Our five-star French onion soup is worth the tears

"Awesome recipe. Works well. Always impresses."

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story February 3, 2024 Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Prop Stylist: Paige Hicks. A French onion soup that's worth the tears By The New York Times Cooking We here at New York Times Cooking love a good cry, whether we're attending a wedding, watching that one episode of "The Last of Us" or chopping three pounds of onions for French onion soup. As Sara Bonisteel notes in her recipe, which has five stars and over 5,000 reviews, you'll spend a good bit of time caramelizing all those onions, but it's always worth the wait (and tears). A deeply flavored, savory-sweet bowl of sable-brown French onion soup on a cold winter weekend? With thick slabs of toast blanketed in melted cheese? We're misting up a little just thinking about it. Featured Recipe French Onion Soup View Recipe → Considerably quicker to make is Lidey Heuck's sheet-pan chicken and potatoes with feta, lemon and dill, which comes together in weeknight time (45 minutes, plus whatever marinating time you can manage) but looks and feels weekend-fancy. The feta and lemon provide necessary acidity to level out the luscious potatoes and crisp-skinned chicken thighs; all you need to add is a simple green salad. Colu Henry's pasta alla vodka is similarly speedy and balanced in flavor, with its salty (but optional) pancetta, sweet tomatoes and onions, piquant vodka and savory cheese. As Colu encourages, open up a bottle of red and put on some opera — something hopelessly romantic and tearjerking. If you're searching for a showstopper, a whole roasted branzino — or any whole roasted fish, really — never fails to impress and is fantastically easy to put together. If you can preheat the oven and slice a lemon, you can handle Lidey's foolproof recipe; the skin and bones insulate the delicate flesh and keep it from drying out. If there's no branzino at your fish counter, our resident fisherman (and Cooking newsletter captain) Sam Sifton offers the following substitutions: "I'd go with black sea bass, or maybe red snapper if I could find small ones. That recipe wouldn't be terrible with rainbow trout, either." Zainab Shah's bagara baingan — creamy spiced eggplant — will also elicit oohs and ahhs, especially if you make it with those adorable, plump little Indian eggplants. (You can easily swap in Japanese or Italian eggplants; simply slice them into generous slabs.) Don't be scared off by the longish ingredient list, which is mostly spices and shelf-stable pantry staples. Aside from a single red onion, this recipe requires no chopping and is on the table in under an hour. Lastly, if you love all things bright and spicy, here's Pati Jinich's new recipe for tomato-habanero salsa. Prepared as is, with a single habanero roasted alongside tomatoes and onions, you'll have a condiment with a subtly smoky flavor and a light kick that's perfect for huevos rancheros and quesadillas. But feel free to add more chile if you like your salsas eye-watering. Love those leftovers Shred leftover chicken and slice those last few potatoes for a filling cheesy frittata. With the remaining roasted fish you could go citrusy (this lemony fish and orzo soup) or savory (hello, miso fish chowder). And we don't need to tell you what to do with salsa — burritos, taquitos and a huge bag of chips all beckon — but we will leave this seven-layer dip right here. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Sheet-Pan Chicken and Potatoes With Feta, Lemon and Dill By Lidey Heuck 45 minutes, plus at least 30 minutes' marinating Makes 4 servings Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Ali Slagle. Pasta Alla Vodka By Colu Henry 30 minutes Makes 4 to 6 servings Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Whole Roasted Branzino By Lidey Heuck 40 minutes Makes 4 servings Kelly Marshall for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Roscoe Betsill. Prop Stylist: Paige Hicks. Bagara Baingan (Creamy Spiced Eggplant) By Zainab Shah 45 minutes Makes 4 servings Kerri Brewer for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne. Tomato-Habanero Salsa By Pati Jinich 30 minutes Makes About 2 cups Sign up for the Five Weeknight Dishes newsletter Fresh dinner ideas for busy people who want something great to eat, with NYT Cooking recipes sent to you weekly. Get it in your inbox Sign up for The Veggie newsletter Tanya Sichynsky shares the most delicious vegetarian recipes for weeknight cooking, packed lunches and dinner parties. Get it in your inbox Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT Continue reading the main story Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for Cooking from The New York Times. To stop receiving Cooking, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request. Subscribe to NYT CookingGet the NYT Cooking app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018