The Elevated Canned Soup You Should Be Dunking French Dip Sandwiches In

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An exceptional French dip sandwich is a classy affair. Sure, it'll get your fingers dirty, and you might drip au jus down your shirtfront, but you can't deny that the beefy handheld is an elevated product. It exists in an echelon higher than humble gravy bread or cheesesteaks, and it's miles above a gimmick food like the hot beef sundae of county fair fame. What if we told you, however, that there was a way to make your next French dip sandwich dinner even more sublime, while possibly making preparation easier as well? Both benefits can be found in canned French onion soup — as seen in use on a Facebook reel.

French onion soup in a can is a beautifully versatile product that's much greater when used as an ingredient than as, well, soup. Highly-rated stalwart Campbell's is what's accessible for many folks, though any soup brand should be fine. Just mix your can of soup with equal parts beef consommé and water to create an onion-y, rich, umami bomb of a jus that's not only delicious, but much easier to whip up than a jus made over hours with roast drippings and beef bones. If you're making shortcut French dip sandwiches with deli roast beef, for instance (or any other convenience meat product), this method is by far the best way to "cheat" the big flavors and richness of a scratch au jus. The consommé, which is not the same thing as beef broth or stock, adds viscosity and deep flavor to your pot ... and is also available canned, which means that you can do all your au jus shopping in one aisle!

You might think that yummy French dip sandwiches are unattainable outside of a restaurant setting, because who has time to roast an entire chunk of beef just to slice it razor-thin (and how?) and have to build a worthy au jus to boot. Luckily, this is simply not the case. We've seen some very decent French dip bases made with chuck or round roast — or even eye of round, a cheap prime rib copycat — that's slow-cooked until it can be shredded between two forks. No, shredded beef is not the same as sliced beef, but we'd argue that, when it comes to tastiness and ease of preparation, that's a nitpicky difference. Grab any juices from your slow cooker and stir them into your au jus of French onion soup, beef consommé, and water. To crib a French expression, ooh la la! Stick that meat on some toasty French rolls with melty cheese on top, and you have sandwiches that will absolutely delight.

The great thing about an au jus made from French onion soup is that, despite being a shortcut, it's arguably tastier than the original. Unless you are a classically-trained chef, you might have trouble coaxing rich flavor and the right texture out of au jus built from the ground up, but the allium richness and velvety texture of condensed soup and canned consommé will get you there in a jiffy. French dip sandwiches may seem lofty, but we know that their preparation need not be fancy.