slow cooker french onion soup

You don't need to use beef broth to get a rich, deep brown broth for french onion soup!

Got some onions? Got a crock pot or slow cooker? Do you have 15 minutes on your hands to have the best veggie/vegan french onion soup ever for dinner tomorrow? If your answer is yes to these questions then get ready for the tastiest and easiest recipe you can ever imagine. Let's rock n' roll...

Ingredients:
3 red onions, halved, 1/4 inch sliced
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter (go ahead and substitute Earth Balance here, just adjust the salt)
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
6 Tbsp. vegan chicken broth mix
11 Cups water
2 1/2 Tbsp. 2x tomato paste (most F.O.S.'s have red wine, we optioned for the glutamate rich tomato paste to bring amazing body to this soup, and it worked amazingly! Want to go traditional? Deglaze the onions in 1 cup red table wine once caramelized, and allow to cook for an additional 8 minutes until the wine is reduced by 75%)
2 Tbsp. herbs du provence
salt & pepper to taste

cheesy croutons:
french bread
Shredded Emmentaler cheese
black pepper

Caramelize the red onion in a saute pan with the butter and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and then transfer to the slow cooker, add remaining ingredients and cook on low for 18 hours. Soups done!

Got traditional french onion bowls and a great broiler? Neither do we. So we topped 1 inch thick slices of french bread with shredded Emmentaler and black pepper and toasted them in a toaster oven for 7 minutes. Put them on top of the soup, or just dip them in. Go back for seconds, we both did. This recipe makes enough for 6 people, or some awesome leftovers. I kinda want to eat it right now. Actually, I think we both will.