French Onion Soup Bites
I was catering an appetizer themed party this past Saturday and was trying to come up with new ideas for appetizers. As a brand ambassador for Chateau Foods I happen to have an endless supply of dumplings in my freezer and was brainstorming ways to work them into this menu. I saw someone making French Onion Soup over on Instagram and decided to find a way to combine the two. It took me a couple trials to get the recipe for these French Onion Soup Bites perfect, but once I got it right I knew I had to share it with everyone for the holiday season. My recipe calls for the Chateau Foods Potato Dumplings, which I think add a great flavor and texture to this dish, but if you do not have access to these dumplings, you can easily use crescent or biscuit roll dough. I also used my Instant Pot to make the soup mixture, if you do not have an Instant Pot, you can make the soup mixture on your stove. I will add extra instructions for this stove top step. These French Onion Soup Bites were a big hit with the crowd, but I will say, they tasted best when served right from the oven so these aren’t a dish to be left out on a buffet. The steps are fairly simple and you need few ingredients. You will need a mini muffin pan to make this appetizer.This recipe makes 24 Soup Bites. Here is what you will need to make the French Onion Soup Bites.
Ingredients
- 6 Medium to Large Size Sweet Onions, Rough Chopped
- 1 Packet of Dried Onion Soup Mix
- 4 T of Butter
- 1 T of Brown Sugar
- 2 Boxes of Large Potato Dumplings, Thawed
- Black Pepper to taste
- 2 C of Shredded Gruyere or Swiss Cheese
- Fresh or Dried Parsley for garnish
- Non stick spray
In the Chicago area, the Chateau Potato Dumplings can be found in the frozen food section of your grocery store, if you do not have access to these dumplings, they can be ordered online or you can substitute three tubes of crescent rolls or biscuits. As I said, I used my Instant Pot to quick cook the soup mixture. If you do not have an Instant Pot, follow the steps below and instead of using the pressure cooker, use a pot with a tight fitting lid and cook the onions on low for 45 minutes until they are nice and caramelized. The soup mixture needs to be made the night before you want to bake/serve them. Here is what you do to make the French Onion Soup Bites.
Steps
- Rough chop your onions and set your instant pot to the sauté setting. Add the butter and onions and slowly cook the onions until they are soft and sweating. If you are doing this on the stove, just do this step in your soup pot with a lid.
- When your onions are soft there should be some liquid in the pot, if there isn’t add about 1/3 C of water.
- Next add the brown sugar, onion soup packet and the black pepper, set your instant pot to manual, high, and set the timer for 30 minutes. If you are using the stovetop, reduce the heat to low, cover the onions and cook for about 45 minutes to an hour. Check on them to make sure they aren’t burning and you may need to give them a stir here and there.
- When the timer goes off, release the steam and put the onions in an airtight container overnight. The mixture is easier to work with when it has cooled overnight and it is a little thicker.
- When you are ready to make the soup bites, thaw your dumplings and cut each of the dumplings into quarters. If you are using biscuit or croissant dough you need about a 2 inch ball of the dough.
- Heat your oven to 375 degrees.
- Spray your mini muffin pan well with your non stick spray.
- Press the dumpling dough (or croissant/biscuit dough) into the bottom of each muffin spot going all the way up the sides of each muffin spot. (picture below)
- Next, add some soup mixture, almost to the top of the dough. This was about 1/2 of a Tablespoon. Repeat process until all the muffin spots are filled.
- Top with the cheese and a sprinkle of black pepper.
- Bake your bites for about 35 minutes, all ovens will vary, you will now they are done with the dough is golden brown and the cheese is bubbly.
- Top with fresh or dried parsley and serve immediately. The soup mixture will be a little hot, so use caution.
This recipe was a huge hit. It was very elegant and unique and the flavor was amazing. This makes a great appetizer for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve. If you make these, I know your guests will be just as delighted as mine were. If you do make them, share them on Instagram and tag me @thetipsyhousewife so I can see!
For more Holiday Inspiration, follow me on Pinterest at The Tipsy Housewife
**I am a paid Brand Ambassador for Chateau Foods, however all opinions are my own.