Recipe Roundup

21 Onion Recipes That Make Onions The Star of the Meal

This kitchen workhorse can also be the main event.

October 19, 2018

Photo by Alex Lau
1/21
Hot-Pink Pearl Onion Pickles
These sweet and very tangy neon pickles pair best with grilled meats, stews, and braises.
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Photo by Alex Lau
2/21
Olive Oil–Confit Chicken With Cipolline Onions
What happens when you cook with a lot of oil? Magic. Because oil conducts heat much more efficiently than air, foods that are confited in it, like these chicken thighs, come out incredibly moist and infused with the oil’s flavor.
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Photo by Travis Rainey, Food styling by Leslie Raney Garetto
3/21
Our Favorite French Onion Soup
It ain't French onion soup without a glorious cheese toast on top. Grate on some Gruyère and put it under the broiler.
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Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Sean Dooley
4/21
My Mother's Butter, Tomato, and Onion Sauce
The classic, beloved Marcella Hazan pasta sauce is made with just four ingredients and couldn't be easier.
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Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich
5/21
Ramp Fritters
These crispy little fritters taste like a three-way cross between onion tempura, blooming onion, and onion rings. If you can't find ramps, use thin scallions.
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Photo by Linda Pugliese, food styling by Anna Hampton
6/21
Stuffed Onions With Spiced Lamb and Pomegranate
Make these Middle Eastern-inspired stuffed onions with rice and lamb and top everything off with a handful of pomegranate seeds.
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Photo by Andrew Thomas Lee
7/21
Slow Cooker Pot Roast with Charred Onion & Chickpea Salad
This recipe shines a new light on a classic. Cooking a chuck roast slow-and-low allows it time to fully develop its flavor. Pair it with a fresh chickpea salad to brighten up the dish.
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Roland Bello
8/21
Golden Onion Pie
If you're not feeling French with your onion inspiration, this Zwiebelkuchen, a German specialty, may do the trick. Slow-cooked onions are combined with eggs and sour cream and spooned into a yeasted dough.
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Quentin Bacon
9/21
Roasted Red Onion Flowers
Here's when the adults have to actually share the vegetables. These sweet and savory onion flowers are pretty popular with kids.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, and Anna Stockwell
10/21
Carrot Pizza With Fontina and Red Onion
This unique pizza depends on red onion slices for some important biting contrast.
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Peden + Munk
11/21
Cucumber and Charred Onion Salad
Somewhere between a condiment and a side; this would be great spooned right onto a burger.
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Photo by Eva Kolenko.
12/21
Petit Trois's French Onion Soup
We get it. You might not always have time to cobble together a veal stock like in this restaurant French onion soup. If that's the case, use low-sodium beef stock instead.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop and Food Styling by Ali Nardi
13/21
Creamed Pearl Onions and Fennel with Crispy Spiced Breadcrumbs
Sweet, tender pearl onions are the star of this reimagined classic, which gets an elegant update with fennel, citrus, and Parm.
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Malú Alvarez. Food styling: Michelle Gatton. Prop styling: Brian Heiser
14/21
Rosemary-Balsamic Onions
Use these deeply savory balsamic onions on more than just hot dogs—they'd go very well with chicken recipes.
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