Applebee's French Onion Soup

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
6 medium white onions, sliced
8 cups good quality beef broth
1 cup water
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
5 hamburger buns
10 slices provolone cheese
10 teaspoons shredded parmesan cheese
Heat vegetable oil in a large soup pot or saucepan over medium high
heat. Add the sliced onions and saute for 20 minutes until the onions
begin to soften and start to become translucent. Add the beef broth,
water, salt, garlic powder and black pepper to the pan and bring the
mixture to a boil. When soup begins to boil, reduce heat and simmer
for 45 minutes.
To make the croutons, separate the bottoms from tops of the hamburger
buns. Set aside the bottoms, and cut the crown of the tops to make them
the same size and shape as the bottoms. This gives you 10 BIG croutons.
Preheat oven to 325F. Place the bread in the the oven directly on the
rack and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until each piece is golden brown
and crispy. Set aside.
When the soup is done, spoon about 1 cup into an oven−safe bowl. Float
a crouton on top of the soup, then place a slice of provolone cheese
on top of the crouton. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of shredded parmesan cheese
over the provolone. Place the bowl into your oven set to high broil.
Broil the soup for 5 to 6 minutes or until the cheese is melted and
starting to brown (you may need to broil longer if you are making more
than one bowl at a time). Sprinkle an additional 1/2 teaspoon of shredded
parmesan cheese over the top of the soup and serve. Repeat for the
remaining bowls.