Have you heard the term, “soup weather”?  Not to be confused with soup-y weather, soup weather is what happens when the temperatures start to cool down, maybe it gets a little rainy and windy, perhaps it’s gray and gloomy outside.  Soup weather is the kind of weather that makes you just want to sit inside, wrap yourself in a blanket, and eat some soup.

It’s awesome.

Soup weather is just another reason that I love fall.  Soup is one of my favorite things to make because it is so easy, but there are so many different flavors, combinations, and even techniques that can make soup feel gourmet or rustic.  I could make soup every night, and because there is such variety, I wouldn’t get bored.

While I have my favorite stand by’s (like this chickpea dumpling or slow cooker minestrone), I like to try a few new recipes each year.  One soup that I have never had is French Onion soup.  When I was younger, I didn’t like onions so anything with onion right in the title was out.  By the time that I started to really love onions, French Onion soup really wasn’t on my radar.  Then I discovered caramelized onions and I decided it was time to try my own spin on French Onion soup.

Traditionally French Onion soup has a thick layer of cheese on top that you break through and eat along with the onion soup.  This soup is not going to have any cheese, but that doesn’t make it any less delicious.  I decided to keep it fairly simple but added in roasted apples for a little sweet taste of fall.   Overall, I was thrilled with the flavor.  A little sweet and a little savory.

You can save a little time with this recipe by caramelizing the onions in your slow cooker the day before.  If you do that, this soup comes together really fast and that means you can spend more time snuggling in your blanket and enjoying soup weather!

Caramelized Onion and Roasted Apple Soup

• 4 large onions, thinly sliced (make them in your crockpot beforehand to speed things up)
• 1 large granny smith apple, cubed (you can also use any other tart apple)
• 1 tsp coconut oil
• 1/2 tsp celery salt
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
• 4 1/2 cups vegetable broth or water
•  1 cup celery, sliced
• salt and pepper

1. If you haven’t caramelized your onions beforehand, heat a little olive oil in a large soup pot or dutch oven over medium-low heat.   Add in the thinly sliced onions and cook low and slow until they turn a deep brown.  Make sure you keep the heat LOW, you don’t want to burn or brown the onions.  This should take about 20 to 30 minutes.
2. While you’re caramelizing the onions, you can roast your apples.  Preheat the oven to 375.  Place the cubed apples in a small bowl and add the teaspoon coconut oil.  Toss to coat.  Sprinkle the celery salt, fennel seeds, and allspice over the apples and toss again.  Spread the apples in an even layer on a parchment or Silpat-lined baking sheet.  Roast for 10 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned.  Remove from oven and set aside.
3. In the same pot that you caramelized the onions, add the sliced celery to the onions and bring the heat up to medium-high.  Saute the celery for about 7 minutes until soft.   Add the roasted apples and stir to combine everything.
4. Add the vegetable broth or water to the pot, season with salt and pepper,  and bring the whole thing to a boil.  Cover and lower to a simmer.  Cook the soup, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes.  Taste and adjust the salt and pepper right before serving.

Simple ingredients turned into something that tastes fancy and awesome.  That’s my kind of meal!