Onions – You can Stuff Them!

Did you know there are over 200 varieties of allium, the genus that gives us onions? This includes garlic, ramps, chives, and hundreds of others. Here we’ll talk about the most popular used in cooking. And we’ll share how to stuff an onion for dinner!

Sweet Onions

There are many onions that are sweet. Yellow sweet onions include varieties like walla walla, vidalia, and Mauis. These onions have less sulfur and water than other onions, giving them a milder taste. They are mild and crips and great for eating raw, frying into onion rings and stuffing. Sweet onions aren’t usually cured like other yellow onions and tend to not last as long in storage.

Red Onions

A crisp, spicy onion that is great for grilling. You’ll see them raw in salads, like Greek salads, and on sandwiches or burgers. This variety are fantastic pickled. You can ease some of the bite by soaking them in cold water for about 15 minutes. It helps draw some of the spiciness and adds to their crispness. These are sometimes referred to as Bermuda, however, the Bermuda onion is an entirely different variety.

White Onions

A milder, thinner skinned variety of storage onion. They have a spiciness to them, but the taste doesn’t linger in your mouth. These make great salsas and chutneys. Add thin slices to salads. Like red onions, a quick soak in some cold water will remove some of the spicy bite.

Yellow Onions (Brown onion)

The most commonly used onion with a long storage life. These onions have a strong bite and are best used in cooking. Their flavor is strong, but are perfect for caramelizing. Yellow Spanish onions are large and slightly milder (and hard to find). If a recipe calls for a Spanish onion, the standard variety of yellow or white will fit the bill.

Pearl Onions

These small, sweet little onions are perfect in stews or beef bourguignon. I like to roast them in garlic butter and fresh herbs and serve them as a side dish – but peeling them is a nightmare!! I prefer to buy the parboiled, pre-peeled bags in the freezer section at the grocery store.

Cipolline Onions

A small, slightly flat Italian variety – these are great to roast or caramelize. They are sugary and mild. And if you boil them with the skins on for a minutes or two, let them cool and then peel them, the skins come off much easier!

Shallots

I use these a lot! You can use them anywhere an onion is called for, but they are much milder than other onions. They work great raw and chopped for salad dressing and vinaigrettes – or cooked with a dish whole or halved. One thing to note, one shallot may include a couple of nodes (cloves), but, unlike garlic, one shallot is the whole thing, not one of the nodes.

Making the Stuffed Onion

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Start by removing the center of the onion. Cut the top off (leave the root end) and

then cut around the edges, leaving two or three layers intact.

Using a large spoon, scoop out the inside as close to the bottom and edges as possible, again, leaving two or three layers.

Place them in a deep casserole dish. Add the water and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes to slightly soften. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Meanwhile, brown the sausage.

When it’s almost cooked, add the garlic and red pepper to the pan. Cook gently for about 5 minutes.

Add the pasta and mix well. I was going to use orzo, the little rice shaped pasta, but I was out. I used regular egg noodles and chopped them after they were cooked. You can use any kind of pasta, whole or cut up.

Scoop the mixture into the onions.

Top each with the bread crumbs and them the parmesan.

Bake for about 30 minutes.

Reduce the oven to 350 degrees. Top each onion with a slice of mozzarella and

bake for another 15 or 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and starting to brown.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about five minutes, then serve.

© Copyright 2024 The Lazy Gastronome

5 from 5 votes

Print

Sausage Stuffed Onions

Baked until soft and brown - these onions are full of Italian sausage, garlic and pasta, topped with creamy cheese.

Course: Main Course, main dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: italian sausage, mozzarella, onion, parmesan

Servings: 4 onions

Author: HelenFern

Ingredients

• 4 large sweet onions
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 pound bulk Italian sausage
• 3 - 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 cup diced, fired roasted red pepper (jarred)
• 2 cups cooked pasta
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/3 cup dried bread crumbs
• 1/3 cup Parmesan/Romano blend cheese (in the can)
• 4 slices mozzarella cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2. Start by removing the center of the onion. Cut the top off (leave the root end) and then cut around the edges, leaving two or three layers intact.

3. Using a large spoon, scoop out the inside as close to the bottom and edges as possible, again, leaving two or three layers.

4. Place them in a deep casserole dish. Add the water and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes to slightly soften. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. 

5. Meanwhile, brown the sausage.

6. When it's almost cooked, add the garlic and red pepper to the pan. Cook gently for about 5 minutes.

7. Add the pasta and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste.

8. Scoop the mixture into the onions.

9. Top each with the bread crumbs and them the parmesan.

10. Bake for about 30 minutes.

11. Reduce the oven to 350 degrees. Top each onion with a slice of mozzarella and bake for another 15 or 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and starting to brown.

12. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about five minutes, then serve.

Recipe Notes

 

© Copyright 2024 The Lazy Gastronome

 

Leave me a comment – I’d love to hear your thoughts!