Simple, easy, tasty onions with delicious cheesy stuff on top. What could be better than that to accompany a hunk of meat?
When I read the recipe over at Kalyn’s Kitchen, I just knew I’d be trying it. I have a recipe here on my blog for Baked Onions with Thyme, that are a particular favorite of our family (that recipe came from an old Gourmet magazine). They’re quite easy too with lots of red wine added, but no cheesy topping, and they do take forever to roast – like 2+ hours. These, on the other hand, are thick slices of onions that are baked (roasted) in a hot oven for awhile, then topped with the cheesy stuff and allowed to bake longer – about another half hour – so the cheesy topping gets toasty brown and melts into deliciousness. So these take about an hour total in the oven.
Pretty much I followed Kalyn’s recipe, although I veered off slightly with the types of cheese I used. I made these twice, both times using slightly different cheeses (first: fresh mozzarella, goat cheese, Pecorino; second: regular Mozzarella, sharp cheddar, Gruyere and Parm. I preferred the 2nd grouping). Kalyn used pizza cheese and Pecorino. I think probably any mixture of cheese would work with this dish as long as you’ve got some of the soft melting cheese and some of the drier, high-flavored cheeses like Parm or Pecorino. The herbs just give the onions more flavor altogether, but you could probably vary those according to your taste, or by what you’re serving with it. If you’re doing sausages, add dill seed and fennel maybe. Italian steak or grilled Italian sausages? Add basil, thyme and rosemary. Chicken breasts are a basic palette, use whatever suits your fancy. Mexican? Add cumin and chili powder.
The cheesy mixture also has some mayo in it (to help bind it), Dijon, lemon juice, pepper, and in this version it’s fresh rosemary and fresh thyme. Those are the only two herbs still growing in my herb garden or what’s left of it from last summer. They survived our many nights of near freezing temps. As for the type of onion, I think you could use any variety – regular white or yellow, red or even Sweet onions. They’d all be just fine, although sweet onions contain more water, so they might take longer to roast (by about 5-10 minutes). The trick is to make sure the cheese mixture sort of sticks together when you mix it up. That way it will sort of stick together on the onion too. First, the thick onion slices are drizzled with oil, sprinkled with salt, pepper and herbs, then you roast them in the oven for about 15-20 minutes. The cheese mixture is stirred together and spread on the half-cooked onions, and you can add more cheese (Parm or Pecorino) on top so it will get nice and golden brown. Back in the oven they go to finish the cooking. After 20 minutes, check to see if they’re tender – add another 5 or 10 minutes. And if the top isn’t brown enough, turn on the broiler for just a couple of minutes.
What’s GOOD: how easy they are to make – you just have to be in and around the kitchen for a little over an hour. The cheesy mixture is quite simple – use what you have on hand. Really any kind of cheeses should work. I served these to dinner guests and they were lovely, but they’re also simple enough to be a weeknight side as well. They’re great left over too.
What’s NOT: nothing I can think of. Delicious.
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Cheesy Roasted Onions
Recipe By: adapted from Kalyn’s Kitchen, Feb. 2013
Serving Size: 6
ONIONS:
4 medium yellow onions — or sweet or red onions
1 tablespoon olive oil — for brushing onions (1 to 2)
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary — (or use 1/2 tsp. dried rosemary) finely chopped with large knife
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves — minced (or use 1 T. dried thyme)
GRATIN TOPPING:
6 tablespoons mayonnaise — [Kalyn used 4 T. low fat, 2 T full fat]
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice — or lime juice
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/3 cup mozzarella cheese — grated (or use chopped fresh Mozzarella)
1/3 cup Gruyere cheese — grated
1/3 tablespoon sharp cheddar cheese — grated (or use Pecorino)
2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese — grated
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary — minced
2 teaspoons fresh thyme — minced
fresh ground black pepper to taste
Notes: if using sweet onions, the baking time might be a bit longer than in the recipe (because they contain more water). I baked them at 450 for 12 minutes, spread the topping on, then reduced the oven temp to 350 and baked them for about 25 more minutes. Both times I baked them, they required different baking times. Both times I made these I used different combos of cheese. First: small, fresh Mozzarella balls cut in half, soft goat cheese, Pecorino. Second time: Gruyere, regular Mozzarella, sharp cheddar and some Parm. I think I preferred the 2nd grouping of cheeses.
1. Preheat oven to 450°. Peel onions and cut in 1/2 inch slices. Spray or brush baking sheet with olive oil, then arrange onion slices in a single layer. Spray or brush onions with oil, then sprinkle with chopped herbs. Roast onions 15-20 minutes.
2. While onions roast, combine mayo, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, your cheeses of choice, herbs and black pepper in a small bowl. Mix together with a fork. (The mixture will be lumpy.)
3. Spray a 9″ x 13″ casserole dish with olive oil or nonstick spray. Remove baking sheet from the oven and use a turner to place onions in the casserole dish. Spread topping over onions (use a sandwich spreader if you don’t want to use your fingers). It’s okay if the mixture doesn’t cover every bit of the onions. Place casserole dish in oven and bake 25-35 minutes, or until top is golden brown and onions are slightly bubbling. Serve hot. If tops aren’t golden brown, use broiler and watch carefully so they don’t burn.
Per Serving: 203 Calories; 18g Fat (77.1% calories from fat); 5g Protein; 7g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 19mg Cholesterol; 166mg Sodium.
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