Cooking with Onions

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

Caramelized onions, melted cheese, and warm, aromatic broth are the quintessential components of this bistro classic. It's perhaps one of the most comforting dishes to make at home, and we've come up with four variations so you can do just that.

First up is our most classic recipe. 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.

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.

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.