used the crockpot method. I also caramelized the onions a bit longer on the stove like a more traditional french onion soup. Probably about 30-40 minutes ensuring a nice caramelization before transferring to the crockpot. Carrots didn’t really add anything to the meal. Ribs were buttery but I do feel like it would have been the same flavor with chuck roast. In the future I would serve this more like a large appetizer. Thick crusty bread on bottom, meat and onions on top, dipped or drizzled with the broth for each bite.
It would also be interesting to try with red wine instead of white and beef stock instead of chicken.
Overall it was worth a try but I wouldn’t make it the same way again.
Hi Rachel,
So sorry for all of the grease. Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing what worked well for you! So glad you really enjoyed the cheese bread! Have a great autumn Friday! Xx
Could I just use a pot or round roast to lessen the grease?
Hi Jo,
Sure, that should work nicely for you! Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
This comes out way too greasy. Almost an inch of oil on top of the “soup”. After spending hours waiting for dinner we have to order pizza and refrigerate the short ribs. Hopefully I can scoop off the fat after it sits in the fridge.
Hi Crystal,
Thanks for trying this dish and sharing your feedback, so very sorry to hear there was too much grease. xx
Delicious flavor, but I agree with other comments – the fat on the short ribs creates a lot of fatty liquid in the soup, especially apparent when you refrigerate after making. I cut some of the fat caps off the short ribs before cooking to minimize this.
I also add mushrooms (cook with onions) and potatoes (add with carrots) to make more of a stew.
Hi Emily,
Thanks for giving this dish a try and sharing your feedback:) Glad to hear it was enjoyed! xT
Our short ribs were pretty fatty, even though I trimmed them as good as I could. I just used a deep big spoon and was able to get alot of the extra fat off the top. The meal was delicious! We actually put it over mashed potatoes in a big soup bowl. Everyone loved it. I didn’t have enough chicken broth so I used 2 C of beef broth and the rest chicken broth. I also used coconut aminos instead of soy sauce and about 2 teaspoons of worcestershire. I made homemade dinner rolls and cut them in half to make the cheesy bread and it was awesome. 🙂
Hey Dana,
Awesome!! Love to hear this recipe turned out nicely for you, thanks for making it! Hope you are enjoying fall! XxT
Flavors were there, however, this was the fattiest soup I’ve ever had in my life. With the cooking of the short ribs, there was at least a 1/4 inch of a fat layer on top of the soup when all was said and done. I tried to separate it out, but wasn’t that successful. Soup was enjoyed by all, but after our stomachs have that feeling when you eat too much fatty food. I’m looking through the instructions and don’t see any steps I missed. Unsure how many so many others here made this and didn’t have the same issue.
Hey Shawn! I’m so sorry this was too fatty for you! Thank you for the feedback! xT
The soup was amazing. I couldn’t wait to eat it after the house smelled so delicious from cooking. I did use a Wagyu roast since I had it on hand. It was perfect. I will be making this again with short ribs. Thank you for this recipe.
Thanks so so much! Always love to hear when a recipe is enjoyed! Have a great weekend 🙂 xT
Can I use boneless short ribs? What do you think about adding mushrooms? Do you think that would change the flavor?
Thank you for all your recipes! I love them!
Hi Rachel! Yes, you can use boneless short ribs! You will just have to adjust the cooking time. I think mushrooms would be super yummy in this recipe! xT
The soup is quite greasy since the short ribs cook in the soup. I’m going to try keeping them separate and then adding the meat to the soup. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Barbara! Thank you for the feedback! So sorry this turned out greasy for you! xT
This is going to be a crazy question….. this recipe is so amazing and delicious and I’d love to make it for my family. However, my mother ONLY eats chicken. Has anyone ever tried this substituting chicken for the beef?
Hi Nicole! Yes you can definitely sub chicken in this recipe but you’ll just have to change the cook time! xT
Hi Tieghan – In which one of your cookbooks is this French onion short rib recipe? I’d like to buy it. Thanks a lot!