Sopa de Ceba

Name: Sopa de Ceba
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 75 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Andorran
Ingredients: 6 large onions, thinly sliced; 3 tablespoons butter; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 1 cup dry white wine; 1 liter beef broth; 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves; 1 bay leaf; 4 thick slices crusty bread, toasted; 200g Gruyère or aged mountain cheese, grated; Salt and black pepper

Sopa de Ceba (SOH-pah deh SEH-bah)

Andorran Onion Soup

⏱ Prep Time 15 min

📈 Difficulty Medium

👥 Servings

🔥 Calories 380 kcal

A deeply caramelized onion soup topped with crusty bread and a thick, bubbling cap of melted mountain cheese. This Andorran take on French onion soup is richer and more rustic, using local cheeses and mountain-baked bread.

Nutrition & Info

Protein 16.0g

Carbs 34.0g

Fat 20.0g

Protein Carbs Fat

Dietary

nut-free

Allergen Warnings

⚠ gluten ⚠ dairy

Equipment Needed

heavy pot oven-safe soup bowls oven

Presentation Guide

Vessel: individual oven-safe soup bowls

Garnishes: fresh thyme

Ingredients

6 large onions, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup dry white wine
1 liter beef broth
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
4 thick slices crusty bread, toasted
200g Gruyère or aged mountain cheese, grated
Salt and black pepper

Instructions

1
Melt the butter with olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add the sliced onions and a pinch of salt. Cook for 35-40 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until the onions are deeply caramelized to a dark mahogany color. Do not rush this step.
2
Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute. Pour in the white wine and stir, scraping up all the caramelized bits from the bottom. Let the wine reduce by half, about 3-4 minutes.
3
Add the beef broth, thyme, and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes to let the flavors meld. Season with salt and pepper. Remove the bay leaf.
4
Preheat the broiler to high. Ladle the hot soup into 4 oven-safe bowls placed on a sturdy baking sheet. Fill each bowl about three-quarters full.
5
Float a thick slice of toasted bread on top of each bowl of soup. The bread should cover most of the surface to create a base for the cheese.
6
Pile the grated cheese generously over each bread slice, letting it overflow onto the rim of the bowl. The cheese should be thick enough to form a substantial crust when melted.
7
Place the baking sheet under the broiler for 3-5 minutes, watching carefully, until the cheese is bubbling vigorously, golden brown, and slightly charred in spots. Serve immediately, warning diners that the bowls are extremely hot.

💡

Did You Know?

Andorran ski resorts serve sopa de ceba as a post-skiing warmer, and on the busiest winter days, restaurants go through hundreds of kilograms of onions. The soup's warming properties are considered almost medicinal by locals.

Chef's Notes

Equipment Tips

heavy pot
oven-safe soup bowls
oven

Garnishing

fresh thyme

The Story Behind Sopa de Ceba

Onion soup has been a staple of Pyrenean mountain cuisine since medieval times, when onions were one of the few vegetables that could be stored through the long, harsh winters.

The Andorran version distinguishes itself through the use of local mountain cheeses, which are stronger and more complex than the Gruyère traditionally used in French versions.

Today sopa de ceba is served in every traditional Andorran restaurant, particularly during the ski season, when its warming, restorative qualities are most appreciated.

🕐 Traditionally enjoyed winter dinner starter 📜 Origins: Medieval

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