I don’t know if you’ve noticed that I’m creating, or rather writing, some Basic Cooking Preparations like these Baked Gratin Onions. I started some time ago because simple, quick, and economical recipes that don’t take much time are often requested.
So I thought, if I did a search for these types of recipes on my blog, how many would I find? And the answer, strange but true, was: few, very few. I mean, it’s not that I write or propose recipes that are too difficult. I always try to offer everyday dishes that can be enjoyed all year round. Following, of course, the seasonality of ingredients to respect the environment and maintaining the household economy which is always too tight. But when I think of basic recipes or basic cooking preparations, I must admit there was really little. Some creams, a few potato dishes, but not much more.
For example, can you believe that until a few days ago there wasn’t even a Classic Plumcake? This really shocked me; I only realized it after a reader requested that recipe. Imagine that! So I’m trying to make up for it, one new recipe at a time each week. I’ve created and am enriching the Basic Preparations Category of the blog, and I hope you like it. Don’t keep your requests and questions to yourself and write to me; it’s the only way I have to communicate with you and respond to your requests! I’m always here ready and available for all of you as always.
Of course, I’m not reinventing the wheel and not giving you the ultimate recipe, I’m writing my recipe, as always. The recipe I’ve always prepared and that was prepared by my grandmother first and then by my mom. In short, the Recipe for Baked Gratin Onions from my family! I hope you enjoy them, and if you want, you can write in the comments below your recipe or the variations you like best.
Below, I’m leaving you some other baked side dish recipes that you can prepare at different times of the year so you can try them all. Each link is clickable and will take you directly to the recipe you choose to read.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very economical
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 2 People
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 457.96 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 54.13 (g) of which sugars 13.73 (g)
- Proteins 10.07 (g)
- Fat 23.71 (g) of which saturated 4.77 (g)of which unsaturated 2.17 (g)
- Fibers 6.68 (g)
- Sodium 1,023.12 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 250 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for Baked Gratin Onions
- 4 golden onions (medium large)
- 80 g breadcrumbs (might need up to 100 grams)
- 20 g cheese (for grating (optional) parmesan or grana padano)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (generous)
- Half teaspoon salt
- 1 pinch pepper (pepper mix in my case)
- a few basil (preferably fresh)
- a few parsley (preferably fresh)
- a few sage (preferably fresh)
- a few marjoram (preferably fresh)
- 2 sprigs rosemary (preferably fresh)
- 1 tablespoon white wine
Tools for the Baked Gratin Onions Recipe
- 1 Small bowl
- 1 Baking tray
- 1 Oven
- 1 Spoon
- 1 Parchment paper
- 1 Knife
- 1 Cutting board
Steps for the Baked Gratin Onions Recipe
Let’s start by cutting the onions, first removing the two ends to make this part flat as it will be the base we place in the tray. Remove the skin and the first outer layer of each golden onion you’ve purchased. Generally, this step is very easy and quick because when pulling off the skin, this layer detaches easily.
Quickly rinse the onions under running water. Then place them back on the wooden cutting board and cut them in half horizontally, make sure you do this. Cutting them vertically would turn the onions into hammocks, making them too wobbly to create the gratin topping with breadcrumbs. Preheat the oven to static mode between 350 and 390 degrees Fahrenheit.
Now let’s prepare the breadcrumbs for the oven gratin. Take a small bowl and pour the breadcrumbs into it. In my case, breadcrumbs from Nonna Sandra who always keeps old bread, grinds it, and then calls us to pick it up. She already seals it in freezer bags and keeps it in the freezer. In fact, none of us has a jar of breadcrumbs; we all keep it in the freezer in many small bags.
Add the herb leaves you’ve chosen, if you like all of them I recommend using them as I did. I finely chopped the parsley, picked the leaves of marjoram, cleaned the rosemary sprig, chopped the sage, and broke up the basil by hand so it won’t blacken with the knife. Add the grated cheese; you can choose between grana padano, parmesan, a nice pecorino romano or other cheese that can be grated and doesn’t release water during baking.
Pour the tablespoon of white wine and the two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper; in my case, a creole pepper blend, and mix everything, trying to blend the ingredients in the bowl as much as possible.
Place a sheet of parchment paper in a baking tray and arrange the onions cut-side down, using the flat side obtained by cutting off the two outer ends of each.
With your hands or a teaspoon, place on top of each onion the breadcrumbs for gratin that we just prepared. I do this step with my hands to apply slight pressure both on the breadcrumbs and the surface where it’s being placed, in this case, the gratin vegetables, here onions.
We are now ready to bake the onions to be gratinated. Place the baking tray in the center of the oven if not using it for other preparations. If I can suggest a main dish to accompany these baked golden gratin onions, I would say Homemade Spinacine. The spinach is very sweet and light, so the punch of the golden onions is perfect as a baked gratin side.
Let the baked gratin onions cook for about 25 – 30 minutes. You will see them gradually become nicely golden and the breading super crispy. If you love it, you can switch to grill mode for the last 5 minutes, but first, take out the baking tray with the onions, grate some more cheese directly on top, and put it back in the oven. Oh, that crust is delightfully delicious and good!
We are finally ready to enjoy this quick and economical side dish to prepare, perfect 365 days a year to serve with meat dishes or fish mains. There’s no difference because onions pair excellently, cost little, and are available year-round.
I wish you bon appétit and remind you that I look forward to seeing you every morning in the group and on the Facebook fan page of Le Ricette di Bea with the Recipe of the Day and much more! Below you’ll find the box with the blog’s social profiles and the space for comments and recipe reviews. If you want to help me and my blog grow, you can do so by leaving stars with a comment! Thank you in advance, until the next recipe!!!
Storing Baked Onions
We can store the gratin onions in a container with a lid, either in the refrigerator for a couple of days or in the freezer for a few weeks. Obviously, the container must have an airtight closure, and the onions must be completely cooled to room temperature before being put away. Before serving them, let them thaw in the fridge and then heat them in the oven or in a covered pan.
