A fantastic topping for grilled meat, but you’ll find a multitude of other great uses for these easy-to-make, sweet, sticky, delicious onions. JUMP TO RECIPE
Whenever I make Roasted Maple Balsamic Onions it’s almost always as an accompaniment to grilled beef or pork, but I invariably end up using them “in” and “on” so many other foods. That is to say, the leftovers never go to waste. You can throw them on salads and sandwiches, or into omelets, quiches and frittatas. They’re fantastic on pizzas, flatbreads, and focaccia, and are equally as tasty mixed into cooked pasta dishes. You’ll find a multitude of uses for these easy-to-make, sweet, sticky, delicious onions.
I think red onions are so beautiful with their deep, rich color, but I’ve always thought they look more purple than red. Turns out, I’m not alone. A quick google search confirmed that lots of other people think the same thing. So why are they called “red” onions? Because they are actually red. If you remove the outer most layer of skin and hold it up to the light, you’ll see the red. But an even more convincing piece of evidence emerged when I was editing the photo in Lightroom (photo editing software). In an attempt to highlight the purple color in the onions I used the HSL/color tool, and when I did, Lightroom interpreted the color as red! I guess sometimes our eyes can be tricked! Too bad that gorgeous color mostly disappears when red onions are cooked, but you won’t mind a bit once you taste Roasted Maple Balsamic Onions.
I love caramelized onions (made with yellow onions) but I almost never make them because they take too long time to cook (about an hour) and you need to be tethered to the stovetop, constantly stirring them until they become brown and caramelized. If you don’t tend to them, the natural sugars in the onions will burn and then you’ll have a brown goopy mess on your hands and it’ll be hell to clean the pan. For cooking in general, I much prefer using my oven instead of the stovetop, which is one of the reasons I love this recipe for Roasted Maple Balsamic Onions. It’s all done in the oven! The cooking time is about the same as for caramelized onions, but you only need to stir them once or twice midway through the roasting. This leaves you free to prep the other parts of your meal or move onto other activities.
The most time-consuming part of making Roasted Maple Balsamic Onions is cutting up the onions and separating all the layers. I describe the method I use in the recipe card below but here is a link to an alternate method along with tips on how to avoid tears when cutting onions.
For another unique way to roast red onions check out Hasselback Potatoes Over Roasted Red Onions. And, if you make Roasted Maple Balsamic Onions don’t forget to snap a pic and tag me over on Instagram @QueenofMyKitchen. I’d love to see your creation!
- 2 large red onions, about 1 pound each
- ⅓ cup balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Cut each onion in half through the stem ends and then cut each half into 8 wedges. Peel away the skins.
- Cut each wedge into ½-inch-thick slices. Separate the onion layers and place them on a half sheet pan. (For an alternate, but similar method for slicing the onions, click the link under the last photo in the recipe post.)
- Combine the vinegar, maple syrup, salt, and pepper in a small bowl and pour over the onions. Toss to evenly coat all the onions.
- Roast for 1 hour on the bottom rack of the oven, stirring once or twice midway through, until almost all the liquid has evaporated.
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These look perfect for a grilled cheese sandwich! Balsamic onions and swiss cheese heaven for me!