Staunch fans will recall that I shared a recipe/blueprint for French Onion Smashed Potatoes not long ago. And I suggested you first brush up on your onion caramelization technique by revisiting Natalie’s French Onion Soup recipe…
Natalie’s Caramelized Onions: Opens a door to a whole otherworldly
realm of sweet-savoury delights that spans cuisines and cultures!
Well… I promised you more such quick, easy, ‘swavoury’ dishes. And I’ve unearthed a veritable corn-ucopia of such recipes that will keep you occupied – and satiated – for at least a month…
Becoming an influencer?
Am I becoming an influencer? Or is it just those demon Mind Pirates stealing my inspirations, again?
No sooner did I promise you that encore series on caramelized onion dishes than the test kitchen ‘brain trust’ at Delish.com showcases a compilation of it’s best savoury onion specialties…
Anyway…
They’ve come out this week with a front-and-centre first page feature spotlighting no fewer of their all-time most-loved caramelized onion dishes. No fewer than 25, in fact. And I decided to share the best of the best with you. With my own observations and recommendations. By that, I mean the ones I wish I’d created…
French Onion Soup Bites
“These bites are made from crescent dough (the kind from a can that’s impossibly buttery), for a crunchy exterior, soft oniony center. […] And — don’t worry, we didn’t forget — a molten layer of cheese blanketing the top. They’re the perfect finger food, whether you’re hosting a soirée or simply treating yourself.”
I’ll be using sheets of Puff or Fillo pastry from the supermarket instead of the canned stuff from the Doughboy. Because it’s marginally healthier, and it can be manipulated into larger, jumbo muffin cups depending on how you cut it.
French Onion Mac &Cheese
“The comfort food classic gets a grown-up upgrade from Gruyère and caramelized onions in this re-cipe, lending that rich French Onion flavor you know and love to extra-cheesy mac & cheese.” (See photo, top of page.)
Of course, I’ve put slivered or diced onions in Mac and Cheese before. But never caramelized ones (she said, having missed the obvious, again…)
French Onion Rice
Caramelized onions, melty cheese, buttery rice… What’s not to love? This is a simple, straightforward dish with chances for variation here and there. Using basmati rice will result in a light, fluffy product—if you prefer stickier, go with short- or medium-grain white rice.”
A side dish that will brighten-up any otherwise bland main….
French Onion Grilled Cheese
“Caramelized onions and melted Gruyère are a heavenly match, so sandwiching them between crispy toasted bread is a sure win. This grilled-cheese take on the classic French onion soup will make you wonder why you ever bothered with the broth.”
This might just become my new go-to Grilled Cheese!
One-Pot French Onion Pasta
“We’re big fans of one-pot pastas and French onion soup-flavored everything, so it was just a matter of time until we combined those two awesome things in one dish. Meet this one-pot French onion pasta, which is destined to become one of your favorite weeknight dinners.”
You can make this with any kind of leftovers you have – meat or meatless. Or add firm tofu… Great with shredded rotisserie chicken, or chunked leftover hamburger patties or meatballs…
Vegetarian French Onion Stew
“With complex flavor and toasts broiled with melty cheese, this is just as good as the French classic. Hot tip: If you’re meal prepping, it’s best to melt your cheese [onto the bread] on a sheet tray instead to avoid losing soggy pieces of bread in your leftovers.”
Use dairy-free cheese for a vegan version. Think about adding other veggies or firm tofu for a richer, ‘more-mains-worthy’ dish!
My take
As I said at the outset, Delish has curated a list of 25 all-tie faves from its voluminous recipe vault. But I have more-specific tastes. And I wanted to restrict my recommendations from among their faves to easy, pleasy, onion heavy, adaptable dishes that could go with a variety of other ‘featured’ mains or added foods.
I’m confident that, if you love caramelized onions as much as I do, you’ll be memorizing some or all of my faves!
~ Maggie J.