Cooking with Onions - Cooking Light

Photo: John Autry

Healthy Onion Recipes

Onions can be sweet or pungent, with each offering its own flavor profile. However, certain onion varieties are more suitable for specific uses than others. Sweet onions are great raw in salads and for making quick pickles, while hotter brown- and white-skinned onions are best for soups and stews, and for baking or roasting whole or in wedges. Red onions cook to an unappetizing grayish brown, so use them only in salads or quick-cook dishes that allow them to maintain their glorious color.

First up is our Onion Tart. The earthy flavor of this tart, with touches of feta tang, pairs beautifully with a peppery, nutty salad for a complete and filling meal.

View Recipe: Onion Tart

Photo: Iain Bagwell

Sweet Onion Casserole

Simple, sweet, and oh-so-yummy, this casserole is the ideal comfort side dish and pairs well with a variety of meat-based meals.

View Recipe: Sweet Onion Casserole

Photo: Grant Cornett

Pickled Onion, Blue Cheese, and Berry Salad

If you are fed up with boring salads, dine on something with a kick. This salad blends tangy Vidalia onions, sharp blue cheese, and sweet berries for a wonderfully delicious dish.

View Recipe: Pickled Onion, Blue Cheese, and Berry Salad

Photo: Oxmoor House

Diner-Style Onion Rings

Not only are they light, but they’re also gluten-free and irresistibly crunchy. And yes, these are fried, but using proper frying techniques yields foods with healthy fat levels. The two gluten-free flours reduce oil absorption while the rings cook, which means fewer calories and less fat. The addition of baking soda and carbonated club soda to the batter also discourages oil absorption by producing gas bubbles

View Recipe: Diner-Style Onion Rings

Photo: Oxmoor House

Bacon, Onion, and Mushroom Pizza

The refrigerated French bread dough used as the crust is quick, but it's also delicate. To work with it, find the seam in the dough and carefully unroll.

View Recipe: Bacon, Onion, and Mushroom Pizza

Smoked Salmon and Onion Frittata

You can make the onion mixture for this dish up to two days ahead of time. Refrigerate it in an airtight container, then bring the mixture to room temperature before assembling the frittata. Serve with cut-up fruit and toasted bagels with cream cheese. We call for baking the frittata in a cast-iron skillet; nine-inch pie plate also works.

View Recipe: Smoked Salmon and Onion Frittata

Photo: Oxmoor House

Roasted Sweet Onion Dip

Serve this dip with rice crackers or mixed fresh vegetables. Making the recipe a day ahead allows the flavors to meld.

View Recipe: Roasted Sweet Onion Dip

Photo: Con Poulos

French Onion Soup

It's worth the effort to make your own stock for this supersimple soup, but if you want to save time, you can use store-bought lower-sodium broth. You'll need to reduce the amount of salt you add to the soup by half.

View Recipe: French Onion Soup

Photo: Caleb Chancey and Brian Woodcock

Spinach and Onion Pizza

You'll use the tomatoes reserved from Braised Pork with Slow-Cooked Collards, Grits, and Tomato Gravy here. Purchase one pound of pizza dough and use most of it here; the rest becomes grilled flatbreads for Red Lentil Dal with Carrot Salad and Coriander Flatbreads.

View Recipe: Spinach and Onion Pizza

Photo: Marcus Nilsson

Caramelized Onion Spread

Serve with crostini, or melba toast. For an upscale version, thinly slice onions, and caramelize as directed. Then combine cream cheese, mayo, pepper, and salt; spread over crostini, and top with onions and chives.

View Recipe: Caramelized Onion Spread