A lighter, Italian take on French onion soup

But it is not light. In my quest to slim down this French classic I turned to Italy. I caramelized the onions in olive oil, rather than butter, swapped out the Gruyere in favor of Parmigiano-Reggiano (less fat and bigger flavor, so you can use less of it), and moved the croutons and cheese off the top to make room for a poached egg. Finally, I added some pancetta for flavor, because we have to have at least a little fun.

I took much of my inspiration for this recipe from Cesare Casella, a brilliant Tuscan chef. I thought Casella's soup really improved the French original. I especially like the addition of the egg. The yolk makes up for at least some of the richness lost when the Gruyere goes bye-bye.

But unlike Casella, I don't have home-made beef stock just hanging around my kitchen, so I used chicken broth as the base. Once upon a time I couldn't find store-bought beef broth that made the grade. Now Rachael Ray has come out with a good one. I recommend it.

If you'd like, you even can get a jump on this recipe by poaching the eggs ahead of time. Just cool them off after you're done by transferring them with a slotted spoon to a bowl of ice water. Then store them in the refrigerator on a plate covered with plastic wrap until you're ready to reheat them. All you need to do is submerge them in a pan of barely simmering water for a minute or two.

Traditional French Onion Soup is a rich first course. This Italian-style onion soup is a full meal in a bowl.

Italian-style onion soup topped with a poached egg

Start to finish: 1 ½ hours (20 minutes active)

Servings: 4

2 ounces chopped pancetta

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 pounds yellow onions, thinly-sliced