Community Kitchen: French Onion Everything for Fall
Turn a budget bag of onions into caramelized gold: easy step-by-step tips, freezer hacks, and meal ideas to stretch flavour all fall long.
COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTION
With 10lb bags of onions on sale for under $2 last week at local grocery stores, you can bet Miranda and I are enjoying French Onion on just about everything. Onions are one of the cheapest flavour-builders in the kitchen, especially when bought in bulk.
When fall harvests come in, we blanch and freeze the carrots and broccoli, process the tomatoes, and pickle the beets and cucumbers. But more often than not, the poor onions get tossed into cold storage and forgotten.
Caramelizing a big bag of onions gives them more flavour, and you can get a lot of mileage out of them, too. One pot gives you a week’s worth of choices: spoon them over pork chops with grated Emmental (as we had this week), serve on a roast beef sandwich, or turn them into the classic French onion soup.
That 10 lb bag works out to just pennies per serving, and when caramelized, those humble onions turn into something rich enough to replace fancy sauces or gravies. Since we’re making an entire pot, we also freeze some for quick meals later on.
Caramelizing Onions
Start by peeling your onions, chopping them in half, and slicing thin. Heat a Dutch oven or large pot on medium. We use a mix of olive oil and butter… you might have a preference for one or the other, but both together give a nice balance.
Add the onions with a pinch of salt and sauté for 5–10 minutes, stirring so they don’t burn. Once softened, turn the heat down.
Add a splash or two of red wine vinegar (or red wine if you have it — apple cider vinegar, balsamic, or even soy sauce work, too), a teaspoon of dried thyme, and black pepper to taste.
From here, it’s low and slow. Cook the onions for 45 minutes to an hour over low heat, stirring every 5–10 minutes to prevent burning. Patience pays off — this is where they develop that deep, sweet flavour.
Tip: If you’re worried about burning them, a slow cooker is a good option for beginners. Toss in sliced onions, a drizzle of oil, and a pinch of salt, and let them cook on low overnight. No stirring, no fuss, and you’ll wake up to perfectly caramelized onions.
French Onion Pork Chops
Once your onions are ready, remove them from the pot. Add a bit more oil and brown your seasoned pork chops on both sides. Transfer the chops to a baking sheet and finish in a 350°F oven.
While they’re baking, return your onions to the pot to soak up all the pan juices. Spoon them over the finished chops, sprinkle with grated Swiss, Emmental, or Gruyère, and slide them back into the oven just until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
If pork chops aren’t on the menu, these onions are just as good spooned over roast chicken, beef, or even a veggie burger. Use whatever cheese you’ve got on hand — Swiss and Gruyère are traditional, but cheddar or mozzarella work just fine.
Freezing Caramelized Onions
We freeze caramelized onions in silicone ice cube trays, then pop them into bags. It’s the same way we store confit garlic, broth, and chopped herbs.
The stackable cubes are freezer Jenga at its best, and you can wash and reuse the bags. Pull out just what you need for the next dish, and you have a tasty flavour add for pennies a serving through the winter.
Other Ideas
Once you’ve got a stash of caramelized onions, they’re ready to:
Dress up a grilled steak
Form the base of a quick French onion soup (just add beef broth)
Layer into sandwiches or burgers
Toss with pasta and cream for an easy sauce
Spread on pizza with goat cheese or mushrooms
Stir into lentils, beans, or rice for an easy, filling side dish that tastes like it took hours.
Onions may not be the star crop of fall, but with a little time on the stove, they’ll be the ingredient you keep reaching for all winter.
Thank you to sponsors of The Owen Sound Current Writers’ Fund, who make these community contributions possible. Contributions from the community do not necessarily reflect the opinions or beliefs of The Owen Sound Current and its editor or publisher.
Related:
 | A guest post by
|