Rustic Country French Garlic Soup Recipe
This Rustic Country French Garlic Soup is a warm, creamy, and fragrant soup featuring roasted garlic and fresh thyme. Perfect as a comforting starter or light meal, the soup is blended smooth and enriched with heavy cream, served alongside crusty baguette slices and garnished with herbs or croutons.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: French
Ingredients
Scale
Soup
- 10 garlic cloves (about 50 g), whole and unpeeled
- 1 large yellow onion (about 150 g), chopped
- 4 cups (960 ml) vegetable or chicken broth
- 1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) olive oil
- 4–5 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried thyme)
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
For Serving
- 1 small baguette or 4 slices crusty bread (about 150 g), for serving
- Fresh herbs or croutons, for garnish
Instructions
- Roast the Garlic: Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Slice the tops off the garlic bulbs to expose the cloves, drizzle them with olive oil, wrap tightly in foil, and roast for about 30 minutes until the garlic is golden and soft to the touch.
- Sauté the Aromatics: Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the chopped onions and cook for 5–7 minutes until they become translucent and release a fragrant aroma.
- Add Broth and Herbs: Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins directly into the pot with the onions. Add the vegetable or chicken broth and the fresh thyme sprigs. Stir well and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer.
- Simmer: Allow the soup to simmer gently for 15–20 minutes to let the flavors meld and develop fully.
- Blend: Remove the thyme sprigs from the soup. Using an immersion blender, purée the soup until smooth. Alternatively, transfer the soup in batches to a regular blender and blend carefully until silky.
- Add Cream & Season: Return the pureed soup to the pot, stir in the heavy cream to enrich the soup, then season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
- Serve: Ladle the hot soup into bowls and garnish with fresh herbs or croutons. Serve with warm slices of baguette or crusty bread for dipping and enjoying alongside.
Notes
- For a vegan version, substitute the heavy cream with coconut cream or cashew cream and use vegetable broth.
- Roasting the garlic mellows its flavor and adds a rich depth to the soup.
- If you prefer a chunkier texture, blend only half the soup and mix with the remaining unblended portion.
- Fresh thyme enhances the aromatic profile, but dried thyme works well if fresh is unavailable.
- This soup keeps well refrigerated for up to 3 days and can be reheated gently on the stovetop.
Keywords: Garlic soup, French soup, creamy garlic soup, roasted garlic, rustic soup, thyme soup, comforting soup
