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    Home » Recipes » Vegetables & Side Dishes

    Balsamic Roasted Red Onions

    Published: Feb 17, 2015 · Modified: May 28, 2022 by Sally Cameron · This post may contain affiliate links · 1 Comment

    164 shares
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Craving something sweet? As crazy as it sounds, roasting onions makes them incredibly sweet, and sweet vegetables are a great way to fend off sugar and sweet cravings. Humble onions play a critical supporting role in the culinary world, giving wonderful flavor to many recipes. Instead of a supporting role, feature them as a side dish with these Balsamic roasted red onions. You will be amazed a their rich savory sweetness.

    Caramelized Sweet Red Onions |AFoodCentricLife.com
    Balsamic roasted red onions in a white casserole dish.

    Balsamic Roasted Red Onions

    Searching for more ways to add vegetables to your dinner table? Consider the onion. Inexpensive and readily available, red onions are available year round in the produce department. Plus, onions are a non-starchy vegetable, so you can eat lots of them (great for low carb diets). Recipes with red onions usually combine them with other vegetables, but not this one. Here, they shine on their own.

    Red Onion Nutrition

    Besides tasting good, are onions good for you? Yes. As part of the allium family, including garlic, leeks, chives and scallions, onions are rich in sulfur-containing compounds that give them both their pungent odor and much of their health benefits. 

    Onions are a good source of important vitamins, minerals, and health-protective plant nutrients called phytochemicals. "Research shows that eating onions may help reduce heart disease risk factors, such as high blood pressure, elevated triglyceride levels and inflammation".

    Onions are also a good source of quercetin, a powerful antioxidant and natural antihistamine. Onions are generally a safe food if you have Histamine Intolerance. To be safe, pass on finishing your roasted onions with Balsamic unless you are well managed. They still taste terrific. Read more about the health benefits of onions here.

    Oven Roasted Onions

    But what to do with my one onion languishing in my pantry? Roast it. For me, the first answer always seems to be roasting. I cut up the onion and tossed it with olive oil, salt, pepper and my beloved granulated garlic that goes on everything. Into the oven went the onion, alongside a chicken roasting for dinner.

    Sliced Red Onions|AFoodCentricLife.com
    Sliced red onions on a gray cutting board.

    Roasting Makes for Sweetness

    The edges of the onions had turned a deep brown, caramelized from the heat of the oven. Roasting turns a normally pungent, eye-watering, mascara-smearing onion into something as sweet as candy. Yes, I see you looking at me with doubt and skepticism. Trust me. You must make these.

    Sliced Red Onions | AFoodCentricLife.com
    Sliced red onions in a baking dish.

    Balsamic & Thyme For The Finish

    As I pulled the casserole dish from the oven, the sweet smell wafted up to my nose. I knew these were going to taste great. I tossed the onions with a little good Balsamic and fresh chopped thyme.

    You can use either regular Balsamic vinegar or take it one step further. Make Balsamic syrup. This handy little condiment is always in a squeeze bottle by my stove for such uses. For how to make Balsamic syrup, read this post.

    Caramelized Sweet Red Onions|AFoodCentricLife.com
    Roasted red onions in a white casserole dish.

    How to Enjoy Balsamic Roasted Red Onions

    • Serve as a side dish along roast chicken
    • Pile on a grilled steak or steak salad
    • Pile them on asparagus for a double vegetable side
    • Add to a salad, either warm or cold
    • Pile on quinoa or rice with other vegetables for a delicious veggie bowl
    Balsamic & Thyme to Finish and Serve|AFoodCentricLife.com
    Roasted red onions with asparagus on a gray platter.
    Balsamic & Thyme to Finish and Serve|AFoodCentricLife.com

    Balsamic Roasted Red Onions

    Sally Cameron
    The humble sweet red onion elevates to star staus with a little olive oil, Balsamic, herbs and roasting. Serve aside chicken, beef, burgers or alone over a quinoa or rice bowl.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 40 mins
    Total Time 50 mins
    Course Side Dish
    Cuisine American
    Servings 4
    Calories 122 kcal

    Equipment

    • glass or ceramic baking casserole dish approximately 10x13

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 large red onions about 1 ½ pounds
    • 3 tablespoons olive oil
    • ½ teaspoon sea salt
    • ¼ teaspoon granulated garlic
    • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
    • 1 ½ tablespoons fresh chopped thyme leaves
    • 1-2 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar or syrup

    Instructions
     

    • Pre-heat the oven to 400°F. Ready a large glass or stoneware baking dish, about 10″x13″. Cut the onions in half from the top to bottom, from root to stem end.  Trim the root and stem ends flat. Peel off the papery skin, then lay each half flat on a cutting board and cut the halves into 6 wedges.
    • Add onion wedges to the baking dish and toss with oil, then sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic. Roast onions uncovered for about 40 minutes, or until they are very soft and the edges are very brown. Remove dish from the oven, toss with the Balsamic and sprinkle with thyme leaves. See note below on Balsamic.

    Notes

    Note for Histamine Intolerance: skip the Balsamic vinegar at the end unless your HIT is well managed and it's safe for you to use Balsamic. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 122kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 1gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gSodium: 294mgPotassium: 105mgFiber: 1gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 127IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 25mgIron: 1mg
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Porsche Guy says

      May 28, 2022 at 12:44 pm

      I made these for serving with a grilled steak and they were great. Really surprised at the sweet flavor. Love Balsamic. Thanks for an unexpected tasty recipe.

      Reply

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