Julia Child's Soubise Recipe (Onion & Rice Casserole)

Call onions the steady-eddies of cooking, we cook them every day but rarely take notice. Thanks to this classic French side dish called "soubise" [pronounced soo-BEEZ], we'll never take onions for granted again. Soubise combines thin ribbons of onion with rice and a little cream and cheese. Dreamy. Heavenly. Ethereal. Addictive. Yes, it's that good.

Whole Food, Simply Prepared. Budget Friendly. Weeknight Easy, Weekend Special. Extra Perfect for Special Occasions. Vegetarian. Naturally Gluten Free.

~ Skip Straight to the Recipe ~

COMPLIMENTS!

• " ... it is fantastic!" ~ HeatherCheryl
• " ... the family had only one comment: double the recipe next time!!!" ~ Anonymous
• "OH.MY.WORD." ~ Pamela
• " ... could easily have eaten the whole dish, it is so delicious." ~ dejadru
• "This is easy and delicious!" ~ Barb

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An American Icon.

When Norman Borlaug died at age 95 last fall, it saddened me that his life’s work was vilified.

Borlaug was the Midwestern scientist who championed modern farming practices across the world, not unlike, isn’t it so? the indigenous American peoples who bioengineered corn and potatoes millennia before.

Borlaug’s work in agronomy, genetics and plant pathology is credited with saving a billion people from starvation. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970.

Then there’s St. Louis’ own Monsanto, the company whose Round-Up and genetically modified (GMO) seeds evoke rightful controversy.

In 2006, Monsanto formed a vegetable and fruit seed division to develop new strains of broccoli, onions, tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, melons and more.

First out of the dirt is a mild onion branded EverMild introduced this month by Monsanto and St. Louis’ largest grocery chain, the family-owned Schnucks Markets. I attended a media lunch where chefs prepared an all-onion meal, everything from caramelized onion pizza and French onion soup (delicious!) to a fruity onion sorbet (no thanks).

But Call Me Conflicted.

Nobody stands up for kohlrabi, say, like Kraft stands up for Kool-Aid. Nobody stands up for green beans, say, like General Mills stands up for Golden Grahams.

So when science and investment produce higher-yielding, disease resistant, longer-lasting, better-tasting or more nutritious vegetables and fruits, isn’t that what we ask and expect from American ingenuity? Isn’t that a sign of human progress, not a certain problem?

If it takes a company the size of Walmart versus the passion of Whole Foods (see “The Great Grocery Smackdown” from this month’s Atlantic) to save small family farms, can we allow the possibility that the Monsantos of the world must be afforded the chance to contribute?

Thoughts, readers? Do we want companies to stand up for fruits and vegetables? Can we afford to? Can we afford "not" to?

Cooking with EverMild Onions. Not Exactly Tearless.

• Evermild onions are marketed as "tearless" but in my experience, not. Because I wear contacts, I never have trouble crying over cut onions but with EverMild, I did, so did two others who helped cut vegetables for a family birthday party.
• (I know, I know, it's a bad sign when supposedly tearless Evermild onions bring tears to a cook who remains dry-eyed with other onions.)
• EverMild onions are "long day" onions for harvest in the fall, sold up until March, when Georgia’s famous Vidalia onions, "short day" onions harvested in the spring, become available. That means they're expected to fill a supply hole for sweet onions.
• For the moment, EverMild onions are only available at Schnucks Markets in St. Louis.
• More about EverMild Onions and St. Louis’ only newspaper doing investigative journalism, Riverfront Times.

  ONION UPDATE After no news for over a decade, it appears that Monsanto's successor has re-introduced a successor to Evermild branded as "Sunions". Please see Food Ingredients First, hyping them, you guessed it, as "tearless onions".

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But Soubise? It Is a Must-Make.

No debate about Julia Child’s recipe for Soubise [pronounced soo-BEEZ], the onion and rice side dish: it’s fabulous. Think of soubise as "French risotto without the stirring" because the rice almost melts into the noodle-like strips of onion.

Come to think of it, yes, with eyes closed and tastebuds open, there’s a mac ‘n’ cheese dimension to soubise, a swanky grown-up mac ‘n ‘cheese, for sure, but mac ‘n’ cheese nonetheless.

Pair it with meat, a roast chicken, say, or thin slices of rare beef tenderloin or even as the "starch" with a weekend pot roast or brisket. Last week, I served it with Moroccan Chicken, twas dreamy. For New Year's Eve, my husband cooked steaks on the grill and I made Soubise, just wow.

What's In Soubise? Mostly Pantry Ingredients!

In all my recipes and most well-written recipes, every ingredient serves a purpose. Each one matters. Usually I'm a big fan of substitutes, in this case, I recommend sticking with the recipe, it just works.

• Rice My favorite rice for Soubise is arborio, that's the rice most often chosen for risotto. But if you have other white rices, they work well too. If you'd like to try brown rice, it works but will require a longer cooking time.
• Onions Choose a yellow onion though a white onion would work (though may turned out with a sharper onion flavor). I would avoid a red onion, I think the color would turn quite gray. Usually, I avoid cooking with sweet onions like Vidalia but yes, they work for Soubise too.
• Salt & Pepper These season the rice and onions, evoking a rich savoriness.
• Butter The onions are sautéed in butter, deepening their flavor, enriching the entire dish.
• Heavy Cream Just a quarter cup, but oh, it makes a difference.
• Gruyère Gruyère is an aged Swiss cheese, it melts smoothly and has a special almost-nutty flavor.

How to Make Soubise Like Julia Child

The detailed recipe is written in traditional recipe form below but here are the highlights in four easy steps. You can definitely do this!

• PARCOOK (this means to cook only partway) the rice on its own for exactly 5 minutes.
• SAUTÉ the onions in butter, then stir in the par-cooked rice, salt and pepper. If you use an oven-safe skillet, put on the cover and move it to the oven. I usually transfer the mixture to a shallow baking dish like a quiche pan, cover with foil and then bake.
• BAKE for an hour, stirring once or twice.
• FINISH Stir in the cream and Gruyère, then return to the oven for another 10 minutes and up to an hour.

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Hungry Yet?
An Alanna-Style French Menu

Cheese Puffs (Gougère)

Fast Roast Chicken
~ Julia Child's Soubise ~
recipe below
Ratatouille
Salad Greens with My Favorite Dressing

Lemon or Coffee Pots
~ more French recipes ~

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How do you save and share favorite recipes? recipes that fit your personal cooking style? a particular recipe your mom or daughter or best friend would just love? If Julia Child's Soubise hits the mark, go ahead, save and share! I'd be honored ...

Bookmark! PIN! Share!

How do you save and share favorite recipes? recipes that fit your personal cooking style? a particular recipe your mom or daughter or best friend would just love? If Soubise inspires you, please do save and share! I'd be honored ...

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JULIA CHILD’S SOUBISE RECIPE (ONION & RICE CASSEROLE)

Hands-on time: 20 minutes
Time to table: 90 minutes
Makes 4 cups

• 2 cups salted water (or enough to cover)
• 1/2 cup rice (see TIPS), rinsed well

• 4 tablespoons butter (2oz/60g/half a stick, see TIPS)
• 2 pounds (900g) onions, trimmed, peeled and sliced very thin (see TIPS)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• Pepper to taste

• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup grated Gruyère (about 1 ounce), (see TIPS)

Heat oven to 300F/150C.

RICE Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan, add the rice and cook for exactly 5 minutes. Drain immediately.

ONIONS Melt the butter on medium heat in a large oven-safe skillet (see TIPS) with a lid. Drop in the onions as they’re prepped, stirring to coat with butter. Let gently cook, stirring every so often to avoid burning. Once all the onions are in, briefly sauté them.

Stir in the rice, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper.

BAKE Cover and bake for an hour, stirring once or twice.

ADD CREAM & CHEESE, CONTINUE BAKING Remove from the oven, stir in the cream and cheese. If the rice is still a little undone, return to the oven for 10 – 60 minutes (see TIPS).

Serve and savor ...

MAKE-AHEAD TIPS Soubise can be made ahead of time and then reheated for serving, no loss to quality.

ALANNA’s TIPS My favorite rice for soubise is the Arborio so often used in risotto. But don't worry, any white rice will work fine. Brown rice works too but needs to be cooked longer than white rice, aim for "al dente," that means "just before quite done". Less butter works too, I’ve used as few as two tablespoons butter. But with less fat, do watch the onions carefully as they cook, so not to scorch. For onions, use a cooking onion like a yellow onion or a sweet onion like a Vidalia, once they’re in season. With careful knife work, it is possible to slice the onions thin-thin-thin. It takes awhile but is a relaxing task if enough time is allowed. It's also a good job to assign to someone who's helping with dinner, convivial conversation may ensue! Faster than a knife, however, is the slicing blade on a food processor, this is recommended for double or larger batches. But for lovely, even onion slices, pull out the mandoline (affiliate link), also called a Japanese Benriner, my favorite slicer for this dish. First cut the onions in halves or quarters, then place them flat-side down on the blade to peel off ribbons of onion. Please, do wear the finger blade and review my tips for how to safely use a mandoline. For cheese, Gruyère is traditional and adds a gooey-nuttiness that’s fabulous. But I first became smitten with Soubise made with goat cheese, the tang played beautifully off the savory onions. Many cheeses would work, just avoid an oily cheese such as cheddar. For appearance’s sake, I like to combine the rice and onions on the stove but then transfer to a shallow dish like a quiche pan covered with foil for baking. An hour in the oven creates a dish that’s done – and delicious – and creamy-pale. When dinner ran late one night, I left the soubise in the oven for another hour and oo-la-la, the cream turned dark and nutty. Now I plan ahead, giving the Soubise at least a total of 90 minutes in the oven.

FOR MORE INFO If you "skipped straight to the recipe," please scroll back to the top of this page for ingredient information, ingredient substitutions, tips and more. If you print this recipe, you'll want to check the recipe online for even more tips and extra information about ingredient substitutions, best results and more. See https://www.kitchenparade.com/2010/02/julia-childs-soubise-recipe-onions-rice.php .

NUTRITION INFORMATION Per Half Cup: 171 Calories; 9g Tot Fat; 6g Sat Fat; 29mg Cholesterol; 129mg Sodium; 18g Carb; 2g Fiber; 4g Sugar; 3g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS (purple assumes brown rice) Old Points 4 & PointsPlus 5 & SmartPoints 7 & Freestyle 6 & myWW green 6 & blue 6 & purple 4 & future WW points.

Adapted from a “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” class at St. Louis' Kitchen Conservatory. The instructor, my friend Anne Cori, reports that her students all went home afterward to make her newbies for soubise themselves. I get this: I’ve made soubise three times and three ways in 10 days. Yes, it’s that good. Anne’s a fabulous cook and a regular inspiration. She’s also the Pastry Whisperer who taught me how to make Flaky Tender Pie Crust and for that, and for Julia Child’s Soubise recipe, and other life-changing introductions, I am ever grateful.

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Homage to Julia Child

~ Julia Child's Blender Hollandaise ~
~ Julia Child's Cucumber Salad ~
~ Julia Child's Lentil Salad ~
~ Julia Child's Cream of Zucchini Soup ~
~ Julia Child's Yellow Squash Coconut Soup ~
from A Veggie Venture, my food blog about vegetables

~ Mastering the Art of French Cooking ~
(affiliate link)

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Fall In Love with Onions

more
onion recipes

• THE RECIPE Spiced Pickled Red Onions A game changer for tacos, salads, eggs and more.
• ANOTHER TAKE Quick Jalapeño Pickles No canning required.
  

• THE RECIPE Moroccan Onions Sliced, spiced and roasted onions, the traditional mezgaldi.
• ANOTHER TAKE Slow Cooker Caramelized Onions Extra-special with a little brown sugar and a little sherry.

• THE RECIPE Leek Sauce for Pasta A Quick Supper, pasta hugged by a gentle leek sauce.
• ANOTHER TAKE Winter Pesto with Spinach Familiar pesto with a spinach twist.

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Shop Your Pantry First

(helping home cooks save money on groceries)

~ onions ~
~ rice ~
~ cheese ~
~ All Recipes, By Ingredient ~
~ How to Save Money on Groceries ~

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Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Quick Suppers are Kitchen Parade favorites and feature recipes easy on the budget, the clock, the waistline and the dishwasher. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail, you'll find my current address in the FAQs. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, for more scratch cooking recipes using whole, healthful ingredients, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. If you make this recipe, I'd love to know your results! Just leave a comment below.

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Alanna Kellogg

A Veggie Venture is home of "veggie evangelist" Alanna Kellogg and the famous asparagus-to-zucchini Alphabet of Vegetables.

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