Make Baked Onions For a Healthy and Delicious Side

Call me crazy, but I've never really gotten the allure of baked potatoes. Sure, you can dress them up and make tasty things like twice baked potatoes, but a twice baked potato is more about the ingredients you've mixed into the potato rather than the potato itself.

Onions on the other hand are inherently flavorful and the heat from the oven works miracles on the pungent onion, rounding off its sharp edges and giving it a mellow sweetness and depth of flavor that's tough to beat. It's similar to what happens when you caramelize onions, but by roasting them whole, it makes for a side dish, not just a condiment.

A drizzle of olive oil brings back some of the moisture that was lost while roasting, and a hint of balsamic vinegar amplifies the sweetness. The salt keeps the sweetness from becoming cloying, while bringing forth the umami produced through the maillard reaction.

Whether you pair the baked onions with a steak or eat them solo, they make for a delicious side that contributes flavor to your plate, all without a single ounce of butter, bacon, or sour cream. Best of all, while baking the onions, your kitchen will fill with a magical aroma that will make your stomach growl and your mouth water.