Low Fat French Onion Soup

Today is unseasonably cold and windy in Buffalo NY and I am in the mood for some soup. To keep this recipe lowfat, I used 4 ounces of Jarlsberg light swiss cheese. This cheese is very flavorful and each serving (1 ounce) has 70 calories and 4 grams of fat.  Regular swiss cheese has 100 calories per ounce and 8 grams of fat.  More cheese could be used as a garnish if preferred, keeping in mind that this would increase the calories per serving. As prepared, this recipe yields 5 servings of soup at approximately 260 calories each.

Low Fat French Onion Soup

5 onions sliced thin
2 Tablespoons olivio light buttery spread (or similar butter substitute)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 garlic cloves
4 cups low sodium beef broth
1/4 cup red wine
1 Tablespoon worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon sweetener of choice (or sugar)
1/4 teaspoon pepper
5 thin slices whole grain french bread or sliced baguette
5 teaspoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded Jarlsberg light swiss cheese (more or less to taste)

Combine thinly sliced onions, Olivio buttery spread, olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt and the garlic cloves. Cook onions over medium heat until they are carmelized, this takes about 25-30 minutes. This process takes time, remember to keep stirring the onions to keep them from burning.

When the onions are carmelized, combine the flour with the onions and give them a quick stir. Turn the heat down to medium low and let stand for a couple of minutes. Add the beef broth, red wine, worcestershire sauce, sugar and pepper. Simmer for about 10 minutes.

Slice the french bread (or baguette) in 5 thin slices. Add 1 teaspoon of freshly shredded parmesan cheese on each slice of bread and toast in the oven. Ladle soup into 5 individual serving oven safe bowls or mug. Add a thin slice of bread and top with the freshly grated swiss cheese.

Place the soup bowls under the broiler until just bubbly. Remove from the oven and enjoy!