CHEDDAR & BACON STUFFED ONIONS – I love a recipe where onions are the centerpiece! No surprise being they’re one of my favorite things to cook with and eat too. I use them to inject flavor into almost everything and hardly a day goes by without me eating them in some form or another.
Give them to me raw and so pungent they burn your eyes out or cooked and mellow, makes no difference, I adore them both the same.
Here, roasted Vidalia onions are stuffed with sharp cheddar cheese, crispy bacon and spinach. My holy trinity.
The onions are roasted first, hollowed out and filled only to be roasted all over again until the cheese is molten-hot and bubbly.
Scooping out the centers is easier than you might think – start small – right in the center with a sharp paring knife and work your way outward. Once you get the very center out you can pull the rest of the layers right out without cutting – cooking makes them soft and pliable.
These onions belong on your plate sitting right next to a juicy steak, a tasty slice of meatloaf or a tender piece of chicken.
Hello gorgeous.
CHEDDAR & BACON STUFFED ONIONS
Ingredients
- 3 medium Vidalia white or yellow onions (about 9 - 10 ounces each)
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 3 slices bacon
- 1 + ¼ cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 packed cup fresh baby spinach stacked and thinly cut (chiffonade)
- 2 - 3 tablespoons of the roasted onion chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Remove the skins from the onions - leave the root intact but trim it off a little to get it to stand without going through the bottom.
- Rub them lightly all over with olive oil, salt and pepper. Wrap them in foil.
- Place them, standing up, on a baking sheet and bake about 40 minutes. Remove and let cool until you can handle them.
- Turn the oven down to 350 degrees F. Lay the bacon out on a small foil-lined baking sheet or pan and bake until crispy about 15 minutes. Drain on paper towels and chop.
- Turn the oven back up to 400 degrees F.
- In a medium bowl toss the bacon, cheese and spinach together with a couple dashes salt and pepper.
- Use a paring knife to hollow out the center of the onions. Start in the center with a small cut and work your way outward. You should be able to easily pull the outer pieces right out.
- Chop up a couple tablespoons of the onions and mix it into the filling.
- Divide the mixture evenly among the onions packing it in so it all fits.
- Bake, uncovered, about 20 - 25 minutes until the cheese is bubbly.